Free of debt — with regrets
Stories about how ordinary people pay off debt quickly can be amazing, inspiring — and somewhat deceptive.
These tales often mention the sacrifices debtors made but may gloss over the cost to their quality of life or the misguided choices they made. Becom- ing debt-free can be a worthy goal, but understanding the pitfalls can keep you from repeating others’ mistakes.
THERE’S MORE TO LIFE THAN DEBT
Zina Kumok wishes she hadn’t been in such a frenzy to pay off $28,000 of student loans. She did so in three years on an average annual salary of around $30,000.
“I was so focused on getting rid of debt that I didn’t spring for things that could have really helped me, like going to a therapist or even attending networking conferences,” says Kumok, a Denver resident who blogs at DebtFreeAfterThree.com.
Financial planners consider most student loans to be the kind of “good debt” that needn’t be paid off in a hurry. Federal student loans offer relatively low, fixed interest rates, deductible interest and numerous repayment options, including several years of deferral or forbearance plus the possibility of forgiveness.
While Kumok is happy her loans are paid off, she advises others not to go overboard in their debt repayment zeal. At one point, she debated with herself for 20 minutes about whether to spend $1 on a Redbox video rental. That was taking frugality to the point of obsession, she says.
“I think I could have improved my life a lot if I had let go a bit,” Kumok says. “Spending an extra $50 a month wouldn’t have killed me.”
YOU MAY HAVE MORE OPTIONS THAN YOU THINK
Aja McClanahan of Chicago, who with her husband, Kelvin, paid off $120,000 in debt, wishes she’d understood more about old debts and statutes of limitations.
“There were some bills we could have negotiated down and others we actually didn’t have to pay because of how old they were,” McClanahan says.
For example, she settled one defaulted private student loan for $3,600 — the original principal — after interest and fees had ballooned the bill to $12,000. She found out later the debt was well past the state statute of limitations, which limits how long creditors can sue after someone stops paying a debt. While creditors can continue trying to collect out-of-statute debts, the McClanahans wouldn’t have faced the potential lawsuits, wage garnishment or bank account liens that can come from ignoring in-statute debt.
Debt settlement can have other pitfalls. Bankruptcy attorney Ed Boltz of Durham, N.C., has had clients who paid $5,000 to $10,000 to debt settlement companies without getting the relief they were promised. Some creditors refused to compromise, and some debt settlement companies were fraudulent outfits that vanished without a trace.
“People think they’re doing the right thing but their credit scores are trashed, they’re out all that money,” says Boltz, a past president of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys.