Want to get rid of your debt but don’t want to file for bankruptcy or risk foreclosure? If so, debt settlement is an option worth considering. You might think you can’t settle your debt on your own, but the truth is you can do it yourself. There’s no law that says you have to hire a company to handle the debt settlement process. In fact, hiring an outside company usually means paying the company a hefty commission based on the total amount of your debt.

The key to successful debt settlement is negotiation and it’s a skill anyone can learn. Just follow these seven simple steps to do it yourself. Remember when you negotiate, you’re not only reducing the amount you pay individual credit card companies each month. You’re also lowering your total debt by 50 to 80 percent.

Once you start negotiating with creditors you’ll find that settlement amounts will vary. Some may offer as low as 30% and others up to 50%. Some will even forgive most of the amount you owe. Try it and in about six months you’ll be off to a fresh start.

Here are seven debt settlement and creditor negotiation steps you can do yourself:

1) First you need to accumulate a sizable amount of unmanageable debt, which you’ve probably already done since you’re thinking about settling.

2) Next you have to determine that debt settlement is your best option.

3) Once you make that determination, stop making your monthly payments.

4) Take the money you would have spent making those payments and put it into a savings account. Or if you can, try to get a loan with a low or zero percent interest rate from family or friends.

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