How to manage your debt

Debt is more prevalent than ever in today’s society. The Central Bank of Kenya data shows that personal and household loans advanced by the banking sector stood at Sh843.5 billion as of the end of December 2019, out of which Sh70.1 billion was classified as non-performing.

Everyone with even a little bit of debt has to manage their debt. If you just have a little debt, you have to keep up your payments and make sure it doesn’t get out of control. On the other hand, when you have a large amount of debt, you have to put more effort into paying off your debt while juggling payments on the debts you’re not currently paying.

Every debt is either revolving or non-revolving, secured or unsecured.

Revolving debt is one where you can continuously spend and pay off the debt. The most common revolving debt is a credit card, though a line of credit is also a type of revolving debt.

Non-revolving debt is one where you borrow a lump sum and then pay it off over a specific term. Non-revolving debts include mortgages, student loans, personal loans, and car loans.

A secured debt is one that is secured by collateral or an asset the lender can seize if you don’t make your payments. Mortgages and auto loans are secured debts since your lender can seize your home or car if you don’t pay them back.

Unsecured debts don’t have any collateral behind them. The lender can still take legal action to get their money, but there’s no asset they can seize from you. Student loans and credit cards are examples of unsecured debts.

Understanding your debt

It’s important to know about and fully understand each debt you have. For each debt, you should know your:

Total balance

Interest rate

Minimum monthly payment

Estimated payoff date

One should make a list of your debts, including the creditor, total amount of the debt, monthly payment, interest rate, and due date. You can use your credit report to confirm the debts on your list. Having all the debts in front of you will allow you to see the bigger picture and stay aware of your complete debt picture.

Decide which debts to pay off first

Paying off credit card debt first is often the best strategy because credit cards have higher interest rates than other debts. Of all your credit cards, the one with the highest interest rate usually gets priority on repayment because it’s costing the most money.

Use your debt list to prioritize and rank your debts in the order you want to pay them off. You can also choose to pay off the debt with the lowest balance first. This might cost a little more in the long run, but knocking off small debts first can build confidence.

Pay your bills on time each month

Late payments make it harder to pay off your debt since you’ll have to pay a late fee for every payment you miss. If you miss two payments in a row, your interest rate and finance charges will increase.

If you use a calendaring system on your computer or smartphone, enter your payments there and set an alert to remind you several days before your payment is due. If you miss a payment, don’t wait until the next due date to send your payment, by then it could be reported to a credit bureau. Instead, send your payment as soon as you remember that it was missed.

Pay off collections and charge-offs

You can only pay as much on your debt as you can afford. When you have limited funds for repaying debt, focus on keeping your other accounts in good standing. Don’t sacrifice your positive accounts for those that have already affected your credit. Instead, pay those past due accounts when you can afford to do it.