Private Student Loan Consolidation at a Fixed Rate

Nowadays money usually should not be a problem when it comes to pursuing a higher education. So many venues exist to channel money towards the continuation of an education: Grants. Scholarships. Federal and Private Student Loans.Student borrowers should be careful to seek loans that cover their needs and no more. Along with your formal education, it is time to self-educate yourself about handling money to avoid debt traps after being graduated. However, do not let the prospect of future debt worry you too much. You can dwell on that later. Right now, just keep your spending under control and focus on your studies.Some students will have found it necessary, for any number of legitimate reasons, to take out more than one student loan. After studies are completed, there exists the possibility of combining all those loans into one package. Called student loan consolidation, this practice simplifies budgeting and just makes life easier when you are first starting out in the real world.Consolidating Private Student Loans Has Its BenefitsOne of the main objections to having a number of different student loans is that it is plainly such a hassle. But there are other reasons: You have a number of loans. Each with its own monthly due date. Each with its own payment amount. Each with a different creditor. Probably each with a slightly different interest rate.If all those separate loans are consolidated, your interest rate will even out. You will have only one due date. You will have only one payment that will probably be lower than the sum of your separate payments. You will have only one creditor.Another good thing about consolidation is that it will greatly improve, or favorably begin, your credit standing. You will have a number of loans that will have been retired successfully, and will have reduced the number of your creditors. Both of these will be appreciated by lenders should you ever need financing for some future dream, such as a vehicle or a residence.Fixed Rates Are Best for Private Student Loan ConsolidationIf you are wise and know the pitfalls of variable rate loans, you will steer clear of such when you go about consolidating your student loans. Having a variable rate loan puts your budget at the mercy and caprice of fluctuating money markets. Because of the wide variability in interest rates, you should consolidate all your private loans under one deal, and all your federal loans under another.Private student loans tend to have higher interest rates than federal student loans. Combining the two could result in higher overall interest rates. So it is probably not a good idea to combine the two unless there is a compelling reason, such as imminent default or for other financial relief reasons.Also, with private student loans, you can add credit card debt accrued for educational purposes. You would not be able to include those costs in a federal student loan consolidation. And, while having two monthly debts is not as simple as having one, the savings in interest are significant enough to deal with the hassle.