Canadian Family Debt-To-Income Ratio Hits Record High

Do you know your debt-to-income ratio? Find out and know your creditability and if it’s worst like most of the Canadians then improve it without delay. Does the year 2012 of borrowing trouble? Family debt-to-income ratio hits record high in Canada! Debt rises 78% in the last 20 years, according to The Vanier Institute of the Family’s 12th annual assessment of the Canadian family finances report; the average Canadian family debt including mortgage loans has reached $100,000. The average Canadian family debt-to-income ratio has now hit a record 150% that means Canadian families owe $1,500 for every $1,000 in after-tax income. We are not going to discuss here what happens next year, because it comprises a lot of inside economic indicators and outside world crises as USA and UK are also reflecting the nearly same negative trend. Yes, we have got a positive thing with us that benefit all the individuals, we still have a very low-interest rate in Canada and it feels that the Bank of Canada wants it to continue its low rates in 2012. Time will definitely disclose about the report how much it compares of apples and oranges. Dealing with a high debt to income ratio is not very difficult and as a sensible individual you have to safeguard your personal finances by reducing your extra spending and saving for the future, and you can do it. Let’s discuss our monthly personal and household spending in relation to our income that demands us to reduce our debts with a productive option of saving into investments.

A simple spreadsheet that will help calculate your debt to income ratio. Do you know your debt-to-income ratio? People usually want to use the debt to income ratio calculator, although Its a simple calculation that an individual can do it by using excel spreadsheet or by hand, it will help you in finding out how much you’re paying in relation to your earning each month and whether your ratio of debt to income is acceptable or high. The debt-to-income ratio is a percentage of your income you owe in debt or debt payments and it’s one of the best ways to know whether a person is in a good or bad financial position. You require a good financial position to borrow money, spending too much on debt and other financial commitments will result in bad credit, it will drop your creditability and a chance to get credit when in need. All the banks, financial institutes and lenders require your debt-to-income ratio to determine your ability to repay debt, a lower ratio means you hold better chances of repaying your debt. Where a higher ratio means you would consider being a credit risk that could result in disapproval of your loan or mortgage. There are various lenders especially those dealing in mortgages also calculate Gross Debt Service Ratio (GDSR) and Total Debt Service Ratio (TDSR) to analyze your affordability to take an additional debt. In view of various financial experts, your debt-to-income ratio should not exceed one-third of your gross income.

You probably have taken some kind of debt in your life and it’s quite normal, whether it’s a mortgage, credit card, car loan, student loan, payday loan, personal loan, or any sort of due bills you may have. Debt can be divided into two types in relation to rate of interest, high and low-interest rate debts; Where credit cards and payday loan debt belong to high rate of interest and these are the debts you should always consider to pay off as soon as possible, preferably before due dates, that way you can save your self from getting into a speedy and extra debt burden.

Reducing your debt means saving that you can further invest to get more future benefits, there is a great number of individuals that prefer investing their money into government-backed investment offers to get high-interest savings programs like Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP), Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs), Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds and other to enhance and save money for various future tasks and most probably for retirement purpose. Here you can get benefits from your lower rate debts while investing them into those investments, which deliver higher returns. It is further advisable for all individuals to consider all the factors before making the decision to go with these benefit programs because there are two possible things you must consider; you should calculate the difference between your investment rate of return and interest rate over your various debts. A positive difference between the two will help you in making your decision, if paying off debt would help you in reducing your financial burden while enhancing your monthly saving amount then it’s the best deal to consider.

Personal debt management is not difficult because you can easily manage your own debts according to your situation and priority but if you follow the ways how professional debt consultant do it, then their suggestion help you a lot in many ways like;

1. Start paying off similar kinds of debts of smaller in amount and interest rates, it will reduce your burden having various credit and you know these kinds of debts are easier to pay. After paying off one debt individual can get more satisfaction and courage to start concentrating on the next debt amount to be paid.
2. Paying off one big value debt having a higher interest rate like credit card repayment require your most urgent attention, as you know interest occurring from the credit card is very high and payday loan late payments can charge you with a penalty and high fee, don’t delay in paying off these expensive debts. This strategy will definitely enhance your satisfaction, creditability and more handy cash that lets you concentrate on the other debts to reduce.

As an individual, you have a variety of options but choosing one best may determine by your own convenience that’s why go with the option that satisfies you a lot. If you are facing a poor credit rating, you will observe when you start paying off debts to your lender, your credit rating will improve by having lesser debts. It will also help you in getting your desired low rates big loans for your various types of future investments.

If you’re struggling with your credit card debts and other high-interest rates debts and want to adopt better ways to manage your finances then credit counselling could be the right solution for you. You are also advised to consult with your debt consultant; there is a variety of debt relief Canada websites available online today where you can get free debt help and analysis, and if it satisfies you, you may ask them their full help.

Lowering down your high debt-to-income ratio is not an easy task, but you still have a great option to lower it accordingly because it’s not in hands of other than you, take responsibility for your personal finances, educate your self, control your spending habits while purchasing smartly only things you need most, stop your frequent credit cards usage. You will be surprised yourself to find out how changing your habits will improve your money management skills and help you reduce your debt.