Personal Debt

dkb123
dkb123 Community member, Scope Member Posts: 165 Empowering
edited October 2021 in Benefits and income
With the repayment holiday for credit cards and overdrafts coming to an end, and the forecast of mass unemployment after the furlough period ends, should we be campaigning for a different system of dealing with Debt Relief and Bankruptcy? 

Comments

  • dkb123
    dkb123 Community member, Scope Member Posts: 165 Empowering
    I thought the conditions of a DRO were the same as a Bankruptcy, only the DRO is £90 and the other is £650 so why is it the last resort?
  • dkb123
    dkb123 Community member, Scope Member Posts: 165 Empowering
    I don't have that problem it's over 25 years  since I found myself in that situation, but It changed my perspective about debt,
    I came to realise that money is only a commodity and most lenders have long since got their return on the investment before the loan comes to an end.or they claimed on their insurance to cover the loss.
     I was hoping to stimulate a discussion on a subject that a lot of people find shameful or an admission of failure when they hit financial problems 
     
  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Scope Posts: 10,511 Championing
    Hi @dkb123, thank you for sharing this with us. Were there any elements in particular that you were wanting to discuss? :)
  • dkb123
    dkb123 Community member, Scope Member Posts: 165 Empowering
    there is a lot of stress  and mental health problems linked to debt and societies attitude to it, there are also people around that profit off  and exploit the situation, and I wanted to know how people feel about vulnerability and self-worth, in modern times as opposed to what I think is sometimes victorian  a view, money, in my opinion, is just a commodity that is traded and it is the lack of knowledge that leads to the fear  
  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Scope Posts: 10,511 Championing
    That's interesting. I imagine there is a lot of research out there on that! Hope you are doing well @dkb123! 
  • dkb123
    dkb123 Community member, Scope Member Posts: 165 Empowering
    Why is basic finance  not taught in schools, the concept of  business insurance which pays off the debt and then  the creditors or banks bundle them together, and  sells it on for pence in the pound to collectors who rely on ignorance, that the money is no longer owed, and use unlawful bully tactics that reinforce the myth that  the debt is still in force 
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,443 Championing
    Very true @dkb123. I don't know much about personal finance, and everything I do know has been self taught! 
  • dkb123
    dkb123 Community member, Scope Member Posts: 165 Empowering
    I think lifeskills are far more important than half the subjects at school and  the of lack of knowledge about  finance has too many serious consequences to be picked up as you go along 
  • Cher_Alumni
    Cher_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,715 Championing
    @dbk123 I entirely agree.  There has been a real push for money management to be added to the citizenship part of the National Curriculum in recent years which I think it a positive move.  In-fact, Martin Lewis is a big champion of it and recently co-funded the first-ever financial education textbooks >> https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/07/martin-lewis-financial-education-textbook-rolled-out-to-700-scho/

    I know I could have done with this back in the day so lets hope it helps future generations.

  • dkb123
    dkb123 Community member, Scope Member Posts: 165 Empowering
    I would say he is one of the most helpful national figures of the last decade 
  • dkb123
    dkb123 Community member, Scope Member Posts: 165 Empowering
    I must say that I am disappointed that this board is so inactive, the huge financial crisis that is going to hit us, is just weeks away, and the defaults for personal debt is going to be horrendous, the unemployment figures will be unprecedented,don't people see what's coming 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 59,054 Championing
    That doesn't mean they have a question to ask, which is why a lot of people come on internet forums in the first place.
  • dkb123
    dkb123 Community member, Scope Member Posts: 165 Empowering
    edited August 2020
    well I would disagree, forums are for comments and chat not just questions 
  • leeCal
    leeCal Community member Posts: 7,537 Championing
    I was taught a little about finances when I was a young adult by my father. Then later I learned a bit more from the world. Surely parents can teach a little themselves as @woodbine says the curriculum is full as it is. 

    Ive spent my whole life trying to pay outright for everything as I went along. I had to have a mortgage however and that turned very sour in the recession in 1989. Apart from that, though I’ve not had much, it was all paid for and as a consequence I am debt free. Of course I’m not immune to any huge financial crisis which may come but not many of us are and we are all pretty powerless to do much about it if the worst should happen. Let’s plan for the worst but hope for the best.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 59,054 Championing
    edited August 2020
    Yes but a lot of people don't think that way. Especially in this part of the forum as it's for questions regarding Universal Credit. We have a coffee lounge that a lot of people go to to talk about various things. Pop over and take a look. https://community.scope.org.uk/categories/coffee-lounge

  • dkb123
    dkb123 Community member, Scope Member Posts: 165 Empowering
    @leeCal, One of the old sayings is never a lender nor borrower be, which is nonsense, the world survives on debt and the economy would collapse without it, there used to be a well-known scam that added all your income up over your lifetime and said if to don't spend, you would be a millionaire in 5 years , because of compound interest, As anyone ever come across a compound interest account which paid the full rate, I think not, and although the bank rate is half a percentage, credit cards are charging 28% from the money that comes out of thin air  since it is only created from your signature  
  • Chieng47
    Chieng47 Community member Posts: 6 Listener
    dkb123 said:
    Why is basic finance  not taught in schools, the concept of  business insurance which pays off the debt and then  the creditors or banks bundle them together, and  sells it on for pence in the pound to collectors who rely on ignorance, that the money is no longer owed, and use unlawful bully tactics that reinforce the myth that  the debt is still in force 
    Do you have a link to something that says that once a debt is sold that money is no longer owed?
  • Oxonlady
    Oxonlady Scope Member Posts: 563 Pioneering
    Oh, Chieng47, could this really be true?
    I have a long-standing debt from around 20 years ago, which my bank sold on to a credit company. Although I'm only able to pay £1 per month, they are refusing to write off the debt, even though they know that I have been ill and disabled for a long time. This situation will not change. 
    This is of course very stressful for me and if there really is a legal way to get this debt written off, I would be most grateful. 
    Thank you. 
  • dkb123
    dkb123 Community member, Scope Member Posts: 165 Empowering
    Technically once the debt is sold to a third party , you have no contract with them and you should ask for proof of an assignment , which of course they will not have because these things are purchased in job lots for  pennies on the pound, so you write and offer a full and final settlement of £5 if they don't play ball go to the Citizen advice bureau who will help you make a complaint to the FCA regarding the companies disregard of the rules for forbearance, in your treatment , you can also force the company down the mediation route, but I am not a legal adviser 

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