| By :
Molly Wider
More than 116, 300 Canadians filed for bankruptcy in 2009, a 28% increase from 2008. Economists expect that number to hover as long as personal debt loads and unemployment rates remain high. Credit bureaus say the spikes are coming from Canadian's debt to income ratios as many Canadians sought loan extensions during the historically low interest rates the banks have been offering over the past year. Several Canadian financial institutions are offering programs to help guide people through the tough times when it comes to debt overload. They say that consumers should monitor their credit profiles to avoid becoming financially overextended and that there are steps that Canadians can take before resorting to bankruptcy. To keep financial matters in check, it is advised that consumers should keep their housing costs around 28% of their income and overall debt payments around 35%. If consumers are utilizing 30% of their credit limit, it may be a warning sign. If consumers are using 50% of their limit, that is a red flag. Filing for personal bankruptcy may provide financial relief to consumes who have taken on too much debt, but a bankruptcy will remain on your credit file for many years and can severely impair your ability to borrow in the future. Canadian financial institutions have seen over 30,000 people come to seek financial and debt-paying advice through their programs. Many people are not even aware that most banks offer such programs. It's hopeful that Canadians will see better times in the next year as consumer confidence has risen since November. Financial planners recommend consumers have a six-month supply of money saved for emergencies. Only a few years ago these same planners were recommending three-months worth of emergency funds were saved. Savvy planners are able to prepare for unforeseen life events. An insurance policy for $50 a month can easily save you $100,000 in unforeseen medical emergency debt. If you find yourself on the brink of bankruptcy, reconsider filing. Instead you may want to try altering your budget, using your savings to pay down loans, calling creditors to rework payments, selling a few assets to put towards your debt or consolidating debt to make the monthly payments easier. If you already have bad credit and do not feel traditional banks are an option for consolidating your debt, there are many private financial institutions that specialize in bad credit loans that may be able to help with debt consolidate to help you get your bad credit under control.
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