A Guide to Getting in and out of Debt

How many people sign on the dotted line without really knowing what they've let themselves in for? what DOES APR mean anyway?

From the over keen sales assistant persuading you to apply for a store card to the bank call centre staff who don't let you put the phone down after your enquiry, asking you as nicely as they can if you've considerd taking out a special offer loan.

On the other hand, you're already in debt and gasping for air...you've heard about consolidation loans, house buyback schemes, IVAs, declaring bankruptcy...what are the pros and cons of each? It's no good asking the companies who offer them, you need to know about the small print, the stuf fthey'll avoid disclosing.

So I'm looking for a guide which which eventually make its way into a web site. A guide which will discuss getting safely into debt and safely out of it, allowing the reader to consider everything they need to before making their informed decision about the next step. As its destined for the web you need to keep an eye on keyword optimsation also, I'll pass on a list of them that I'd like incorporated into the content but I'm hoping you will also have expertise in this area.

Let's assume it will be around 20-25 pages but this can change with the breadth of a complicated and involved topic and I'm flexible enough to pay acordingly provided it has ben agreed in advance.

I have a very generic structure in mind which needs to be researched thoroughly and fleshed out in an easy to understand style that everyone can digest.

1. Getting into Debt
- What does APR mean and how is it calculated? How is interest calculated on a loan?
- Pros and Cons of shop cards
- Juggling Credit cards, taking advantage of transfers and introductory deals - pros and cons
- What factors to look out for when applying for a loan where can you look?
- The dark side..loan sharks and house to house loan merchants...the 'grey market' and why they should be avoided at all costs!
- Mortgage 101, Different types and how they're repaid
etc.

Getting Out of Debt
What should you do if you find yourself in debt? Develop an action plan.
Possible options:
- cooperation with bank for smaller repayments/repayment holidays?
- Consolidation loans 101 (pros an cons)
- IVAs and Bankruptcy applications 101 (pros and cons)
- Remortgaging 101....etc
- House buy back 101...etc
etc.

As I said, it's very generic...if you come up with a better way to structure the information, please let me know, I'm very open to alternative solutions.