Simple Strategies to Reduce High Interest Debt in Less Time
Do you remember when it was difficult to get a credit card? Well, these days it's not too hard at all. All the major retail stores have them and with on-the-spot financing, making it easier than ever to load up your wallet with plastic. And if that's not enough, you needn't look further than your mailbox to find credit applications or even pre-approved credit cards and loans. All this readily available credit makes spending more money than you have all that much easier.
Here are a few useful steps to follow to get out of the black hole of credit card debt a little bit faster:
- Consolidate. You may have heard this time and again but it is the most practical means of reducing high-interest credit card debt. Consolidating means taking all your debts and combining them into one low interest loan with a single monthly payment. This is the first step to take if your monthly debt servicing is higher than your monthly income. Be aware, however, of finance companies offering consolidation loans - these may sometimes be as bad or worse than the interest you are currently paying. You may end up combining three mid-interest credit cards into one high-interest loan. Be sure to do the math. It's best to shop at your bank for a consolidation loan instead. If you have a mortgage, you can use your renewal time as an opportunity to leverage your home's equity and consolidate your loans into your mortgage. This is the best way to get the lowest finance rate possible. Your mortgage payment will only increase slightly (depending on the amount of debt you have), but you will no longer be paying multiple loan and credit card payments. Use the money you save to pay down your mortgage faster....
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Author: John L. McKinley