Keeping your personal “debt ceiling” from crashing down
Your personal “debt ceiling” represents the amount of debt you are comfortable owing. FICO recommends keeping credit card balances below one-third of your credit limit. Higher debt levels lower your credit scores. Today’ economy can make paying off credit card debt difficult, but reducing your balances to less than one-third of your credit lines is a good start.
Managing credit card debt: 4 tips for success
Establish and keep a household budget: Being too busy, or fearful, or procrastinating aren’t excuses. A budget provides a basis for understanding how much money comes in, and where, why, and how it goes out. This information is essential for mending bad spending habits and converting to a cash-based budget.
Understand and reduce the cost of credit card debt: Federal law requires credit card issuers to report the annual percentage rate (APR) for each card on every statement. APR is the sum of finance charges including interest, penalty fees and membership fees calculated as a percentage of the balance on each account. An APR of 22 percent on a balance of $5000 carried for one year and unchanged would cost $1100 annually.
Compare credit card APR to savings and investment yields: Investments are iffy these days, and deposit accounts are paying zilch; if you have credit card debt, paying it off can provide the best return on your money, as you’re saving the APR amounts for each balance you’re carrying.
Maintain financial harmony: If you’re sharing a budget with a significant other, make sure you’re on the same page. Track spending and how you you’re paying for expenses. This helps with avoiding nasty surprises when you open credit card and financial statements, and helps with preventing even nastier arguments over money.
If you’re uncomfortable dealing with credit card debt alone, please contact credit counseling and debt consolidation services for assistance.
Post written by Karen Lawson
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Chris Rocks is the Regional Director of the National Credit Federation (NCF). NCF is a nationwide membership-based organization that assists consumers recovering from a financial difficulty and those who need a significant increase in their credit score.
Chris began his financial services career as a Financial Advisor helping young families with risk management and asset accumulation strategies. It was during that time that Chris realized that many of these young families also needed someone to guide their choices with regards to debt management.
He made the transition into the mortgage industry where he first worked as a loan originator and later the Vice President of a small mortgage company. As Chris came across clients who had suffered through financial challenges and saw the difficulty they had in re-entering our credit driven economy, he discovered there was a real opportunity to leverage his unique background and help others.
He can be contacted by visiting his personal site, GoodCreditLiving.com.
Francine L. Huff is the Publisher and Editorial Director of Super Savvy Publishing, LLC, which provides editorial and publishing services. She is a gifted author, freelance journalist, and motivational speaker who has entertained and motivated a variety of audiences through workshops, panels and keynote addresses. Francine is the author of The 25-Day Money Makeover for Women, which has inspired and motivated many readers to rein in poor financial habits, become good stewards over their money and work toward a debt-free life. She has appeared on a variety of TV and radio shows. Francine previously worked for the Wall Street Journal, where she was the spot news bureau chief, a news editor and a copy editor. She has interviewed a variety of financial professionals about financial issues and strives to present information about managing money in an easy-to-understand format that is accessible to people of all backgrounds and income levels.
Karen Lawson is a freelance writer with more than 15 years of experience working in mortgage banking and loan servicing. She holds BA and MA degrees in English from the University of Nevada, Reno. She enjoys writing informative articles about debt management and personal finance.
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