Very often to consolidate credit
card debt with high interest rates into one smaller monthly payment will help a homeowner repair their credit, while saving money at the same time.
If you make the minimum monthly payment
on debts with high interest rates, it will take you much longer to get out of debt because most of your payment is being applied to interest.
If you have several
different debts with high interest rates and can pay off all of your existing credit card debt within the promotional period, balance transfer cards may be the right debt consolidation solution for you.
If you have
existing debt with high interest rates (credit cards / store cards), consolidate your existing debt onto an interest free credit card (with a long term interest - free rate and the smallest transaction fee possible) before you start your pay down.
If you have credit card debt or private student
loan debt with high interest rates, for example, you may be able to reduce your rate by executing a cash - out refinance, pay off those other loans and reduce your interest charges going forward.
If you're committed to changing your financial behavior, however, a personal loan can be a good part of a larger financial plan, especially if you have
large debts with high interest rates.
«A rational consumer should pay off the credit
card debt with the highest interest rate first,» says the University of Denver's Professor Ali Besharat, a debt repayment expert at the Daniels College of Business.
Although mathematically it makes the most sense to pay back
the debts with the highest interest rates first, for Sall, starting with the smallest ones — regardless of interest rate — was far more motivating.
However, with the debt avalanche method, the idea is to focus on
the debt with the highest interest rate first.
Pay off
the debt with the higher interest rate first, but also consider what debt you have that is tax deductible.
If you have different debts, you may focus on paying down aggressively
the debt with the highest interest rate while you make just minimum payment on the debts with lowest interest rates.
Unlike the debt snowball, with the avalanche you apply any extra money to
the debt with the highest interest rate.
However, as soon as you finish paying
the debt with the highest interest rate, you should immediately increase the amount you repay on the other debts.
If you have several loans and credit cards, focus on
the debt with the highest interest rate first.
Also known as the debt avalanche method, you pay off
your debt with the highest interest rate first while paying the minimum on your other accounts.
Next, focus on
the debt with the highest interest rate.
Once that debt is completely paid off, switch to
the debt with the highest interest rate and add the additional debt payments toward this debt while paying the minimums on the rest.
Out of all your debts, you'll want to pay off your credit card first, then
your debt with the highest interest rate, since it grows the fastest.
The debt avalanche is just like the snowball debt method, except it focuses on paying off
the debt with the highest interest rate first, but like the snowball debt method you continue to pay the minimum for the rest of your loans.
Debt avalanche is a strategy one can use to pay off his debts whereby
the debt with the highest interest rate is paid first before attention is directed to other debts with lower Continue ReadingUsing Debt Avalanche Strategy to Get Out of Debt →
Getting rid of
the debt with the highest interest rate saves you the most money as you pay it off.
The opposite is true too; if you are carrying credit card
debt with high interest rates, a few hundred dollars now can add up to several thousand dollars later if you don't pay off those debts.