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Today we have a guest post from Lindsey Ralston of Big House in the Woods. Sheâs sharing her personal story of how she paid off her mortgage early and had fun while doing it. Hope you enjoy it! We paid…
The post 5 Ways Thrifty-Frugal Fun Made Paying Off Our Mortgage a BLAST! appeared first on Modern Frugality.
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This page may include affiliate links. Please see the disclosure page for more information. If you have debt, I bet you think about how to pay off debt quite often. In fact, that debt might be the primary source of stress in your life. Debt can make you anxious, keep you up at night, and cause problems…
The post How to Pay Off Debt this Year appeared first on Debt Discipline.
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What is debt relief? Debt relief is any strategy you take to get out of debt or to manage your debt so that you can function normally and keep up with your bills and living…
The post What Are the Best Debt Relief Options? appeared first on Crediful.
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Money doesnât make you happy. Thatâs how the saying goes, and you canât deny that thereâs some truth to it. However, while having lots of money wonât make you happy, having very little is more likely to make you stressed and depressed.Â
The less you have, the more likely you are to stress over the smallest of things, and if debt is forcing that poverty on you, hanging a dark cloud of uncertainty over your head, that stress and that depression will increase.
Psychological Cost of Debt
Debt has a massive psychological cost and a lot of that boils down to shame. Debt stress and debt shame are more common than ever in the United States, as debtors seek to hide their troubles from their families and loved ones. There is an unmistakable link between debt and an increased suicide risk.
A student conducted several years ago looked at the finances of people who had committed suicide and found they were significantly more likely to have massive debts (student loan debt, credit card debt). Similar studies have been conducted on mental health, noting that people are more likely to suffer from debilitating depression, stress, and anxiety when they have problems with debt.
And itâs easy to see why. Not only do many debtors choose to keep their problems to themselves, feeling an immense shame that stops them from telling even their closest friends and family, but debt can also lead to anxieties about debt collectors, foreclosures, repossessions, bankruptcy, and more.Â
How to Overcome the Shame of Debt
To improve your mental health, you need to fight debt stress and shame. Thatâs easier said than done, but there are a few things that you can do:
Understand Where the Shame Comes From
The first step is to understand why you feel the way that you feel. This might not fix your debt shame, but it will help you to understand it more.
There is no single, overriding cause of debt shame. Some debtors feel shame because they see themselves as the breadwinner, the provider, and if they have debt it means they have failed. Others feel shame because they come from frugal backgrounds and have been wasteful or because their debt is the result of a drug, alcohol or gambling problem.
Whatever the reason, you need to find it, address it, and fix it. Get help for that gambling or drug addiction, get advice from that frugal family.
Admit Your Fault
Debt doesnât mean that youâre a bad or useless person. It doesnât mean that you donât care about your family. Itâs not a character flaw tied to your personality, itâs a behavioral issue tied to impulsivity and even mental health issues. Itâs still your fault, but itâs easily fixed and doesnât make you a bad person.
Understanding this can help you to get rid of that shame and deal with your stress and mental health issues.
Improve Your Financial Knowledge
Researchers have found a direct correlation between debt and financial knowledge; the more you have of the former, the less likely you are to be competent in the latter.
Fortunately, it has never been easier to educate yourself. Take a look at the many guides here on Pocket your Dollars, spanning everything from pay off strategies for credit card debt to money-making ideas, recommendations for loans and credit cards, and more.
Get Credit Counseling
Credit counseling exists for a reason and can help you in your time of need. Theyâre not mental health counselors, they canât prescribe you medication and they canât help with your insomnia and anxiety. However, they have worked with countless debtors, many of which have anxiety and depression, and they understand what itâs like to be in your shoes.
They can help you to assess and manage your debts before advising on the right course of action. A financial therapist can also provide assistance with any relationship issues, counseling you on who you should tell, how you should tell them, and what sort of reaction to expect.
The problem that many debtors have is that they think they know everything. They wonât speak to a counsellor because theyâre convinced they know what the counsellor will say. But letâs be honest, if youâre struggling with debt, thereâs a good chance youâre not a financial wizard and even if you are, it always helps to speak with an expert, voicing your concerns out loud and bouncing some ideas around.
Stop Spending
We spend when weâre depressed, get depressed because weâre in debt and are in debt because we spend too much. Itâs a cycle thatâs keeping your favorite retailer in profit and doing untold damage to your finances. To get out of debt, you need to accept that this cycle exists and that the only way to escape is to stop that spending immediately.
Anything that isnât an absolute necessity can be left for another day, preferably one when you actually have money to spend. Limit your spending to clothes, food, rent, utility bills, medical bills, and everything else that allows you to continue living comfortably from day to day, but give the alcohol, cigarettes, vacations, and other luxuries a miss.
How to Take Control of Your Debt
The best way to avoid the shame and stress of debt is to get rid of it. Studies on debtors have found that at least 9 out of 10 believe they will be much happier if they didnât have debt. These beliefs have been confirmed by individuals who successfully pay off debt, claiming = they are much happier than they ever were.
There are many ways you can pay off debt and weâll look at a few of these options below, but generally speaking, you need to:
Best Ways to Get out of Debt
There is no debt shame if there is no debt. As discussed above, debt is not something you should be ashamed of, but itâs also not something you should cling onto. It can cause you a great deal of stress, placing strain on your relationships and generally making life very difficult for you.
So, while itâs important to face the truth of the situation and dispel those feelings of shame, itâs just as important to fight your debt and get your head above water. Here are a few debt relief options and debt payoff strategies that can help. For more information, including expensive guides and recommendations on each of these options, take a look at the relevant sections on Pocket Your Dollars.
Snowball and Avalanche Methods
The debt snowball and debt avalanche methods are two of the most popular debt payoff strategies, and ones that we have discussed at great length before (see debt snowball vs debt avalanche). They can make the process more systematic, which, in turn, may provide you with the support and the structure you need to get your debts in order.Â
In both cases, you need to make a list of all your debts, covering things such as Balance, Monthly Payment, and Interest Rate. For debt snowball, sort the list by balance and go from the smallest to the largest. For debt avalanche, focus on the debts that have the highest interest rate and get those out of the way first. With both methods, you need to keep meeting your monthly payment obligations, before putting any extra money you have towards your chosen debt.
Debt avalanche provides the most practical benefits as it clears the problematic debts first, thus reducing the total interest. Debt snowball provides more of a psychological boost, giving you motivation as you steadily clear your debts.
Major Sacrifices
The biggest issue with any debt payoff strategy is that it isnât easy to get the extra money you need to make those additional payments and clear your debts early. However, many debtors are trapped in a cycle of debt not because they canât scrape the cents together no matter how hard they try, but because they struggle to budget properly and make the necessary sacrifices.
The average American debtor spends thousands of dollars every year on uneaten groceries, lottery tickets, and media subscriptions. They drop hundreds of dollars on luxuries they donât really need and spend over $3,500 a year eating out. If debt is dragging you down then itâs imperative that you clear it, which means making some sacrifices and getting your priorities in check.
If you genuinely canât spare a dime and donât waste money on unnecessary expenses, then look into some of the options below.
Debt Settlement
Debt settlement is tailor-made for unsecured debt and works especially well for clearing credit card debt, as well as private students. Debt settlement companies often request that you stop meeting your monthly payment obligations, which puts the accounts into doubt and means your creditors are more likely to accept a settlement.
This settlement will clear the entirety of the debt for a fraction of the price, often around 50%. This means that a credit card debt of $10,000 would be cleared for $5,000, providing you with some big savings even after the settlement fees have been taken into account.
Debt Consolidation
A consolidation loan is a large loan that pays off all of your debt at a reduced interest rate and for a reduced monthly payment. The loan is often extended by several years, which means you pay more in the long-term, but the reduced monthly payments alleviate some of the burden and make the debt more manageable.
Debt Management
Debt management provides debtors with a debt repayment strategy, with all funds funneled through the debt management plan and then distributed to creditors. This service is often provided by credit counseling agencies and credit unions, who begin the process by negotiating with creditors and then assuming control of all debts.
These companies often ask that the debtors cancel all but one credit card, which can reduce the debtorâs credit score by impacting their credit utilization ratio.
Balance Transfer
A balance transfer credit card lets you move all your credit card balances onto a single card, one that offers a 0% APR for the first 6, 12 or 18 months, allowing you to pay down debt without interest, thus reducing compounded interest and clearing the debt quickly.
This method works with all credit card debt and you can typically move between 1 and 5 balances onto a new credit card, providing that card isnât offered by the same company.
The Shame of Debt is a post from Pocket Your Dollars.
Source: pocketyourdollars.com
Refinancing your student loans can make good financial sense, and thatâs especially true if your current loans are stuck at a high-interest rate. With a new loan at a lower APR, you could save a bundle of money on interest each month and ultimately pay your student debt off faster. Consolidating several loans into one new one can also simplify your financial life and make keeping up with bills a lot easier.
College Ave and Earnest topped our list, but since student loan refinancing is an incredibly competitive space, youâll also want to spend time comparing student loan companies to see who offers the best deal. Many lenders in this space offer incredibly low APRs, flexible payment options, borrower incentives, and more. This means itâs more important than ever to shop around so you wind up with the best student loan for your needs.
The lenders on this list can help you consolidate and refinance both federal student loans and private student loans. However, there are a few details to be aware of before you refinance federal loans with a private lender.
Switching federal loans to private means giving up federal protections like deferment and forbearance. You also give up your chance to qualify for income-driven repayment plans like Pay As You Earn (PAYE) or Income Based Repayment (IBR). Income-driven repayment plans let you pay a percentage of your discretionary income for 20 to 25 years before ultimately forgiving your remaining loan balances, so this perk isnât one you should give up without careful thought and consideration.
As you start your search to find the best student loan for your lifestyle, take the time to compare lenders and all they offer their customers. While there are a ton of reputable companies offering high-quality student loan refinancing products on the market today, there are also companies you should probably steer clear of.
To make your search easier, we took the time to compare most of the top lenders in this space in terms of interest rates offered, fees, borrower benefits, and more. The following student loan companies are the cream of the crop, so you should start your search here.
Splash Financial may be a newer company in the student loan refinancing space, but their offerings are competitive. This company lets you check your rate online without a hard inquiry on your credit report, and their variable rates currently start at just 2.25% APR.
Not only are interest rates offered by Splash Financial industry-leading, but the company has a 95% customer satisfaction rate so far. Their cutting-edge technology also lets you apply for your loan and complete the loan process online, meaning less hassle and stress for you as the borrower.
Check Out Splash Financialâs Low Rates
College Ave offers student loan refinancing products that can be tailored to your needs. They offer low fixed and variable interest rates, for example, and youâll never pay an application fee or an origination fee. You can even qualify for a discount if you set your loan up on autopay, and a wide range of repayment schedules are available.
College Ave also offers a wide range of online calculators and tools that can help you figure out how much student loan refinancing could help you save and whether the move would be worth it in the end. Considering their low variable rates start at just 2.74% APR, thereâs a good chance you could save money by refinancing if you have excellent credit or a cosigner with great credit.
Get Started with College Ave
Earnest is another online lender that focuses most of its efforts on offering high-quality student loans. This company lets you consolidate debt at a lower interest rate than you might find elsewhere, and you get the option to pick a monthly payment and repayment period that works with your budget and your lifestyle.
While youâll need excellent credit to qualify for the lowest interest rates, loans from Earnest come with variable APRs starting at 1.81% and low fixed rates starting at just 3.45%. To qualify for student loan refinancing with Earnest, youâll need a minimum credit score of 650 and a strong employment and income history. You also need to be current on all your bills and cannot have a bankruptcy on your credit profile.
Refinance and Save with Earnest
Also make sure to check out student loan refinancing company SoFi as you continue your search. This online lender offers some of the best student loan refinancing products available today, including loans with no application fee, origination fee, or hidden fees.
SoFi lets you apply for and complete the entire loan process online, and they offer live customer support 7 days a week. You can also check your rate online without a hard inquiry on your credit report, which makes it easier to see how much you could save before you commit.
Get Pre-Approved with SoFi in Less than 2 Minutes
Commonbond is another online student lender who lets you check your rate online without a hard inquiry on your credit report. With student loan refinancing from Commonbond, you could easily save thousands of dollars on interest with a new fixed interest rate as low as 3.21%. Repayment terms are offered for 5 to 20 years as well, letting you choose a new monthly payment and repayment timeline that works for your needs.
You can apply for your new loan online and note that these loans donât come with an origination fee or any prepayment penalties. Your loan could also qualify for forbearance, which means having up to 24 months without payments during times of financial hardship.
Apply Online with Commonbond
LendKey offers private student loans and flexible student loan refinancing options to serve a variety of needs. You can repay your loan between 5 and 20 years, and their refinance loans donât charge an origination fee.
You can use this companyâs online interface to check your rate without a hard inquiry on your credit report, and variable APRs start at just 2.01% for graduates with excellent credit. LendKey loans also receive 9.3 out of 10 possible stars in recent reviews, meaning their customers are mostly happy with their decision to go with this company.
Save Thousands by Refinancing with LendKey
While Wells Fargo is mostly popular for their banking products, home mortgage products, and personal loans, this bank also offers student loan refinancing products. These loans let you consolidate student debts into a new loan with a low variable or fixed interest rate, and you can even score a discount for setting your loan up on autopay.
Terms for Wells Fargo loans are available anywhere from 5 to 20 years, meaning you can choose a repayment schedule and monthly payment that suits your needs. Wells Fargo also lets you check your rate online without a hard inquiry on your credit report.
Get Started with Wells Fargo
PenFed Credit Union offers unique student loan products powered by Purefy. You might be able to qualify for a lower interest rate that could lead to enormous interest savings over time, and PenFed lets you choose a repayment term and monthly payment that fits with your budget and lifestyle.
You can apply for student loan refinancing on your own, but PenFed Credit Union also allows cosigners. Low fixed interest rates start at just 3.48% APR, and you can check your rate online without a hard inquiry on your credit report.
Learn More about PenFed Credit Union
If you decide you want to refinance your student loans, youâll be happy to know the refinancing market is more robust than ever. A variety of lenders offer insanely attractive loan options for those who can qualify, although you should know that student loan companies tend to be very finicky about your credit score. Some also wonât let you refinance if you didnât graduate from college, or even if you graduated from an âunapprovedâ school.
While you should be aware of any lender-specific eligibility requirements before you apply with any student loan company, there are plenty of other factors to look out for. Hereâs everything you should look for in a student loan refinancing company before you decide to trust them with your loans.
Obviously, the main reason youâre probably thinking of refinancing your loans is the potential to save money on interest. Lenders who offer the lowest rates available today can potentially help you save more, although itâs important to consider that you may not qualify for the lowest rates available if you donât have excellent credit.
Also consider that most lenders will offer better rates and loan terms if you have a cosigner with better credit than you have. This is especially true if your credit isnât great, so make sure to ask family members if theyâre willing to cosign on your new student loan if you hope to get the best rate. Just remember that your cosigner will be jointly liable for repayment, meaning you could quickly damage your relationship if you default on your loan and leave them holding the bag.
Student loans are like any other loan in the fact that some charge higher fees or more fees than others. Since many student loans come with an application fee or an origination fee, youâll want to look for lenders that donât charge these fees. Also check for hidden fees like prepayment penalties.
Some student loan companies let you qualify for discounts, the most popular of which is a discount for using autopay. If youâre able and willing to set up automatic payments on your credit card, you could save .25% or .50% off your interest rate depending on the lender you go with.
Many of the top student loan refinancing companies on this list make it possible to check your interest rate online without a hard inquiry on your credit report. This is a huge benefit since knowing your rate can help you figure out if refinancing is even worth it before you take the time to fill out a full loan application.
Also make sure any lender you go with offers some flexibility in your repayment plan and your monthly payment. Youâll want to make sure refinancing aligns with your long-term financial goals and your monthly budget, and itâs crucial to choose a new loan with a monthly payment you can live with.
Most lenders in this space offer repayment timelines of up to 20 years, which means you could spread your payments over several decades to get a monthly payment that makes sense with your income. Keep in mind, however, that youâll pay more interest over the life of your loan when you take a long time to pay it off, so you may want to consider prioritizing a faster payment plan.
Student loan refinancing may not sound like a lot of fun. However, taking the time to consider all your loan options could easily save you thousands of dollars. This is especially true if you have a lot of debt at a high interest rate. By consolidating all your student loans into a new one with a lower APR, you could make loan repayment easier with a single payment and save a ton of money that would otherwise go to straight to interest without helping you pay off your loans.
The first step of the loan process is the hardest, however, and thatâs choosing a student loan refinancing company that you trust. The lenders on this list are highly rated, but they also offer some of the best loan products on the market today.
Start your search here and youâre bound to wind up with a student loan you can live with. At the very least, you’ll have a better idea of the loans that are available and how much you might save if you decide to refinance later on.
The post The Best Student Loan Companies For Refinancing appeared first on Good Financial Cents®.
Source: goodfinancialcents.com
The post The Ultimate Guide to Using a Cash Budget appeared first on Penny Pinchin' Mom.
There are many types of budgets you can try. A quick Google search will show you lots of options – including the cash envelope budget. If you say it will not work for you, it means you did not try doing it the right way.
Whether you are getting out of debt or not, you can probably use some help in making sure you control your spending. Contrary to what many people say, the best way to do this is to use cash.  If you are trying to get out of debt, this is the next step you need to follow! The cash envelope system is an important step to your debt paydown plan.
Ask many financial experts such as Dave Ramsey or Clark Howard and they will agree that using cash is an important factor in controlling your spending. And it is not a system only for people trying to get out of debt, but everyone as it really makes you think more about your spending.
Cash is King!! I say this all of the time because I genuinely believe this.  When I bring up using cash, the first rebuttal I get is “If I have cash, I spend it far too easily.” Sorry, I don’t buy it. The main reason that people fail on a cash budget is a lack of tracking what they spend and assigning it a task.
[clickToTweet tweet=”The truth is that when you use cash, you spend more wisely. ” quote=”The truth is that when you use cash, you spend more wisely. “]
When you have only $200 for groceries, and you also know that it must last for two weeks. Â It forces you to think twice before you buy that extra item. Â A cash budget never lets you overspend because once the money is gone – it’s gone.
Getting started using the envelope system for budgeting is pretty simple. Â To begin, look at your budget. Â The following are cash envelope categories you should consider using:
You will notice that I didn’t include gasoline on my list. The reason I didn’t is that most people won’t overspend at the pump. Most of us just fill up our tanks and go about our merry way. You also don’t drive around and burn fuel or decide to fuel up because your neighbor did. It is on your budget but is not one you where you will overspend. Not only that, it is usually much more convenient to pay at the pump.
When it comes to using the cash envelope system, you can purchase one such as that sold by Dave Ramsey or you can just use the envelopes in your desk drawer. Â I’ve even got a cash envelope template you can use as well (purchase HERE for $2.99).
Once you have your categories, you have to determine how much cash you need for each group. Â You will figure the amount based on your pay period.
For example, if payday is every two weeks, take the total monthly grocery budgeted amount and divide it by 2. You will then know how much money you will need for each of the two pay periods for that month. It is important you have a budget that works (including using budget printables as needed).
Next, review, each category you will use cash for and figure up the amount you will need. Â Once you have done that, you will also want to figure out how many of each denomination of bill you will need. Â List the total amount, by denomination, on a piece of paper. Â Take that, along with a check from your account for the amount, to the bank. Â You will make a withdrawal and then split up the cash into each envelope.
Sometimes, it is easier to understand something if you can see it in action. Follow this simple cash budget example to see how it works.
Let’s say you bring home $2,500 per month. You have completed your written budget and have items such as your mortgage, utilities, food, dining out, debts and other expenses. Most of your expenses are paid with a check or electronic transfer. Those are not the categories to consider for your cash budget. Instead, look at those items that you don’t pay for all at once, but rather over time.
These are the items that will work best if you use cash. In this case, you will include groceries, clothing, random spending, doctor visits and dining out. (We don’t include fuel because there is never a chance you will overspend on fuel).
In this example, we will only use cash for these items:
MONTHLY BUDGET
Groceries – $500
Clothing – $100
Random Spending – $80
Doctor – $50
Dining Out – $100
As you can see, the budget above is based on your monthly income. Since you are paid every two weeks, that means your take-home pay is $1,250 twice a month. You only need enough money to cover half of each of these categories. Your spending for each will look like this for each pay period:
MONTHLY BUDGET DIVIDED FOR BI-WEEKLY PAY
Groceries – $250
Clothing – $50
Random Spending – $40
Doctor – $25
Dining Out – $50
Total cash needed: Â $415 per pay period
Now that you see what you have budgeted to spend on each category each pay period, you need to determine how many bills of each denomination you will need to get from the bank.
Using the same cash budget example above, here is how you will do that:
Groceries – $250 —- 3 $50 bills, 5 $20 bills
Clothing – $50 — 2 $20 bills, 1 $10 bill
Random spending – $40 —- 2 $20 bills
Doctor – $25 —- 1 $20 bill, 1 $5 bill
Dining Out – $50 —- 2 $20 bills, 1 $10 bill
You need to get this cash from the bank. You can’t use the ATM as it will spit out only $20s and $10s and will not give you the correct number of bills. Make a note to hand to the teller that shows how to break down the cash:
3 $50 bills
12 $20 bills
2 $10 bills
1 $5 bill
Write a check for $415, payable to “CASH” and take it, along with your slip of paper to your bank. The teller will cash the check and give you the bills you need.
When you get home with your cash, it is time to add it to each envelope. Find the one for each category listed above. Pull the cash from the bank envelope and split it into each envelope, per the list above. Add the amount of the deposit to the front of the envelope, adding to any amounts that may be left from the prior pay period.
Once you have your cash and your envelopes, it is time to put them to work. The only – and I mean only – way that this will work is if you track every. Single. Transaction. I am not joking.  Doing this can help you stay on track, and you also have to account for everything you spend.
For example, shop as usual at the grocery store. If your total is $20.17, you will pay with the cash from your groceries envelope. Place any cash you get back into the envelope and then deduct your purchase from the balance. So, if you had $100 and spent $20.17, the new total cash you have left will be $79.83.
The printable cash envelope template above includes lines on the envelope, so you have a place to track your balance. If you use your own, add it to the outside or keep a slip of paper inside.
Make sure you track every purchase. You can always see how much money you have left and where it was spent. It helps you monitor your spending at a glance. Once the cash is gone – you are done spending money.
I also get that sometimes, cash is just something you can’t do. You need (or just really prefer) using your debit or credit card instead. Is there a way you can apply this method when you spend using plastic?
Of course!
Rather than get paper money to put into your envelopes, you can use either a virtual envelope or paper tracking to monitor your spending.
Virtual envelope systems, such as ProActive, help you monitor and control your spending but allow you the convenience of using your credit or debit card. Rather than paying with cash, you swipe but know how much you have left to spend on each category in your budget.
If you would rather opt for something that is free, you can print out cashless envelopes instead. They work in the same fashion as cash envelopes. You still write down the amount you have to spend on each form and as you shop, you keep track. When you are out of “money” according to your envelope tally, you are done shopping.
You can read even more and get started with different ways to use the envelope method even if you don’t use cash.
So, what if you don’t shop in the store, but rather, make purchases online, how would that work with a cash budget? Can you even do that? Yes, you can. You just have to handle it a little differently.
The first option is to leave some of the money you normally get in cash, in your account. For example, if you spend $100 every paycheck through online purchases, get $100 less in cash. You can still account for it by using cashless envelopes instead. That way, you still monitor your spending and don’t blow your budget.
The other option is to still get all of the cash you normally need. Then, if you buy something online, head to the bank and re-deposit that back into your account. You still get the full benefit of using cash and seeing the money come out of your envelopes.
You still can use cash when you shop online, you just have to make some adjustments.
The reason why the cash envelope system works is pretty simple. Â Accountability.
When you have to make yourself accountable for your spending, you are taking control.  It also will help you spend less.  If you only have $100 to spend on dining out over the next two weeks, you think twice about ordering take out three days in a row. When the money is gone – you are done spending!!!
It isn’t entirely about cash. It is learning self-control. That is the one thing everyone will gain in going through this process. It enforces this way of thinking.  You will quickly learn to love using cash, and you will feel more in control of your finances.
Cash also has more emotion attached to it. You don’t think about the consequences of a purchase when you swipe a card. Â However, handing over that cold, hard cash sometimes hurts. Â You do think about each purchase a bit more.
We’ve been doing this for so long that I don’t know how to shop without my envelopes!  It is routine, and it helps us always know, in a matter of minutes, how much money we have available for the things we need.
The post The Ultimate Guide to Using a Cash Budget appeared first on Penny Pinchin' Mom.
Source: pennypinchinmom.com
The new year is right around the corner and if youâre like most people, youâve probably got a running list of resolutions to achieve and milestones to reach. If getting out of debt ranks near the top, nowâs the time to starting thinking about how youâre going to hit your goal. Developing a clear-cut action plan can get you that much closer to debt-free status in 2016.
1. Add up Your Debt
You canât start attacking your debt until you know exactly how much you owe. The first step to paying down your debt is sitting down with all of your statements and adding up every penny thatâs still outstanding. Once you know how deep in debt you are, you can move on to the next step.
2. Review Your Budget
A budget is a plan that sets limits on how you spend your money. If you donât have one, itâs a good idea to put a budget together as soon as possible. If you do have a budget, you can go over it line by line to find costs you can cut out. By eliminating fees and unnecessary expenses like cable subscriptions, youâll be able to use the money you save to pay off your debt.
3. Set Your Goals
At this point in the process, you should have two numbers: the total amount of money you owe and the amount you can put toward your debt payments each month. Using those two figures, you should be able determine how long itâs going to take you to pay off your mortgage, student loans, personal loans and credit card debt.
Letâs say you owe your credit card issuer $25,000. If you have $500 in your budget that you can use to pay off that debt each month, youâll be able to knock $6,000 off your card balance in a year. Keep in mind, however, that youâll still need to factor in interest to get an accurate idea of how the balance will shrink from one year to the next.
4. Lower Your Interest Rates
Interest is a major obstacle when youâre trying to get out of debt. If you want to speed up the payment process, you can look for ways to shave down your rates. If you have high-interest credit card debt, for instance, transferring the balances to a card with a 0% promotional period can save you some money and reduce the amount of time itâll take to get rid of your debt.
Refinancing might be worth considering if you have student loans, car loans or a mortgage. Just remember that completing a balance transfer or refinancing your debt isnât necessarily free. Credit card companies typically charge a 3% fee for balance transfers and if youâre taking out a refinance loan, you might be on the hook for origination fees and other closing costs.
5. Increase Your Income
Keeping a tight rein on your budget can go a long way. But thatâs not the only way to escape debt. Pumping up your paycheck in the new year can also help you pay off your loans and increase your disposable income.
Asking your boss for a raise will directly increase your earnings, but thereâs no guarantee that your supervisor will agree to your request. If youâre paid by the hour, you can always take on more hours at your current job. And if all else fails, you can start a side gig to bring in more money.
Hold Yourself Accountable
Having a plan to get out of debt in the new year wonât get you very far if youâre not 100% committed. Checking your progress regularly is a must, as is reviewing your budget and goals to make sure youâre staying on track.
Photo credit: ©iStock.com/BsWei, ©iStock.com/marekuliasz, ©iStock.com/DragonImages
The post How to Escape Debt in 2016 appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.
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If the stock market crashed again, would you respond by investing more? Is day trading your sport of choice? Do you smirk at the idea of keeping money in a savings account instead of investing it?
If you answered yes to these questions, youâre probably an investor with a high risk tolerance.
Hold up, Evel Knievel.
Itâs fine to embrace a âno-risk, no-rewardâ philosophy. But some investments are so high-risk that they arenât worth the rewards.
Weâre not saying no one should ever consider investing in any of the following. But even if youâre a personal finance daredevil, these investments should give you serious pause.
Sure, if things go well, youâd make money â lots of it. But if things go south, the potential losses are huge. In some cases, you could lose your entire investment.
Thereâs usually a good reason penny stocks are so cheap. Often they have zero history of earning a profit. Or theyâve run into trouble and have been delisted by a major stock exchange.
Penny stocks usually trade infrequently, meaning you could have trouble selling your shares if you want to get out. And because the issuing company is small, a single piece of good or bad news can make or break it.
Fraud is also rampant in the penny stock world. One common tactic is the âpump and dump.â Scammers create false hype, often using investing websites and newsletters, to pump up the price. Then they dump their shares on unknowing investors.
You and I probably arenât rich or connected enough to invest in an IPO, or initial public offering, at its actual offering price. Thatâs usually reserved for company insiders and investors with deep pockets.
Instead, weâre more likely to be swayed by the hype that a popular company gets when it goes public and the shares start trading on the stock market. Then, weâre at risk of paying overinflated prices because we think weâre buying the next Amazon.
But donât assume that a company is profitable just because its CEO is ringing the opening bell on Wall Street. Many companies that go public have yet to make money.
The average first-day returns of a newly public company have consistently been between 10% to 20% since the 1990s, according to a 2019 report by investment firm UBS. But after five years, about 60% of IPOs had negative total returns.
Proponents of bitcoin believe the cryptocurrency will eventually become a widespread way to pay for things. But its usage now as an actual way to pay for things remains extremely limited.
For now, bitcoin remains a speculative investment. People invest in it primarily because they think other investors will continue to drive up the price, not because they see value in it.
All that speculation creates wild price fluctuations. In December 2017, bitcoin peaked at nearly $20,000 per coin, then plummeted in 2018 to well below $4,000. That volatility makes bitcoin useless as a currency, as Bankrateâs James Royal writes.
Unless you can afford to part ways with a huge percentage of your investment, bitcoin is best avoided.
Margining gives you more money to invest, which sounds like a win. You borrow money from your broker using the stocks you own as collateral. Of course, you have to pay your broker back, plus interest.
If it goes well, you amplify your returns. But when margining goes badly, it can end really, really badly.
Suppose you buy $5,000 of stock and it drops 50%. Normally, youâd lose $2,500.
But if youâd put down $2,500 of your own money to buy the stock and used margin for the other 50%? Youâd be left with $0 because youâd have to use the remaining $2,500 to pay back your broker.
That 50% drop has wiped out 100% of your investment â and thatâs before we account for interest.
Buying a leveraged ETF is like margaining on steroids.
Like regular exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, leveraged ETFs give you a bundle of investments designed to mirror a stock index. But leveraged ETFs seek to earn two or three times the benchmark index by using a bunch of complicated financing maneuvers that give you greater exposure.
Essentially, a leveraged ETF that aims for twice the benchmark indexâs returns (known as a 2x leveraged ETF) is letting you invest $2 for every $1 youâve actually invested.
We wonât bore you with the nitty-gritty, but the risk here is similar to buying stocks on margin: It can lead to big profits but it can also magnify your losses.
But hereâs whatâs especially tricky about leveraged ETFs: Theyâre required to rebalance every day to reflect the makeup of the underlying index. That means you canât sit back and enjoy the long-haul growth. Every day, youâre essentially investing in a different product.
For this reason, leveraged ETFs are only appropriate for day traders â specifically, day traders with very deep pockets who can stomach huge losses.
A lot of people collect cars, stamps, art, even Pokemon cards as a hobby. But some collectors hope their hobby will turn into a profitable investment.
Itâs OK to spend a reasonable amount of money curating that collection if you enjoy it. But if your plans are contingent on selling the collection for a profit someday, youâre taking a big risk.
Collectibles are illiquid assets. Thatâs a jargony way of saying theyâre often hard to sell.
If you need to cash out, you may not be able to find a buyer. Or you may need to sell at a steep discount. Itâs also hard to figure out the actual value of collectibles. After all, thereâs no New York Stock Exchange for Pokemon cards. And if you do sell, youâll pay 28% tax on the gains. Stocks held long-term, on the other hand, are taxed at 15% for most middle-income earners.
Plus, thereâs also the risk of losing your entire investment if your collection is physically destroyed.
If you have a low credit score, youâll pay a high interest rate when you borrow money because banks think thereâs a good chance you wonât pay them back. With corporations, it works the same way.
Companies issue bonds when they need to take on debt. The higher their risk of defaulting, the more interest they pay to those who invest in bonds. Junk bonds are the riskiest of bonds.
If you own bonds in a company that ends up declaring bankruptcy, you could lose your entire investment. Secured creditors â the ones whose claim is backed by actual property, like a bank that holds a mortgage â get paid back 100% in bankruptcy court before bondholders get anything.
Bondholders may be left empty-handed when a corporation declares bankruptcy. But guess whoâs dead last in terms of priority for who gets paid? Common shareholders.
Secured creditors, bondholders and owners of preferred stock (itâs kind of like a stock/bond hybrid) all get paid in full before shareholders get a dime.
Typically when a company files for bankruptcy, its stock prices crash. Yet recently, eager investors have flocked in to buy those ultracheap shares and temporarily driven up the prices. (Ahem, ahem: Hertz.)
That post-bankruptcy filing surge is usually a temporary case of FOMO. Remember: The likelihood that those shares will eventually be worth $0 is high.
You may be planning on turning a quick profit during the run-up, but the spike in share prices is usually short-lived. If you donât get the timing exactly right here, you could lose big when the uptick reverses.
If youâre worried about the stock market or high inflation, you may be tempted to invest in gold or silver.
Both precious metals are often thought of as hedges against a bear market because theyâve held their value throughout history. Plus in uncertain times, many investors seek out tangible assets, i.e., stuff you can touch.
Having a small amount invested in gold and silver can help you diversify your portfolio. But anything above 5% to 10% is risky.
Both gold and silver are highly volatile. Gold is much rarer, so discovery of a new source can bring down its price. Silver is even more volatile than gold because the value of its supply is much smaller. That means small price changes have a bigger impact. Both metals tend to underperform the S&P 500 in the long term.
The riskiest way to invest in gold and silver is by buying the physical metals because theyâre difficult to store and sell. A less risky way to invest is by purchasing a gold or silver ETF that contains a variety of assets, such as mining company stocks and physical metals.
Options give you the right to buy or sell a stock at a certain price before a certain date. The right to buy is a call. You buy a call when you think a stock price will rise. The right to sell is a put. You buy a put when you think a stock price will drop.
What makes options trading unique is that thereâs one clear winner and one clear loser. With most investments, you can sell for a profit to an investor who also goes on to sell at a profit. Hypothetically, this can continue forever.
But suppose you buy a call or a put. If your bet was correct, you exercise the option. You get to buy a winning stock at a bargain price, or you get to offload a tanking stock at a premium price. If you lose, youâre out the entire amount you paid for the option.
Options trading gets even riskier, though, when youâre the one selling the call or put. When you win, you pocket the entire amount you were paid.
But if you end up on the losing side: You could have to pay that high price for the stock that just crashed or sell a soaring stock at a deep discount.
The 10 things we just described certainly arenât the only risky investments out there. So letâs review some common themes. Consider any of these traits a red flag when youâre making an investment decision.
The bottom line: If you can afford to put a small amount of money in high-risk investments just for the thrill of it, fine â as long as you can deal with losing it all.
Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior editor at The Penny Hoarder. She writes the Dear Penny personal finance advice column. Send your tricky money questions to [email protected].
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
Source: thepennyhoarder.com