By Lauralynn Schueckler Debt consolidation typically involves taking out a lower interest loan to pay off multiple high interest secured, or unsecured debts such as credit cards. The lowest interest rate consolidation loan is generally secured against the borrower’s assets such as a home or a car. Because credit card debts have such high interest [...]

By Mark Foster It’s more fun racking up debt than it is paying it back. But, to have some measure of financial freedom in your life you need to focus on destroying your debt.  The 2012 NFCC Financial Literacy Survey showed that 39% of adults carry card credit card debt over from month-to-month. Don’t be [...]

By Matt Bell I thought I knew a thing or two about making financial mistakes.  After all, I’m the guy who once received a $60,000 inheritance and turned it into $20,000 of credit card debt.  And it only took me two years! I messed up with money the old fashioned way.  I didn’t pay attention [...]

According to the August poll hosted on the NFCC’s website, 89 percent of more than 2,900 respondents value paying down debt over saving money. “People often debate which is more important, to be debt free or to have a robust savings account, and the answer is both,” said Gail Cunningham, spokesperson for the NFCC.  “As important [...]

By Jason Alderman Senior Director, Visa Inc. If you’ve ever fallen far behind on paying your bills, you know what it’s like to dread whenever the phone rings: What if it’s another bill collector? Ignoring the call – like ignoring a toothache – is never a good idea, however. Sooner or later, you’re going to [...]

Although the federal government and many household budgets have one thing in common, both are in the red, there is one critical difference: consumers cannot raise their debt ceiling in order to continue borrowing. Further, they cannot operate in the negative year after year, or financial doom is a certainty. “Many consumers have been renting [...]

Most people prefer to leave the hospital feeling better than when they entered. However, with today’s cost of health care, and an increasing amount of that cost being passed along to the consumer, the discharged patient may exit with a financial migraine coming on. A Harvard study found that the number one reason (62%) of [...]

Let’s face it, we live in a credit-dominated society. Most of us can pay cash for our daily living expenses, but when it comes time to make a major purchase such as a house or a car, we need a thick credit file with a long history of responsible payments. Credit is a convenience that [...]

Consumers in financial distress are often focused on one thing— relief.  After all, the mailbox is full of collection letters, and the answering machine is filled with calls from those you owe.  Money is tight and it seems as though there’s no way out.  When you are at your lowest, you hear a commercial that [...]