One of the first steps in wiping out debt is to pay off any credit card balances, since they usually carry the highest interest rates of any debt—today an average 15%. Here are 3 strategies for getting that balance paid off: 1. Pay it off with money from savings. If...
With interest rates on savings accounts near zero, what do you do with your money in savings? Here are 2 ideas: 1. Get a high-yield checking account. You can earn nearly 20 times the rate of the average savings account and also avoid typical checking account fees....
Avoid paying unnecessary fees to your bank every month. Check with your bank and see how you can configure your account to avoid ALL FEES. Don’t get trapped into, “Well, it’s only $10 a month.” They all add up! There may be a minimum balance requirement. Decide if you...
Interest rates are at historic lows. If your home or car loan is older than a year, chances are that you could save lots of money by refinancing. If you have tried to refinance, but didn’t qualify, try again. There are new government programs now that may work for...
Ask and you might receive. When Money magazine called 10 credit card lenders and merely asked them to lower their interest rates, 3 out of 10 did! If you have a car loan, ask if they can reduce the rate of that as well. This could also work in other areas of banking....
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