Credit card debt
is one of the worst problems a person can have. Nowadays,
thousands of Americans are struggling with it and many believe
that it is irreparable. Debt just seems to put a damper on everything you do in your day to day
life, food doesn't taste the same, going out for dinner is a
struggle and even buying your kids a few gifts seems like a bit
too much. So, why not avoid getting into debt all together?
Holly Johnson from The Simple Dollar tells us that “Americans
continue to dig a deeper hole when it comes tocredit card
debt
. According to the Federal Reserve and other government
statistics, our penchant for indebtedness means that the average
household now owes $7,281 in credit card debt alone. But here’s
the thing – that average includes even those who carry no debt at
all. So when you take out the households and families that don’t
carry a balance on any of their credit cards, the Average
outstanding balance surges to $15,609.”
This is a very troubling statistic due to the fact that Americans
are burying themselves deeper in debt instead of learning from
their
mistakes.
To avoid these credit card debt mistakes, here is short list of
tips to avoid credit card debt:
1. Try not to
miss any payments
Missing payments
on your credit debt is a dangerous thing to do. Often times, the
first thing people ask when it comes to credit card debt and
missing payments iscan you go to jail for credit card
debt
? Erica Sandberg from Credit Cards dot com gives us a very
straightforward answer,
“If
you're worried about spending time behind bars for not paying your
credit card debt, know that there is no debtor's prison in the
United
States.
However, there are other legal repercussions of which you should
be aware. A creditor can sue you in a court of law, and if they
are granted a judgment, they may be able togarnish your wagesor take
nonexempt property and assets. Living debt free is within every
card holder's capability. The key is to always be aware of charging
and balances, and address credit problems
immediately.”
Even though you can't go to jail should you have debt problems it
is probable that you have big issues to worry about. Your
creditors have the power to sue you in order to seize assets or
garnish wages, so, in essence, these creditors have the power to
take your home and leave you out on the street.
2. Only
charge what you can afford to make payments on
Before you swipe
your card and spend more than you should, think about what you're
doing. Spending more than what you can afford to pay will set
yourself up for problems. Since knowing how much you can afford to
charge on your credit card is something completely subjective it
is important to do some research. Not everyone will have the same
budget, it all depends on how much you spend, your income, your
credit limit and any other credit card balances you may
have.
3. Limit your
number of credit cards
Knowing how many
credit cards you should have in order toavoid credit
debt
is something many people take too lightly. Most households in the
US have multiple credit cards that are used almost everyday.
Taking into account what was said in tip #1, having multiple
credit cards can be difficult to manage and complete payments on
time in hard
times.
Robinspost.com recently talked abouta troubling trend surging among debt
collectors
“The
Federal Trade Commission and a number of other law enforcement
agencies have taken action against 30 debt collectors accused of
deceptive and abusive tactics, including harassing phone calls and
false threats of litigation, arrest, and wage garnishment. Some of
the collectors are accused of knowingly attempting to collect
so-called phantom debts – phony debts that consumers do not
actually owe. Others failed to give consumers legally required
disclosures and notices, or to follow state and local licensing
requirements.”
The more credit cards you have under your name, the higher the
risk of something like this happening to you. It is simple, if you
only have 1-2 credit cards then it should be easier for you to
stay up to date with your credit card debt balances and
payments.
Make a
Budget
Making a budget is one of the most under appreciated aspects of
avoiding debt. When you have a budget, it gives you a clear
picture of what you should spend money on and what seems like
overkill. Making a budget is fairly easy, it takes a short amount
of time and the use of a
calculator.
Start off with your base income, and start subtracting the money
you're spending each month. If you end up with a negative number,
then you know you have to change something in order to save money.
The most important thing about finances is knowing that you cannot
spend more money than what you make. A budget will give you
straightforward answer to the question “where is my money
going?”.
At the end of the day, it's always better to avoid a problem if
you can. The worst thing you can possibly do is ignore the
situation and hope it goes away. This is a serious issue because
you are doing nothing to improve your credit card debt situation.
Notavoiding
credit card
debt
and simply making the minimum payments will not get you very far.
The majority of the cash you pay goes towards the interest rates.
This means that your only providing your creditors with profit
instead of helping yourself out of the debt trap. So before you
decide to swipe that credit card be certain to refer to our these
helpful
tips.
Debt Relief
Options
When people find themselves in deep with their credit card debt
the usually do one of these things listed:
File Bankruptcy (Chapter 7 or Chapter 13)
Debt management program
Debt settlement / Debt negotiation
Take out a Personal Loan
Do Nothing
All but the last are viable options for debt relief. The important
thing to remember is that there is no “one size fits all” debt
relief option. Since every situation the right solution may vary,
thus it is imperative to act swiftly.
A panel discussion on Chapter 2 of our latest Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) with:
- Mario Catalan, Deputy Division Chief, Monetary and Capital Markets Department, IMF
- Andrea Deghi, Financial Sector Expert, Monetary and Capital Markets Department, IMF
- José de Gregorio, Dean of the School of Economics and Business at the University of Chile, and former Governor of the Central Bank of Chile and former Minister of Economy, Mining, and Energy in Chile
- Moderator: Jeanna Smialek, Reporter, New York Times
Published: 15th Oct 2024 04:00:07 By: IMF
IMF Video: The Great Tightening: Insights from the Recent Inflation Episode
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Join IMF economists Emine Boz and Jorge Alvarez in conversation with Yahoo Finance's Brian Sozzi as they discuss key findings and their implications for future monetary policy. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2024/10/22/world-economic-outlook-october-2024?cid=sm-com-ig-AM2024-WEOEA2024002
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IMF Video: Understanding the Social Acceptability of Structural Reforms
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Published: 12th Oct 2024 12:00:43 By: World Economic Forum
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Wars, trade tensions and elections around the world are testing humanity's ability to tackle climate change.
Two experts from the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on the Future of Geopolitics look at the diplomacy and real-world reality of climate change politics and economics, with a particular focus on the global South.
This episode is published to coincide with the Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils, find out more here: https://www.weforum.org/events/annual-meeting-of-the-global-future-councils-2024/
Guests:
Arun Sharma, senior advisor to the Chairman, Adani Group
Varun Sivaram, Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate, Council on Foreign Relations
Co-host:
Jessica Margolis, Lead, Geopolitical Agenda, World Economic Forum
Links:
The World Economic Forum’s network of Global Future Councils: https://www.weforum.org/communities/global-future-councils/ Global Future Council on the Future of Geopolitics: https://www.weforum.org/communities/gfc-on-geopolitics/
Shaping Cooperation in a Fragmenting World: https://www.weforum.org/publications/shaping-cooperation-in-a-fragmenting-world/
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How do we ensure the green transition doesn't penalise the poorest? (https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/equitable-transition-climate/)
Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts (http://wef.ch/podcasts) :
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Published: 10th Oct 2024 07:58:48 By: World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum Video: SDIM24: Innovation for Decarbonization: Industry's Transition
From mining to manufacturing, achieving a successful energy transition and net-zero emissions will require industries to accelerate their pace of decarbonization.
What new innovations and technologies can make decarbonization more efficient, cost-effective and scalable?
This session was recorded live September 23, 2024 during the World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Meetings.
Speakers: Sadaf Hosseini Head of Growth, Partnerships and Innovation Ecosystems, UpLink, World Economic Forum
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Want to stay up to date on the day's top stories? Sign up for CNN's 5 Things newsletter, and we'll give you the 5 biggest stories you need to know, videos people are watching, and more!
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