When paying back debt, a little strategy goes a long way. It can literally save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars in interest charges. And the best part is that the best, most effective strategy is so easy to follow.
List Your Debt
Make a list of all your debt: The amount of each, the monthly payment and the interest rate. You may have trouble finding this information, but it’s worth bringing it all together into one place and documenting it in a format you can follow. You can’t manage your debt strategically if you don’t even know the full extent of it, now can you?
Remember to include your credit cards (be sure to include the different rates and balances for purchases and cash advances) other cards, loans, mortgages, and even money you’ve borrowed from friends or family. All debt counts when you’re trying to pay it off completely or to get it down to a manageable level.
Bad Debt and Good Debt
Go through your debt and organize them into “good” and “bad” debt. This may sound a bit odd, but all debt is not created equal – certain types of debt are nowhere near as bad as other...