Relief5 min read
How to Ask Your Credit Card for a Lower Rate
A ten-minute phone call is worth more than most budgeting changes, and roughly a third of people who ask get something. Here is what to say.
Writing about debt
The arithmetic is the easy half. These are straight answers on both halves: what to pay first, and what to do when you can't make yourself look at the balance at all.
Mindset5 min read
How to Talk to Your Partner About Debt
The conversation people put off longest is rarely about the money. What makes it go badly, and a way to have it that survives the first ten minutes.
Mindset4 min read
When the Finish Line Stops Feeling Real
Month eighteen of a payoff plan is where most people quit, and it is usually the month the plan is working best. Why that happens and what to do about it.
Credit5 min read
What Actually Happens to Your Credit Score When You Pay Off Debt
Paying off a card usually helps your score. Closing it afterwards often does not. The difference catches people out, and it is worth understanding first.
Mindset5 min read
Debt Shame Is Not a Budgeting Problem
Shame says the answer is more discipline. On a typical card, finding $50 a month for three years is worth less than one call about the rate.
Mindset6 min read
Why You Avoid Looking at Your Debt (And How to Look at It Once)
Avoiding the balance is a reasonable response to a number that barely moves. Here is what a year of payments actually does, and how to look once.
Strategy4 min read
Debt Snowball vs. Debt Avalanche: Which Actually Pays Off Faster?
Avalanche saves more interest. Snowball gives a win sooner. Put your balances in and see what the choice is really worth, and it is usually less than you think.
Strategy5 min read
Is a Balance Transfer Worth It? Run the Break-Even on the Fee
A 0% offer is not free. You pay 3% to 5% up front, and whatever is left when the promo ends starts accruing again. Put your numbers in and see the real answer.
Strategy5 min read
How Long Will It Take to Pay Off My Credit Card?
Paying the minimum on a $6,000 card at 22.8% takes almost 21 years and costs $10,314 in interest. Paying that same first minimum, frozen, takes under five.