Baby Steps for Financial Success
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Too many of the Millennials don’t know how credit cards work – and that can lead them to costly mistakes.
Not everyone carries a balance on their credit cards from month to month, but for those who do, the average balance per household is now $9,600. That’s about 17% of the average U.S. household income! Here are some strategies you can use to help pay off your credit cards.
Splitting the bill has always been a landscape fraught with social landmines, and new cost-sharing apps only help so much. Here are some suggestions for navigating common cost-sharing situations with grace.
The average cost of a new car tops $30,000. For a used car, the average cost is over $18,000. These aren’t small amounts! So, if you do take out a car loan, be sure to give it the attention it deserves. How do you manage car-related debt as advantageously as possible for your overall financial picture?
Ignoring student loan debt won’t make it go away – your best chance is to make a plan to deal with it head-on. Your plan may involve taking advantage of any available assistance in consolidating, lowering costs through refinancing, and pursuing loan forgiveness programs. The goal is to pay down your student loan debt while simultaneously saving and strengthening your overall financial picture.
Going into debt to further your education can be worth it – up to a point. But please do not assume that it is always the case. As with many other financial questions, whether student loan debt is “worth it” depends on the specifics, so you will need to crunch the numbers for your particular situation.