Saturday, June 28, 2008

Credit Card Debts: Causes & Prevention

Credit card debts result from when a client of a credit card company purchased an item or services through the card they use. Debts accumulate increase with interest and penalties for late payment had made the total amount due become larger.


Causes
  • Poor money management. A monthly spending plan is essential. Without one you have no idea where your money is going. You may be spending hundreds of dollars unnecessarily each month and end up having to charge purchases on which you should have spent that money.
  • Saving too little or not at all. The simplest way to avoid unwanted debt is to prepare for unexpected expenditures by saving three to six months of living expenses. With a savings, a job layoff, illness or divorce will not cause immediate financial strain and increase debt.

Prevention

  • Do not carry balances. If you have this habit of carrying forward your balance owed to the credit card company to the next month, it is better that you stop using your credit cards altogether. You can submit it back to the agency or cut it down to prevent any usage on urge as well.
  • Find the best card for you. When you want to switch to a new credit card, you should take complete care that the rate of interest is lower than your previous one. Also, make sure that there are no special penalties or fine in case you want to hop on to a new card.
  • Pay off more than the minimum amount. Set up a minimum amount for yourself when you repay the money owed to credit card agencies. People usually get stuck in debts and carry balances due to the urge of paying only the minimum amount mentioned by them. However, you should try paying off as much as you can so that the debts are removed quickly.

Reference:

  1. http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/debt/debt_manage_2004/top-10-causes.asp
  2. http://creditcarddebthelp.me.uk/top-10-ways-to-get-out-of-credit-card-debt/

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