Making a plan to pay off credit card debt is essential for anyone facing financial strain due to outstanding balances. The first step is to gather all credit card statements to understand the full scope of the debt. This includes noting the outstanding balances, interest rates and minimum monthly payments for each card.

Next, prioritize the debts based on interest rates. In general, the higher-interest cards should be paid off first to minimize the amount of interest accrued over time. While paying the minimum on all cards, allocate extra funds towards the highest interest debt. This approach, known as the avalanche method, can save money in the long run.

Alternatively, some may prefer the snowball method, which involves paying off the smallest debts first to gain momentum and motivation. Regardless of the method chosen, consistency is key. Stick to the plan by setting realistic monthly payments and avoiding accumulating additional debt. Utilize any extra income, windfalls or bonuses to accelerate debt repayment.

Creating a budget can help identify areas where expenses can be reduced to free up more funds for debt repayment. Cut back on unnecessary expenses and allocate the savings towards paying off credit card debt.

Finally, monitor progress regularly and adjust the plan as needed. Celebrate milestones along the way to stay motivated and committed to becoming debt-free. By making a plan and sticking to it, individuals can take control of their finances and achieve financial freedom. With discipline and determination, paying off credit card debt is achievable, leading to a more secure financial future.

The opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the author and meant for generic illustration purposes only. For specific questions regarding your personal lending needs, please call RCB Bank at 855-BANK-RCB. RCB Bank is a member FDIC.

Sources:

Egan, J., & Strohm, M. (2021, July 30). The Debt Avalanche Method: How It Works and how to use it. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/debt-relief/debt-avalanche-method-how-it-works/

Egan, J., & Strohm, M. (2021a, July 28). The debt snowball method: How it works and how to use it. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/debt-relief/debt-snowball-method-how-it-works/

In the journey toward financial fitness, it’s important to recognize that everyone makes mistakes. We’ve all had our share of financial ups and downs, and dwelling on past financial problems can hinder our progress. The key to achieving true financial well-being lies in embracing a ‘forgive and forget’ mindset. By learning from our past mistakes and letting go of any lingering guilt or regret, we open the door to a brighter future. In this article, we explore the transformative power of ‘forgive and forget’ when it comes to our personal finances.

Embrace Forgiveness

Forgiving yourself for past financial missteps is crucial for your mental and emotional well-being. Self-sabotaging thoughts about your financial past will prevent you from moving forward. Accept that mistakes happen and understand that they are opportunities for growth. Embrace the mindset that forgiveness is not about excusing your actions but about releasing yourself from the burdens of guilt and shame.

Remember that you are not alone in experiencing financial challenges. Many successful individuals have faced similar struggles and managed to bounce back. Oprah Winfrey, one of the world’s most influential women, encountered numerous financial setbacks in her early career but persevered and achieved remarkable success. Learn from these stories and realize that forgiveness paves the way for a fresh start.

Learn from Your Mistakes

While it’s important to forgive, learning from your past financial mistakes is equally crucial. Take the time to reflect on what went wrong and identify the factors that contributed to your financial difficulties. By understanding the root causes, you can develop strategies to avoid repeating those same mistakes in the future.

Consider seeking financial education and guidance to enhance your knowledge and skills. Learn about budgeting, investing and other essential financial concepts. The more you educate yourself, the better equipped you’ll be to make informed decisions and mitigate future financial risks.

Letting Go of Regret

Forgiving yourself also means letting go of regret. Regretting past financial decisions only consumes your energy and prevents you from moving forward. Instead, focus on the present moment and the steps you can take to improve your financial situation. Create a realistic plan to address your current financial goals and commit to it with determination and discipline.

Developing a positive mindset is essential in your financial journey. Surround yourself with supportive individuals who believe in your ability to achieve financial success. Engage in activities that bring you joy and reinforce your sense of self-worth. By cultivating a positive outlook, you’ll be better equipped to face future challenges and make sound financial choices.

Create a Fresh Financial Narrative

Forgiveness and forgetting your past financial problems allow you to create a fresh narrative for yourself. Rather than defining yourself by past mistakes, focus on the future and the potential for growth and success. Visualize your desired financial future, set clear goals and take actionable steps to achieve them.

Remember that building financial fitness takes time. Stay committed and celebrate each small victory along the way. By cultivating resilience and determination, you’ll be well on your way to financial well-being.

In the quest for financial fitness, forgiving yourself and forgetting your past financial problems are essential steps toward creating a brighter future. Embrace forgiveness, learn from your mistakes and let go of regret. By doing so, you will develop a positive mindset and create a new narrative that focuses on growth, resilience and success. Remember, your past does not define you. Your ability to forgive and move forward will shape your financial well-being and lead you toward a prosperous future.

Opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the author and meant for generic illustration purposes only. RCB Bank, Member FDIC.

Sources:

Hanke, S. (2018, August 14). Council post: Three steps to overcoming resistance. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/08/14/three-steps-to-overcoming-resistance/?sh=3b729b535eae

McIntosh, D. (2020, July 8). Oprah’s financial advice for building a fortune | moneywise. https://moneywise.com/managing-money/how-to-earn-money/what-oprah-can-teach-you-about-money

Marter, J. (2022, September 5). 5 strategies to overcome financial self-sabotage. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-wealth/202209/5-strategies-overcome-financial-self-sabotage

Osmond, S. (2017, October 26). The secret of the setback. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/secret-setback-sophia-osmond-1

If you’ve made some credit mistakes in the past, they may still be reflected on your credit report. The benefits of having a high credit score are many. But if you have some marks on your credit report, it’s likely that is what’s keeping your score from rising.

However, it won’t be an overnight process. It can take anywhere from one to six months to clean up your credit report, depending on how many disputes you need to make.

Examine Everything Closely

Completely scour your credit report to identify if there are any errors in it. You can pull a copy of your credit report for free once a year through the official AnnualCreditReport.com website. Federal law allows you to initiate a dispute with the credit bureau that’s reporting information you believe to be inaccurate. The credit bureau then has to investigate your claim and if there is an error, correct it or remove it.

Review Your Identity

This may seem like common sense, but it’s very easy to overlook. Make sure your name, address and Social Security number are correct on the report. Having an incorrect Social Security number on your credit report can lead to dire consequences.

Document, Document, Document

If you need to file a dispute, document it for your personal records. Keep any supporting documents pertaining to your dispute in a safe place, and then continue to follow up on the dispute until it is resolved. Also keep notes with dates, times and the people you spoke with at credit bureaus and lending businesses. Check your credit report again about a month later to make sure the people with whom you spoke followed through on what they said they would do.

Attempt to Remove Past-Due Accounts

If you have a past-due item on your report, try to get the creditor to remove it by asking for a goodwill removal. You can write a goodwill letter asking for a removal of a paid-up debt that at one point had a late payment. However, the creditor is under no obligation to forgive past-due payments, but some may if you’ve continued to be a customer in good standing.

As previously stated, repairing your credit report is not a fast process, but it’s worth it to take the time and make the effort to clean it up. Raising your credit score can make you more attractive to lenders and could lead to more favorable rates and offers.

Financially Fit is your home fitness guide for all things financial, provided by RCB Bank. Find money-building tips, insights and inspiration to help you improve your financial well-being at RCBbank.com/GetFit. Opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the author and meant for generic illustration purposes only. For specific questions regarding your personal lending needs, please call RCB Bank at 855-BANK-RCB. With approved credit. Some restrictions apply. RCB Bank, Member FDIC.

Source:

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/privacy-security/credit-reporting

Looking to Build or Improve Your Credit Score? Try These Tips

Your credit score plays a significant part in your financial well-being. Generally, the higher the score, the easier it is to get approved for loans or lines of credit, and you also can benefit from lower interest rates.

But a low score can make it difficult to secure credit, and the interest rates can be much higher. In essence, a credit score allows lenders to gauge how reliable you are at paying your bills. So if you don’t have a credit history, it can be harder for lenders to determine the level of risk.

A person with a higher credit score can save thousands of dollars over the course of their life than someone with a low score.

So what steps can you take if your credit is poor, or if you have no credit history? Read along and find out.

Review Your Credit Report

First things first: you need to figure out what your history shows, so you can find out if anything requires immediate attention. You can pull a copy of your credit report for free once a year through the official AnnualCreditReport.com website. Review your report to make sure everything is correct, and have any inaccurate listings removed. Federal law allows you to initiate a dispute with the credit bureau that’s reporting information you believe to be inaccurate. The credit bureau then has to investigate your claim and if there is an error, correct it or remove it.

Pay Down Your Debts

According to the Fair Issac Corporation (FICO), payment history has the biggest impact on your credit score. So avoid late payments at ALL costs. One way to avoid late payments is to set up automatic payments. Also, the more available credit you have, the higher your credit score will be. This is known as your credit utilization percentage, which refers to the portion of your credit limit that you’re using at any given time. This is the second-highest determining factor in your credit score. A good rule of thumb is to keep it under 30% of your credit limit. Once you get there, work at getting it under 10%, which is considered ideal to maximizing your credit score.

Ask for a Limit Increase

If you have credit cards, ask for a credit limit increase. If granted, this will lower your credit utilization percentage, which, as explained above, should help raise your credit score. But this is only helpful as long as you don’t use that limit increase to purchase more items.

Take Out a Personal Loan

If you’ve been using credit cards for a while and making timely payments, you should have enough credit history to qualify for a personal loan. However, this isn’t a quick fix. Personal loans can take up to a year to raise your credit score. But, it can diversify the types of credit on your credit report, and you can use your loan to prove you can consistently make payments on time.

Limit Hard Inquiries

Hard inquiries can affect your credit score for anywhere from a few months to two years, according to Experian. Hard inquiries include things like applications for a new credit card, an auto loan, a mortgage and other forms of credit. The occasional hard inquiry won’t have much of an effect. But many of them in a short period of time can damage your credit score. So if you are trying to improve your credit score, avoid applying for multiple new lines of credit for awhile.

If You Rent, Make it Count

If you pay rent monthly, there are several services that allow you to get credit for those on-time payments. Search the internet for companies that will report your rent payments to the credit bureaus on your behalf, which in turn could help your credit score. Note that reporting rent payments may only affect your VantageScore credit scores, not your FICO score. Some rent-reporting companies charge a fee for this service, so read the details to know what you’re getting and possibly purchasing.

The bottom line is start now. It can take several weeks, and sometimes several months, to see a noticeable impact on your score when you start taking steps to turn it around. Improving your credit score is a good goal to have, especially if you’re planning to either apply for a loan to make a major purchase, such as a new car or home, so the sooner you start, the better you’ll be able to take advantage of the benefits of a good credit score.

Financially Fit is your home fitness guide for all things financial, provided by RCB Bank. Find money-building tips, insights and inspiration to help you improve your financial well-being at RCBbank.com/GetFit. Opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the author and meant for generic illustration purposes only. For specific questions regarding your personal lending needs, please call RCB Bank at 855-BANK-RCB. With approved credit. Some restrictions apply. RCB Bank, Member FDIC.

Source:

https://www.ficoscore.com/about/

I challenge you not to accept your financial life as it is. This coming year, aim to get ahead — start an emergency fund, build your retirement savings, pay off your debt or take control of whatever money situation is causing you stress.

The key to getting ahead is to get started. Here are some tips to help you make a financial change.

Invest in you

To build your wealth, start paying yourself first. When you receive money, before you spend a penny, put some of it in your savings account or retirement fund. Set up automatic deposits and watch your savings grow with little effort.

Changing your saving habits may require changing your spending habit, but the payoff – not worrying about paying your bills, taking a trip you’ve been dreaming of and retiring on your terms – is worth it.

Stop throwing money away

Paying late fees is like pulling money out of your wallet and throwing it into the wind. Start paying down debt, beginning with the highest interest debt. Pay your bills on time. If need be, call the company and see if you can adjust your due date. Never hurts to ask and it could save you from paying late fees.

Try the 50/30/20 budget plan

Harvard bankruptcy expert Elizabeth Warren suggests splitting your monthly income into three categories:

1. Fixed expenses – survival needs – should total no more than 50 percent of your income.
2. Non-essentials – wants like TV, morning coffee, hair appointments – should total no more than 30 percent.
3. Savings – emergency fund, retirement – should be 20 percent or more.

Match your spending

Have a hard time sticking to a budget? Try this. Before you spend money on something you want, first put the same amount of money in a savings jar.  You will be able to see exactly how much money you are spending, or how much you could be saving or using to pay off your debt. If you cannot afford to match your spending, you cannot afford whatever it is you want to purchase.

Live within your means

Rich people stay rich by living like they are broke. It is a matter of what you value more, instant gratification or freedom from debt and having money when you really need it.

You work hard for your money. Do not waste it on things you do not really need.

50/30/20 Plan: Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi. All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan. Opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the author and meant for generic illustration purposes only. RCB Bank, member FDIC.