Archive for January, 2010

Debt Reduction – The Hybrid Method

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

By Roger G. Best

We’ve already talked about the Snowball Method and the Avalanche Method of Debt Reduction.  They both have their advantages and disadvantages.  The Snowball Method works toward paying off debt and does so by playing into basic human emotion.  It pays off the smallest debt first, then moving on to the next smallest and so on, until all your debt has been retired.  This method tends to be very emotionally satisfying because you will be able to completely pay off the smaller debt very quickly, leaving you with a sense of satisfaction.  The disadvantage is that the Snowball Method doesn’t take into account the actual cost of the debt.  If those smaller debts that you have are also the lowest interest rate, you’ll end up paying a lot more in interest, making this method the more costly of the two approaches. (more…)

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Debt Reduction Methods – Motivation

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Thanks for coming back again today.  Yesterday I started an article (Debt Reduction Methods – The Avalanche Method) and found that it was getting longer than I intended so I’m going to take this opportunity to “flesh out” the things I missed yesterday.  By way of a brief review, the simple thumbnail of the Debt Avalanche method is that you list all your debt by order of the most expensive first.  In other words, you look at all of your debt by way of the interest rate that you are paying and list the higher interest rates first and then the next, and the next, until you have the lowest interest rates listed at the bottom.  This particular approach is strictly based on math and not nearly as emotional as the snowball method.  That’s why the critics say that it’s not as likely to achieve fruition (in other words, be followed through to its completion).  (more…)

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Debt Reduction Methods – Avalanche Method

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

By Roger G. Best

This is my second installment dealing with the different methods of reducing y our debt.  My last articles “Debt Reduction Methods – Part 1” addressed the snowball method.  If you haven’t already read that one, you’ll want to do so, although it’s not necessary to read it before you read this one.  In this article we’ll address the avalanche method of debt reduction.  (more…)

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Debt Reduction Methods – Snowball Method

Monday, January 11th, 2010

By Roger G. Best

There are several different approaches to debt reduction, most of which have merit.  Although this series of articles aren’t intended to be an exhaustive study of all the options, I do intend to cover the most accepted and successful methods, in order to give everyone a better understanding of the options.

The first widely accepted method is known as the debt-snowball method.  Simply put, this method encourages applying extra cash to repaying the debt with the smallest amount owed.  One of the biggest advantages it offers is in the form of personal satisfaction… You get to eliminate certain debt quickly, then apply that extra money to the next smallest debt, which will reduce the number of payments you have to make and begin to quickly reduce your overall debt.  This method is widely accepted and taught by many experts. (more…)

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