Getting out of debt can feel overwhelming. The first step is to organize yourself so that you can plan out exactly how to get yourself to financial stability. Lauren Lyons Cole, a certified financial planner and senior editor at Business Insider, explains the first steps you should take to attack your debt.

Business Insider tells you all you need to know about business, finance, tech, science, retail, and more.
Subscribe to our channel and visit us at: http://www.businessinsider.com/
BI on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/businessinsider/
BI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/businessinsider/
BI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/businessinsider

————————————————–

Following is a transcript of the video:

Lauren Lyons Cole: My name is Lauren Lyons Cole. I’m a certified financial planner and a senior editor here at Business Insider.

I’ve helped a lot of clients get out of debt, and it’s actually a lot of easier than it seems when you’re staring at a pile of credit-card debt or student loans that you just don’t know how to get ahead of.

The first step to take is to get organized. That’s the part that a lot of people are afraid to tackle. So take a Saturday morning, make yourself a really nice brunch, and make a list of all of the different debts that you need to pay off. What I mean by that is, make a list of exactly how much you owe to each different place. So if you have a Visa that you owe $2,000 to, put that first on the list. You also need to know your interest rate, the minimum payment, and the due date for that debt. Keep doing that for all the different things you’re trying to pay off. That way you can prioritize which debts you want to tackle first.

Once you can see a full picture of everything you owe, you can create a plan. But before you create a plan, it’s important to take a step back. There are a few things that you have to be aware of. No. 1, be realistic when you are creating the plan. You don’t want to set yourself up to fail. Paying off debt can take a long time. Two years, three years, even longer. So this isn’t something you’re going to fix overnight. And that’s OK.

The other important thing to be aware of, though, is that this is temporary. We are not talking about forever. So any sort of lifestyle adjustments that you make now to pay off your debt will eventually end. And you absolutely can pay it off. I’ve seen so many people do it.

To tackle your debt, at the bare minimum you have to make all of your minimum payments on time. That’s very important for your credit score. So you can set up automatic payments to make sure those payments will go out on time and in full.  Obviously, you’ll have to pay more than the minimum payment to put a dent in your debt. But exactly how much will vary from person to person, and it could even vary from month to month. A good rule of thumb is to aim to pay double your minimum payment to any of your debts. That might be hard in some cases. So even paying $20 or $50 more can speed up the process of getting out of debt.

I’ve had luck with clients who have paid the debt that had the highest interest rate first. Some people would recommend paying the smallest debt first. So if that works better for you, great. The point is to gain momentum so that you begin to see your debt balance decrease. It might take a little trial and error to see which one works best for you.

The hardest part about paying down debt is that it really does require a lifestyle change. Again, it’s just temporary, but you’ll have to cut back on certain areas of your spending if you are going to free up money in your budget to put toward paying down your debt.

Once you have a plan in place, it’s important to stick to it. But if extra cash pops into your bank account from a tax refund or a really generous gift, there’s nothing wrong with putting that toward the debt as well to fast-forward the process.

Paying down debt is a temporary goal and one that is very achievable. All it takes is getting your plan in place, sticking to it, and watching it happen.

————————————————–

Follow BI Video on Twitter: http://bit.ly/1oS68Zs
Follow BI on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1W9Lk0n
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/

————————————————–

Business Insider is the fastest growing business news site in the US. Our mission: to tell you all you need to know about the big world around you. The BI Video team focuses on technology, strategy and science with an emphasis on unique storytelling and data that appeals to the next generation of leaders – the digital generation.

Debt Review or Debt counseling does not need to give you sleepless nights. It is a simple process and UR Finance Team is here to guide you every step on your journey to becoming debt free.

Stick with what you do best, and let us do the rest.

Shoot us an email to infor@ur-finance.co.za or check out our website www.ur-finance.co.za

Do debt: Pay as we go use cash and debit cards rather than credit cards. Live without debt. No delinquencies: Pay bills on time avoid late payments and late fees. No deficits: Live below our means spend less than we earn. My goal is that you will discover more about yourself than you do about money by the time you complete this experience. That is why I call it the dfree® lifestyle. I never learned to manage money. What I did learn was to manage my life and then use money to reach my goals. That is what this workbook is designed to help you accomplish also. Our motto is Say Yes to No Debt. Our foundational Bible verse is Proverbs 22:7 (NIV): The rich rule over the poor; and the borrower is slave to the lender. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.

Drawing on his personal experience and years as a pastor, public policy maker, and community leader, DeForest “Buster” Soaries, Jr. shares the twelve steps to achieving financial freedom in this groundbreaking, life-changing book—Say Yes to No Debt.

“The idea that debt is actually slavery is offensive to all of our sensibilities,” says Soaries, “but when we continue to spend what we don’t have, charge what we don’t need, and borrow more than we can repay, then we must call the problem what it is: slavery. Eliminating debt is the first step toward financial freedom. And we can do it.”

This is not another financial literacy program assuming that all people need is information. Soaries believes living in debt is an emotional, spiritual, and psychological problem as much as it is an educational and informational one.

Here, Soaries shares the twelve steps to financial freedom that have helped families in hundreds of churches. By replacing the “get more money” mentality with a “get out of debt” approach to financial freedom, not only were thousands of people able to become debt free, church’s that have used the dfree® strategy have experienced increased giving by their members.

Find out how you can leave a financial legacy of your own by saying yes to no debt.

Says Soaries: “There may be no greater need than to understand that debt-free living is the first step toward financial freedom. And the result is that we can enjoy life and leave a real legacy for our children.”

If you are one of the millions of people who have hundreds or even thousands of dollars of credit card debt and want to seriously get out of debt and live debt free, then this simple, step-by-step, easy to follow plan is for you. In this book, you will have all the tools you need to get out of debt and stay out of debt. You will discover how to get control of your finances, how to create a monthly cash budget, how to eliminate credit card debt quickly, and have the skills you need to master your money. Start today and get serious about getting out of debt and saying goodbye to credit card debt for good. You CAN experience true financial freedom.

Jon Acuff’s hilarious thoughts on all things Dave Ramsey. Perfect for the Dave fan who has everything, or the person who wants to laugh about money while on their journey to financial peace.

Product Features

• ISBN13: 9780978562090
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!