Suze orman and consolidating debt

The move will give you a better grip on tomorrow by reducing your costs today.

Assuming that renting will free up some money, I want you to open two accounts that will help you establish peace of mind: an emergency cash fund and a Roth IRA.

Step 2 – Add to each minimum payment that your credit card company is asking you to pay.

Step 3 – Add up all your minimum payments plus added for each card.

Step 4 – Hopefully the difference between the figure found in Step 1 is GREATER than the figure in found in Step 3.

If so, apply the difference to the card with the HIGHEST interest rate.

When you find full-time work in your chosen field—and you will, stay positive—you can revisit buying a home.

How can we remove these blemishes from our credit reports and improve our scores fast?

One important caveat: When you negotiate a lower payment, the IRS usually counts the forgiven amount (what you're not required to pay) as income, which means that you'll owe taxes on that money.

Q: I've got ,000 in credit card debt, ,000 in student loans, a car payment and an interest-only, variable-rate home loan that will adjust in two and a half years. How will I ever be able to save for today, for retirement, for my sons' futures? A: Your overriding goal must be to stay current on all your monthly debt.

Step 2 – Beginning with the card with the smallest balance, pay as much as you can on that card while paying the minimums on the other cards.

Step 3 – Once the card with the smallest balance is paid off, take the amount you were paying towards that card and apply to the card with the next lowest balance.