Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Will Requesting a Credit Limit Increase Make Your Credit Score Better or Worse?
Credit cards can lead to plenty of trouble, but they can also be a cause and a symptom of financial well-being. The wealthiest people have platinum credit cards that theoretically have no credit limit, so that they can carry a balance of hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even more, as long as they… Read More »
Three Strategies for Prioritizing Debt Repayment
If you are living paycheck to paycheck, then you may have gone through the stressful routine of figuring out which bills you can afford to pay on time and which ones will have to wait until your next paycheck comes in. Of course, now that you have a small surplus in your budget every… Read More »
Can Rewards Apps Like Catch Help You Get Out of Debt?
Small resolutions that you know you can keep are better than grand designs to overhaul your whole life, only to find yourself feeling like a failure when you were unable to meet the overly ambitious goals you set for yourself. It is very difficult to go from being a retail therapy enthusiast to adopting… Read More »
Higher Interest Rates Mean Additional Challenges to Paying Off Credit Card Debt
The good news is that inflation finally seems to be slowing down after a brutal year. Prices of most goods are still high enough to keep most families living paycheck to paycheck, even the ones with a six-figure annual household income, but the prices are finally starting to level off. The federal government has… Read More »
5 Ways to Leave Your Car Loan
Cars are bad for the environment, and walking or riding your bike to work is healthy. Your car reminds you of your ex. There are plenty of reasons that you might daydream about being free of your car, but the biggest one is probably money. The average car payment as of the spring of… Read More »
Freeing Up Funds for Debt Repayment on a Shoestring Budget?
Tough economic times have been going on for so long that it is hard to imagine anything else. Having to wonder every month if you can keep up with the minimum payments on your debts is incredibly stressful. There must be a way to break out of this cycle of debt, but where do… Read More »
Actions You Can Take to Stop Your Debts From Getting Bigger
You are not the only person who is struggling financially. You have already heard the statistic about how two thirds of Americans cannot afford a $400 emergency expense without using a credit card and how two thirds of households with annual income above $100,000 live paycheck to paycheck. An even starker sign of how… Read More »
What Counts as Debt Collector Harassment?
The worst part of your day is seeing email from debt collectors in your inbox or getting calls from numbers you don’t know, since you assume that it will be a creditor calling about a new debt or a new collection agency calling about an old debt. You avoid checking your physical mailbox for… Read More »
CFPB Asks Court to Order Debt Collection Company to Pay Penalties for Illegal Debt Collection Practices
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has the authority to seek court orders against companies that engage in unfair and illegal debt collection practices. The CFPB typically pursues legal action against debt collectors only after receiving numerous complaints from consumers who allege that the company attempted to collect debts they did not owe or… Read More »
Refinancing Auto Loans Is About More Than Getting A Lower Interest Rate
The conventional wisdom about refinancing loans is that it either leads to the rich getting richer or to the poor getting into an even more desperate financial situation. If your financial situation has improved since you took out the loan, then your new, shiny credit score qualifies you for a loan with a lower… Read More »
