Debt
Understand what you owe, what it costs, and how to get out from under it.
DebtWhat Your Credit Card Debt Really Costs You
The balance on your statement is only part of the story. Here's how interest quietly turns a $10,000 balance into a much bigger number.
By Dana Whitfield · 7 min read
DebtConsolidation Loan vs. Balance Transfer vs. Bankruptcy: Three Exits, Three Very Different Prices
All three get you out of credit card debt. One charges interest, one charges a fee and a deadline, and one charges your credit file for up to ten years. The right one depends on a question most people skip: can you repay what you owe at all?
By Dana Whitfield · 7 min read
DebtThe Real Math of Minimum Payments
Minimum payments are designed to keep you current — not to get you out of debt. Here's what that looks like in numbers.
By Dana Whitfield · 5 min read
DebtDebt Consolidation Loans, Explained on One Page
One loan replaces several balances. That's the whole idea. Whether it helps depends on three numbers you can check in five minutes.
By Dana Whitfield · 8 min read
DebtDoes Consolidation Hurt Your Credit? A Month-by-Month View
Short answer: a small dip, then a climb, as long as you leave the paid-off cards open and don't refill them.
By Marcus Ellery · 6 min read
DebtThe Consolidation Math: Three Cards at 26% vs. One Loan at 14.5%
$15,000 across three cards, averaging 26% APR. Here's what it costs on the minimums, what it costs with discipline, and what a 48-month loan does to both.
By Dana Whitfield · 7 min read
DebtThe Re-Borrowing Trap: What Happens When You Consolidate and Keep Using the Cards
The loan pays off the cards. The cards now show zero balances and full available credit. This is the most dangerous month of the whole process.
By Marcus Ellery · 6 min read
DebtBalance Transfer vs. Consolidation Loan: Which Wins for Your Balance and Timeline
A 0% balance transfer can beat any loan, if you clear it before the clock runs out. Here's the line where the loan takes over.
By Dana Whitfield · 7 min read
DebtWhen Consolidation Is the Wrong Move (and What to Do Instead)
A consolidation loan solves one problem: expensive, unstructured debt that you can afford to repay in full. If that's not your problem, it's not your solution.
By Marcus Ellery · 8 min read
DebtWhat Revolving Debt Costs You Per Day
Annual rates are abstract. "$3.29 a day" is a cup of coffee. Converting the cost changes what people do about it.
By Dana Whitfield · 4 min read
DebtThe Opportunity Cost of $400 a Month in Interest
Interest isn't just money you lose. It's money that can't be doing anything else. Here's what the same $400 does when the debt is gone.
By Marcus Ellery · 5 min read
DebtDebt-to-Income: The Number That Prices Everything You Borrow
Your card balances don't just cost interest. They raise the rate on your next car loan, your mortgage, and the consolidation loan you're hoping will fix them.
By Dana Whitfield · 6 min read