Description
Today, people struggling with debt have far fewer options: lenders are stingier, which makes it harder to avert disaster, or to recover from setbacks like foreclosure, short sales, or bankruptcy. (Meanwhile, people with good credit have more options than ever, including some of the lowest interest rates in decades.) Debtors need an up-to-date guide that can help them assess options, find help, discover opportunities, and take action that works. Liz Weston's Deal with Your Debt, Updated and Revised Edition is that guide.
Most "conventional wisdom" about debt is just dead wrong. People are told to pay it all off, and live forever without it. Doing that can leave them a lot poorer in the long run. They're more likely to give up, or pay off the wrong debts. They may give themselves too little flexibility to survive a financial crisis. They could neglect saving for retirement. They may even wind up in bankruptcy -- just what they're trying to avoid! For most people, it's more realistic -- and smarter -- to control and manage debt effectively.
In this extensively updated guidebook, Weston shows which debts can actually help build wealth over time, and which are simply toxic. She presents up-to-date, real-world strategies for assessing and paying off debt, including money-saving insights on which debts to tackle first. She also offers practical guidelines for assessing how much debt is safe -- and compassionate, realistic guidance for people who've gone beyond the safety zone.
Table of Contents
Introduction xvi
Chapter 1 Isn’t Debt-Free the Way to Be? 1
Chapter 2 Your Debt Management Plan 15
Chapter 3 Credit Cards 39
Chapter 4 Mortgages 63
Chapter 5 Home Equity Borrowing 85
Chapter 6 Student Loans 99
Chapter 7 Auto Loans 119
Chapter 8 401(k) and Other Retirement Plan Loans 133
Chapter 9 Loans You Don’t Want to Get--or Give 147
Chapter 10 Dealing with a Debt Crisis 159
Chapter 11 Putting Your Debt Management Plan into Action 177
Index 195
Purchase Info 
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Deal with Your Debt: Free Yourself from What You Owe, Updated and Revised
Format: Electronic Book
$12.99 | ISBN-13: 978-0-13-324932-3
