There are a lot of erroneous information over Credit realted matter out there.

So the problem is how do is sift through the right informative material, that is the question.

Well we hope the following can add some clarity to many misconceptions over credit:

1. Payment of my debts will make my credit report Crystal clear instantly .

No not Exactly.They have to be in the timely matter agreed upon signing of Credit obligation.

A credit report is a history of your payments, not just a snapshot of where you are at the moment, says Maxine Sweet, vice president of public affairs for Experian, one of the three major credit reporting agencies.

As the author of the popular Web column “Ask Max,” she continuously reminds people that you can’t change the past. Credit counseling always destroys my credit score.

Attending a credit counselor’s debt management program is not considered negative in the scoring models.

However, if the credit counselor negotiates a lesser contractual obligation, the lender decides how it wants to report that.

So if your $500 monthly payment is refigured for $300, the creditor may either legally report that as $200 in arrears every month or reward you for not filing bankruptcy by reporting the account as up to date.

Although credit counseling does not by itself influence your credit score, it is apparent on the report that you’ve been through, or are currently in, counseling — and that is something individual lenders may not like. Or they might never know.

Too many Open accounts spells available, potential debt, so better to close them, runs the legend.

But experts agree that most creditors want to see at least two or three pieces of active credit to prove you can manage debt responsibly.

And, Watts chimes in, those unused cards lying in your jewelry box aren’t wreaking havoc with your score.

“The myth is that they look ominous to potential lenders,” he says. “Reality is that paying your bills on time and not being overextended is more important than having $5,000 worth of available credit on a card you’re not using.

We continue to evaluate this ‘total credit limits’ statistic, and we simply don’t find it falling into one of those highly predictive areas.”

On the other hand, extremes never look good. Opening one charge account occasionally to take advantage of a 10 percent offer is negligible. Going wild and signing up for five during the holiday season probably would invite a decreased score, he says.

2. Alot of inquiries hurt my score.

Once upon a time, this statement was true. But get with the times — in this millennium, the credit agencies recognize a shopping mind-set when they see one. If a batch of mortgage or car loan inquiries arrives within 30 days, it doesn’t count at all, Watts says.

“Outside that 30-day period, if we locate a mortgage or car inquiry that occurred 180 days ago, and then see more mortgage- or auto-related hits in the accompanying 14-day window, we err on the consumer’s side and still assume she’s shopping for one item,” he says.

“We really feel like we are capturing the true consumer experience and not holding it against them for being an aggressive or smart rate shopper.”

3. Checking my own credit report harms my standing.

The reporting agencies distinguish between soft and hard pulls. When Target calls to check before issuing its line of credit, the agencies chalk that up as a hard pull and it counts against your score. Personal requests and credit counselors — if they do it correctly, so insist on this as part of your agreement terms — fall under soft pulls, which do not reflect negatively on the evaluation.

Using a company that promises credit reports as a perk can turn this myth into a self-fulfilling prophecy, however, McNaughton says.

Because they are merchants in disguise, their freebie costs you. Citizens must go directly to the three bureaus if they want a soft pull. Ditto FICO.

“Pulling your credit scores is quite empowering,” says Watts. “You have a choice: You can either be very aggressive with your credit management and pull your score with some regularity or take a more passive approach once a year to see how all those credit cards are actually doing.”

4. Credit scores are locked in for six months.

Fair Isaac Corp.’s models are dynamic, meaning that your FICO score changes as soon as data on your credit report change.

“When we calculate a score, for all intents and purposes it then goes away and is recalculated the next time someone pulls your file,” says Watts.

5. I don’t need to check my credit report if I pay my bills on time.

It is prudent to monitor your Credit report on a monthly Basis.

When the Consumer Federation of America and the National Credit Reporting Association analyzed credit scores in the summer of 2002, they discovered that 78 percent of the files were missing a revolving account in good standing, while 33 percent of files lacked a mortgage account that had never been late. Twenty-nine percent contained conflicting information on how many times the consumer had been 60 days late on payments.

“There can be a lot of other activity going on that you don’t have any clue about.

Over 85 percent of all credit reports have erroneous information ranging from a wrong birth date to accounts you never applied for.

6. All credit reports are the same.

Way wrong. These days, most creditors across the country do report their information to all three major agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

And, because they are separate companies, the speed in which they update records isn’t necessarily equal.

7. Bad news comes off in seven years.

Some of it does. Chapter 13 (reorganization of debt) disappears seven years from the filing date. But if you filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy (exoneration of all debt), the window is 10 years from the filing date.

On the good-news side, accounts in bankruptcy can be deleted seven years after the date of your first missed payment, so those individual pieces may disappear before the word “bankruptcy” on your report. And if you pay off or close an account that had no delinquencies or problems, it, too, remains on the record for 10 years rather than the previous seven, say Experian experts. Again, this means positive information hangs around longer, as a consumer benefit.

8. I can always pay someone to fix or repair my credit.

Yes, you can clear up erroneous information posted to your account, such as a repossessed car that you didn’t purchase in the first place, but if you paid your Sears bill three months late in 1997, that’s a hard fact.

Companies claiming to fix your credit deliver on their promises by generating a flood of dispute letters to the credit reporting agencies, which in turn ask the creditor to verify or document the entry. If they cannot, the listing must come off at that time. But if the creditor later does verify or document it, the agency slaps it right back into the file after 30 days.

There’s no arguing with how easy it is to obtain a paydayloan nowadays, but its level of ease is, in fact, what makes a paydayloan so suspicious. There’s a trap, isn’t it? And in a way, there is one. The interest rates charged by paydayloan companies are very high – but you don’t have to worry about it if you pay on time.

Regardless of the risks associated with paydayloans, however, there are certain instances when you can’t help but apply for a paydayloan.

Sudden Debt Payment – In most cases, credit collectors tend to have a schedule when asking for payment, but there are those who insist on harassing and harassing you until you give in. If you’re in this situation and your creditor can’t seem to have the patience and understanding to wait for your next payday, getting a paydayloan definitely seems like a good idea.

Surprise Dates – Not all romantic dates are planned. Everyone who had at least one relationship could surely attest to this, unless you were dating or married to a military official addicted to punctuality and order. But when you do indeed have the chance to enjoy a spontaneous date with your crush, getting a paydayloan will allow you to survive even if payday is still at least a week away.

Educational Opportunities You Can’t Miss – Once in a while, you’ll see in the newspapers, magazines, websites, or TV once in a lifetime offers regarding educational meetings, shows, and workshops. These opportunities are truly precious and that’s why you can’t possibly skip them. For the sake of your knowledge, skills, and abilities, you need to get a paydayloan to afford these opportunities quickly!

Accidents Happen – And most of the time, they happen far more often to people who can’t afford it. If you’re in the same boat and you have no idea how to pay it off since your insurance company isn’t willing to cover it, getting a paydayloan could prevent you from being sued.

Taking Care of Expenses beyond Insurance Coverage – Insurance policies, unfortunately enough, cannot cover all your medical or car expenses all the times. When that happens, and you have a need to settle it immediately, a paydayloan might be your only way out.

Self Love and Stress Busters – Once in a while, you need to pamper yourself and get rid of all the negative emotions inside you like stress, anxiety, anger, jealousy, and so forth. But of course, pampering yourself often involves money. If you don’t have that yet then you can certainly get some by applying for a paydayloan.

No More Cash Advances – Companies have various rules when it comes to cash advances. Some require you to issue a request at least a week before while others allow you to have one as long as there’s still remaining money in the current accounts. Whichever the case, there are also instances when your request will be refused. If you’re desperate, why not take a paydayloan – which is also almost like a cash advance, only with a potential interest fee.

No Other Reason than to Shop – And lastly, there are those moments when you just have to shop simply for the sake of shopping. There’s a three-day sale, and you find something you absolutely have to buy. If you’re not a shopaholic then there’s nothing wrong with getting a payday loan to indulge your cravings occasionally.

Of course, make sure that you pay off your paydayloan on time, and please apply one at a time only.

To be competitive in the market place phone card suppliers come up with all sorts of ways to make their phone cards look cheaper. Unsuspecting customers generally buy their phone cards based only on the per minute cost of the phone call.

Calling card suppliers know this and try to hide the cost of the phone call in charges other than the call rate. These charges all add up to make the cost of the phone call breakeven after an average length phone call.

Some of the more common ways of hiding calling costs are:

• surcharges
• peak rate call charges
• monthly charges and weekly or daily maintenance or service fees
• quick expiry
• automatic recharge
• frequent or timed disconnections
• large billing increments
• credit card transaction fees

The surcharges are not the same as a connection or flag-fall fee. A surcharge is generally related to the length of a call and charged at a set time interval after you start speaking, so for example after 5 or 10 minutes a fee of 40c may be charged. This is because not everybody’s call is an average length and so the surcharge fee recovers the money for the cheaper call rate. This surcharge can vary depending on the destination you are calling.

If you buy a phone card based on off-peak rates it means it is only really the best card for you during the off-peak period. Most often these off-peak periods are the most inconvenient time of day like 3 am. They are cheaper because the phone card supplier can buy minutes cheaper when no one wants them. You should always buy your caling card based on comparing the peak call rates. That way you are buying the cheapest phone card for when you will actually be using it.

Some calling cards apply a daily, weekly or monthly service fee that eats away at your credit even when you are not using the phone card. With these phone cards it is better to buy the smaller denominations like $5 or $10 and use the whole phone card in one or two calls.

Phone cards have a life lasting from 1 to 12 months. After this they expire and any credit remaining unused on the phone card is lost. The average life of a phone card is 3 months. Any phone cards with a very short life of less than one month should be avoided.

You should be sure to check that your phone card is for a single purchase and that it doesn’t automatically charge your credit card again when it is empty to top up or replenish the minutes on the phone card.

If your phone calls drop out after a certain time and this is at the same point each time it probably has a call duration limit. These are often set to 1 or 2 hours. If they frequently drop out at random times this is due to poor line quality. Limited call durations are not only inconvenient but can be very costly if a fixed call duration is combined with high connection fees. You keep getting disconnected and when you redial you are charged another connection fee.

Usually phone cards are billed in one minute increments. This means that if you talk for two and a half minutes you will be charged for 3 minutes. Your standard telecom landline service is generally billed in 1 or 6 sec increments. Some cards bill in 10 minutes increments which means you need to talk for 10, 20 or 30 minutes to get the best value from the card. If, for example, you talked for 13 minutes your call would be rounded up and you would still be charged for 20 minutes!

Make sure you are not charged a transaction fee when you buy your card using a credit card. Sometimes you only see this on your credit card statement a month later. It will generally be about an additional 2% fee to recover the merchant processing fees the bank charges the phone card supplier for using their processing facilities.

To choose the right phone card and be informed of these hazards you need all your phone cards compared and reviewed on the same basis. Ephonecards provides this service free for the most reliable phone cards in Australia.

Another danger you must be aware of is that if you loose your phone card the company will not replace it. This is because someone else can find it and use the remaining balance. You should keep a record of the PIN number in a safe place in addition to details printed on the actual card. With online suppliers like www.ephonecards.com.au your PIN numbers are kept online in your account as well as being sent to you by email so you always have access to the PIN even if you loose it.

Many consumers do not know that once a delinquent account is reported to a collection agency a consumer has a short amount of time to pay the bill. This is because collection accounts are put on a nationwide registry and each collection agency in the country gets notified of a collection account. However, only one collection agency has a legal right to collect money on a delinquent account.

It can be very difficult trying to make payments on a collection account because a collection agency holds a collection account for a few months, it they are unsuccessful in collecting on the debt owed the account is forwarded to another collection agency. This process continues until the account is paid or legal action is taken against the consumer.

Collection agencies don’t want you to know that as a consumer you have a legal right to question the validity of a collection agency which is called debt validation. Many consumers have paid money on delinquent accounts to a particular company only to find out that the company did not legally have a right to collect money on that account. As a result the consumer still owed the money on the delinquent account. To prevent this from happening to you, here are 7 ways to validate a debt and ensure you are paying the right creditor or collection agency:

1. Request the creditor, collection agency or attorney to provide documentation that the company is authorized to collect on the debt. Ensure the name and address of the collection agency appears on the documentation which should be on company letterhead.

2. Ask for proof of the total amount of the debt including payment history from with the original creditor and status of the account. Verify the documentation against your own records.

3. Request the collection agency to provide the original contract or other documentation showing the agreement you made with the original creditor including the name and address of the original creditor.

4. Ask the creditor to provide a copy of their business license to prove they are licensed in their state to collect money on delinquent accounts. However this varies from state to state.

5. If the creditor use profanity, harasses you, is rude or threatens you inform the collection agency that they are subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), they might argue and say they are not but they are considered debt collectors and are covered under the act.

6. If the creditor cannot verify the debt they cannot collect any money owed on your account and is not allowed to contact you about the debt. They also cannot report the account on your credit report.

7. A creditor may respond to your debt validation letter by sending you a summons to appear in court. This is a scare tactic and is illegal. A creditor has to validate the debt before they can file suit against you.

Keep records of all documentation you receive and all documentation you mail. Send all documentation via certified mail with return receipt. If you find that the creditor or collection agency is violating the FCRA you can file a complaint with your local small claims court, notify the credit bureaus and file complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, http://www.ftc.gov.

Article originally published at EzineArticles.

There are loads of reasons why people decide to start an online home business and some of them include convincing sales copy and promised riches.

Our emotional response to a sales page is what “hooks� and the need to be lead by someone we hope will show us the way to a no-brainer cash cow with an endless stream of $100 bills is what has us whipping out our credit card faster than we can say “compound interest�

You could try willpower as a method to stop this endless, expensive necessity to buy, but it can be easier said than done. When you are watching a timer ticking down the seconds before the offer ends, or there is a fast action bonus that you have convinced yourself you need. Or even worse, the price is rising with every second that passes and the longer you wait the more expensive the product gets. Resistance of any kind is futile.

And while these are all fantastic marketing techniques when you are the seller, they are an absolute nightmare when you are the buyer.

Your credit card takes yet another “hit� as you buy the latest piece of viral software or adsense templates. Your credit card absolutely cowers when you add the latest article site monthly membership fee, and it gasps for air when you add the new gurus coaching program onto to it!

Yes folks, when the marketing machine “hooks� you there is little you can do but give in and buy. Or is there? Here are 7 proven ways (and I know they are proven because I had to use them myself) to stop credit card overload:

1. Create a vision for your business. I always get back to this because for me it is one of the most important things. If you know you are focusing on writing info products you don’t need the latest gadget software. Focus, focus, focus with a vision for your business and whatever that vision is don’t allow anything to come along and deter you from it.

2. Stop – okay so the price of the product is increasing before your eyes, but stop anyway and ask yourself “Is this something I really need, and how will I use it within the next 24 hours?� If you don’t know how you will immediately put it to use I would argue that you really don’t need it right now.

3. Delete the email – don’t even read it, when you are stronger (you will know you are stronger because you stop salivating when a new email offer arrives), open the email and unsubscribe from all these mailing lists you are on!

4. If curiosity really is killing you and you have to open and read the email then BEFORE you click that link to take a look, stop and let your logical mind take over. Tell yourself you are only looking and before you buy you will read the entire sales page TWICE!

5. Read the entire sales page TWICE – Research has shown that long sales copy works. It’s my personal belief that the only reason why they work is because we are too lazy to read them, so we go from the top of the page and the headline straight down to the fast action bonuses and hit the “Buy now� link. If you really think you need this product then read the sales page from start to finish at least twice. I recommend 4 times to be sure.

6. Don’t put your email receipts in a separate folder – It is easy to forget about that $27 ebook, or $8 domain you bought. Leave all your receipts for that month in your inbox. It is important they remain unopened and highlighted. You will be surprised at how many “purchase receipts� you actually accumulate and it definitely stops the spending!

7. Find yourself a business where you don’t need any extras! Internet marketing is such a huge area that it’s easy to believe you need to buy all the latest products for your business. Find yourself an online business that provides you with just about everything you need. That doesn’t mean you never have to buy anything again. It just means that you need less and so can be conservative in your spending.

Credit card overload can become an occupational hazard for anyone working online, and running a home based business.

If you are fairly new to internet marketing there is still time to save yourself, re-read my 7 ways to avoid credit card overload, in fact print it off and hang it on your wall as a reminder of what you must do to survive online.

If you are a long-term internet marketing veteran who has managed to buy more than you have ever sold online, here’s my advice……… step away from the computer, put the credit card down and put your hands behind your head!

Everyone says that a man with money is a strong man, and we all know that’s true. You cannot have a successful business man without a suitable cash flow. If this secret is so well known, why are so many struggling businesses? When running the daily aspects of a business this kind of things, money aspects, are not so clear. We will present you 7 tips to help you improve your income.

1. Cash and Carry. Try to build a business based on cash and carry system and stay far away from worries about receivables. This is the best business plan, where customers “pay when they buy� leaving you only with the money. Collecting money takes a lot of your time, that’s why you are almost obligated to come with new options of paying. Set your rules from the start of your business, so your partners and clients will know what you want from them.

2. Collect receivables in a very strict way. Don’t let the customers pay you when they remember, go and collect your money in time. To be a good administrator of your business means to have a successful business, so create and apply a set of collecting rules. Longer wait for receivables, harder becomes collecting them. You don’t need a rude attitude to collect your cash; all it takes is a strong voice behind a stronger man. A very useful thing to do is to establish a collecting date after witch you should send out a follow-up statement within 10 to 30 days from the established date. Each business has its own opinions about the perfect time. You should not send follow-up statements sooner then 10 days from the established date. Payment may be delayed by the mail, but no longer then 30 days. If you don’t receive the payment within a 45 – 60 days term, you should notice your customer trough a phone-call. Accounts that go past a 90 day term should be taken to the next step, of collections with a method you established for this situation. Because time is money, every day that passes you’re collecting term ads more costs for your business.

3. Receivables Funding. Apply a program that involves accounts receivable funding. Factoring of accounts receivable it’s a very good way to keep the cash flowing. Factoring programs are very used by businesses that work with government agencies. If your clients are small businesses or individuals you may find it more difficult to apply an accounts receivable funding program because there are more risks to assume.

4. Suppliers. Negotiate terms with your supplier to help delay the outflow of cash payments. Usually you can delay the payment until the end of the month or even up to 60 days. This allows you a little advantage of working with their money on your projects. Also this delay will end (hopefully) just when your clients pay, so you can pay forward to your vendors. Some companies prefer the route of forwarding, giving you the opportunity increase your offers without having to invest large amounts of money in more products.

5. Deposits of customers. Have your customers pay a deposit before starting your work. This will help you cover the first costs of the project. More and more companies use this method of funding. It reduces the risks of nonpayment because you already got some upfront money.

6. Permanent credit limit. Implement a credit account through a lender to help you keep a floating line of your cash. Especially if the sum of savings form prompt pay discounts is bigger then the financing charge of the lender is smaller then the suppliers charge for late payment.

7. Save founds. Create a “hard time� funding source. Most businesses have ups and downs in their activities and an efficient cash management can be quite difficult. Put some money away during your top times to help you in harsh times. We all know this sounds a little bit hard, but it’s very easy, take a percentage of your monthly earnings and put it in a savings account.

You may find all of these 7 tips useful for your business, or just 1 or 2, but remember that anything you do to improve your cash flow will raise your business. The worst thing you can do is sit back and hope for the best. See all those “CLOSED� signs in the shop windows? They hoped and they lost. Be smart, do your best and keep your business at a pro level.

Rewards credit cards are designed to “reward� consumers for their loyalty by giving something back to the cardholder; various rewards programs exist including points, cash back, frequent flyer miles or merchandise. Rewards credit cards are constantly improving because it is how the credit card companies compete with one another to gain new customers and to keep the ones they have.

While all rewards credit cards sound great at first glance, it’s important to do a little in depth research on each before you select one. What you miss in the fine print might cause your rewards card to reward the credit card lender instead of your wallet!

Rewards cards don’t reward if you carry a balance from month to month. When you use a rewards credit card, it’s typical for the card to have a higher interest rate than a non-rewards credit card. If you are carrying a balance from month to month instead of paying it off at the end of each month, you’re not likely to earn anything from the rewards after you pay out the interest.

What does “Up to� mean? You know you’ve seen it. Rewards credit cards that advertise cash back “up to� 1%. That means you might actually earn much less than 1% cash back, until you reach very high levels of spending on your card.

How much are cardholders paying for the rewards? Most credit card shoppers are comparing the points earned on various rewards cards, or the gift cards you receive. The best thing you can do is figure out how much those points or rewards are costing the cardholder. If you have to spend $10,000 in a year to get a $50 gift card- is it really worth it?

Frequent flyer miles are great rewards programs for people who charge a lot of purchases on their credit cards. If you don’t, you’ll be waiting years before you can qualify for your free flight. If you’re an occasional spender with credit cards, you should probably look at credit cards that offer rewards at lower levels of spending in order to take advantage of rewards.

Understand what a gas station is. Gas rewards credit cards are extremely popular now that the price of gas is ever-increasing. They’re quite generous, too, considering many will give up to 5% back on all gasoline purchases. But the only way to get the cash back on gas purchases on most of these cards is if you make your purchase at a “real gas station�. Supermarkets, wholesale clubs or other locations may not fit the card’s guidelines and you won’t earn as much cash back.

Annual fees will defeat the purpose of a rewards card. Usually. If you have to pay $30 a year for a rewards card, chances are you have to spend $3000 before you earn any rewards. However, if your rewards card offers double points or double frequent flyer miles, it might be worth the annual fee. It all depends how much you use your credit card.

Rewards have their limits. Make sure you understand what the maximum earnings for rewards are, particularly if you are someone who uses credit cards often. If your gas card gives you 5% cash back on gas purchases but it stops paying you when you’ve reached $300 in gas purchases, then look at all the rewards you’ve wasted because of their maximum limitations. Also keep in mind that some rewards expire if you don’t use them within a specific period of time.

The more we live the more we find out that we are dependent on many things besides our wits. Smartness will only get us so far, but unless we make use of systems set up for our convenience we are apt to fail. This is so with the Forex market. The way how the market works means we have to work through a broker or a market maker to get our trades started and completed. You can find Forex brokers in every part of the world just as you will find currencies traded in almost every corner of the globe. However, you should consider a few points when you go out shopping for the right broker to help you with your trades.

1. Qualifications. Probably the most important thing of all is ensuring the Forex broker you use has the correct qualifications. Therefore, choose a broker registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM). This means that you have legal protection against any abusive trading practices and scams that may arise.

2. Is the broker regulated? This means that when you sign up to use their services you will have protection and insurance against any internal fraud. Also, your funds will remain separate from the broker’s operating funds.

3. What business model does the broker use? Some brokers are market makers while others are ECN brokers, providing a dealing desks for many traders.

4. Look at the types of spreads they offer. The spread is the difference between the bid and ask prices of the currencies you trade. Brokers do not make a commission on your trade, instead they take the spread as compensation. Your broker may also offer fixed or variable spreads, and they can be different for large accounts and miniaccounts.

5. Slippage. Can they provide you with details of just what slippage they would expect to occur during normal and fast moving markets?

6. Margin requirements. What is their margin requirement. That is, what percentage of the investment in your trades do they expect you to pay to open a trade. You also want to know about their margin calls, and the time you need to respond to such calls.

7. What is their Rollover Policy? Do they have any minimum margin requirements which they use to earn interest on any overnight positions? Plus, do they have any other requirements or conditions about you earning interest on any rollovers.

Once you have done your research and have selected one or more Forex brokers, then it is time to set up your trading account. When your funds clear you can begin trading. Remember to read
carefully the trading instructions to know how the broker can help you manage your trades. If you overlook some relevant details, you can lose money on your first trade. So take the time to read the details and ask the brokers or their support staff any questions you may have before you open your first trade.

Ever wondered how to gain financial freedom so you have no worries about money? Are you spending more than you make and going deeper in debt? You CAN reverse that trend!

The first thing you need know is this: if you are making financial planning decisions based on how much money is in the bank right now, then you are being controlled by the money, and this usually creates a constant worry about money problems. You need to control the money to gain financial freedom; not the other way around.

Fortunately, there is a money management system that you can use to control your income and debts to get on the road to financial freedom. However, most people are completely unaware that it exists. This is not the type of financial planning involved in investments such as stocks and bonds. Here are the seven steps of this business cash flow management system:

1) Accurately predict how much money is needed to operate the company this week and in the future.

Figure out exactly what has been spent, by category, over the past year. This becomes the budget. The correct definition of budget here is: the amount of money it takes for the organization or household to function and to attain its goals. That is also called the break even point and tells you the minimum amount of income required just to stay afloat. This is the first step in effective cash flow management.

2) Figure out how to collect the amount of income needed, and more, to do better than just break even. Remember, you’re going after YOUR financial freedom here.

3) Find out exactly how much you owe in bills and other debts. This takes a bit of courage to confront, but what you don’t know because you’re just not looking at it, can undermine your profit and wealth building progress.

4) Find out how much of your income is actually available to spend. Most people forget that when the money comes in, some of it is already committed. When you spend more than you brought in, the difference usually ends up on a credit card as debt. When you are striving for financial independence, spending less than you make is critical.

5) Set aside regular amounts of cash from your income for the future – always pay yourself first and put the money in savings toward gaining financial freedom. For substantial wealth building, a minimum of 10% is recommended.

6) Portion out some of your money toward paying past-due bills, debt, current bills, and then portion out a bit for future large expenses that are difficult to pay when they come due. Careful, consistent money management can speed up your business wealth building progress.

7) Use any money left over in ways that increase your ability to produce more income. Why is cash flow management important to a business owner? Your cash flow is the energy and life blood of a business. It is necessary to pump it through the income producing areas to keep it running well. Everything runs smoother when cash is available.

Seems simple, right? And it is simple. This system is easily learned, and can be used to do these seven steps of Financial Planning in very little time each week. It does, however, take personal discipline and commitment to achieve the goal of financial independence so you never have to worry about money again. Done correctly and consistently, the end result is always having lots of cash on hand, all bills paid, and plenty of money in reserves to finance what you really want to do with your money; not just pay bills. Who doesn’t want that, right?

To use your money wisely, you need to treat it as a resource. Correctly managing your money will determine how well your company or family will survive now and into the future. Correctly applying these seven steps of Financial Planning will make financial freedom happen for you.

Here are 7 common sense guidelines to eliminate credit card debt:

1) DO make a budget listing all your fixed expenses. Rent or mortgage, car insurance, car payments, cell phones, utilities, day care, fixed loans, etc. Then try to estimate a reasonable budget for discretionary items like food, drinks, dry cleaning, etc.

2) DO make a second list of all your outstanding balances and sort by balance, minimum payment, and interest charges if you have multiple credit card debts.

You may think the wisest thing to do is paying off the credit card with the highest interest rate. However, there are 2 preferred methods to follow.

First, you should first reduce the number of credit cards. Pay off the smallest balance first with larger payments until the number of credit cards you have in debt is down to one. Your ultimate goal is zero, or when you can pay your monthly balance in full every month.

The other strategy is to pay the balance on any card exceeding 50 percent of your credit limit because balances above this level may cause your credit score to diminish.

3) DO use cash or a debit card from your checking account. You can’t spend what you don’t have.

4) DO look for extra income. Most likely your rent or mortgage is your biggest expense, so consider a roommate. If you like your occasional privacy, consider an International student for shorter periods of time.

Consider starting a Blog. Blogger and WordPress blog platforms are free. If it becomes popular, slap on some Ads with Google Adsense. Your first payout will be issued when you reach $100.

5) DO look for the little things that add up in your expenses. Maybe change your cell phone plan if you are constantly going over the monthly minutes? How about that $2.75 Starbucks latte or cappuccino every work day? That’s almost $7,000 a year!

6) DON’T sign up with a new credit card with a 0% APR for the first 6 months.

You probably receive a lot of junk mail enticing you to sign up with a new credit card with a 0% APR for the first 6 months before it jumps to 24% or even higher. Then 6 months later you would transfer your huge balance to another piece of plastic. Unfortunately, the biggest risk is they are simply giving you more credit to spend, and the number of cards and liability increases.

Unless you are extremely disciplined, this doesn’t really work as you end up bigger and deeper in the hole! Reducing the number of credit cards is the goal.

7) DON’T get a consolidated bank loan to pay off all your debt.

Logically, a 12% bank loan APR is less than 24% APR on a credit card. It sounds like good advice, because you can’t spend what you don’t have. You will be asked to have all your cards cut up (except maybe one with a small credit limit) and you have reduced the number of credit cards.

However, your bank may not accept your loan application if they have no collateral, or if your Debt to Service ratio is too high. Often, a co-signer is often required. These types of loans are not like regular loans for a car or house where they can repossess it should you default on your payments.

But if you do choose this method and default on this loan, either your co-signer will end up footing the bill (and really getting them angry!) or losing your assets assuming you own one. The ultimate downfall is you might end up in bankruptcy. It’s better to upset one creditor than to lose your entire home.

Research, educate, get creative, and get out of credit card debt now!