16 plain-English reads on budgeting, saving, investing, debt, credit and taxes. Newest first unless you say otherwise.
A 0% transfer on $9,000 with a 3% fee saves $1,784.15 if you clear it in the window. Even doing it badly still saves money. There is only one way it actually costs you, and it is not the fee.
It is one phone call, it takes about eleven minutes, and on a $9,000 balance a five-point cut is worth $824.69. Here are the three numbers to have ready and the words to say.
A $6,000 balance at 24.99% paid at the minimum takes 254 months and costs $11,360.48 in interest, which is nearly twice what you borrowed. The formula is doing exactly what it was designed to do.
The avalanche saves more money. The snowball gets finished more often. On four real balances that difference is $552.79 and one month, and here is when $552.79 is worth paying.
One short email each week: a money move worth making, a number worth checking, and a trap worth dodging.