Personal Finance and Investing

You don’t have to spend the better part of the new year stressing over bulging credit card balances and high interest rates!

Called “holiday hangover,” it is the time of the year that many consumers cringe when they open their credit card bills. Too much debt and not enough cash means that credit card balances go nowhere while interest rates and fees continue to mount.

This is the year that you can change this, though. Instead of digging yourself into debt this holiday season, change your attitude toward holiday spending and instead spend smart to save yourself from a “holiday hangover” in 2010.

How to Keep your Credit Card Spending in Check this Year:

• Understand retailers’ tricks and be prepared to reject them. It is not u

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If you’re a frequent flier with budget airline Ryanair, you’re probably aware that you can avoid card fees by paying with a Visa Electron card – but that’s all about to change. Some firms charge customers if they pay with a debit or credit card, although if you’re making an online purchase this is a fee that’s pretty hard to avoid. However, as a general rule, it’s usually cheaper to pay with a debit rather than a credit card.

Ryanair is well-known for the additional charges it levies for extras such as checking luggage in to the hold. However, one charge customers have been able to skirt round is the card fee.

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You may have heard quite a bit about prepaid cards as of late, as many consumers and financial experts are touting their convenience and practicality. In fact, because of the poor credit sector and the inability of many consumers to obtain credit, prepaid cards have surged in popularity.

Prepaid Cards: How they Work

The concept behind prepaid cards is quite simple: a consumer purchases the card from a retailer and loads it with money. The prepaid card, which may be partnered with Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express, can then be used as a consumer would use a debit or credit card; to purchase items through retailers or to pay bills online.

Prepaid credit cards require no credit check, and are quite simple to get and load with money.

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Medical bills are an easy way to go into debt. They are usually large, unexpected, and can come at the most financially inconvenient times. There may not be a convenient time for unexpected medical bills but they seem to come when they are least welcome.

To avoid debt or even the need to file for bankruptcy you need to know what to do. These tips could help save your financial future.

Get Good Health Insurance

The main thing to remember about health insurance is that you need to have it. Yes, the monthly payments can be another drain on your finances but unexpected medical bills could do much more than that.

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