(NewsNation) — Don’t let debt drown you.
There are various methods for reducing credit card debt, and the first step is to find the one that works best for you.
One route to consider is the avalanche method.
What is the avalanche method?
With this strategy, you prioritize paying off debt with the highest interest rate. Start by listing your debts from highest interest rate to lowest and then put as much money as possible toward the debt with the highest rate. Once that’s taken care of, move on to the debt with the next highest rate, and so on.
If one has an especially high interest rate, you may want to consider paying this one off first.
“If you have three different credit cards, one has a 30% APR (annual percentage rate), one is 20 and one is 15, you’d want to focus on paying off the 30% APR balance first because it’s the most expensive,” John Kiernan, managing editor of WalletHub, a financial services company, told NewsNation in December.
You should continue making at least the minimum monthly payments on your other credit cards.
Other strategies for paying off debt
Another popular strategy for paying off debt is the snowball method.
This approach is all about paying off the smallest balance first and building momentum. This involves prioritizing debts in order of smallest balance to largest balance.
“The benefit of this method is that you’ll pay off your smallest balances more quickly, which can be motivating and act as a springboard toward paying off more of your debts,” according to Experian, one of the three major credit-reporting agencies.
NewsNation’s Andrew Dorn contributed to this report.
