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Taking control of debt

控制債務

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to identify benefits and drawbacks of investments.

NEWSCASTER: Levels of personal debt across the world are rising. For most people, debt comes in the form of credit cards, student loans, car financing schemes and mortgages to buy homes. Debt can allow people to live at a much higher standard than their salaries would otherwise permit. But it can also bring worry and misery to those who have lost control and are unable to pay back the money they owe. If this is you, don't despair.

NEWSCASTER1: I'm here to tell you how you can reclaim control of your financial situation. It's easy to obtain credit in the form of credit cards and other loans, but by using credit cards to pay for everything it can be easy to lose track of what you've spent. Pay for everything with cash or debit cards rather than credit cards. That way you'll be able to keep track of how much you're spending. Use credit cards only when you need to pay for something unexpected like a medical emergency or a repair to your car.

NEWSCASTER2: The best way to freeze your debt is to freeze your spending. Before you buy something think about whether or not you can really afford it, and whether or not you really need it! Tighten your belt and reduce your spending to only those things that you actually need and can afford. There's an old saying, 'If you fail to plan, you plan to fail'. Sit down and list all of the money coming in and out and then see how you can reduce the amount of money you're spending.

NEWSCASTER3: Doing this will allow you to see where most of your money goes and where you can reduce your overall expenditure. But there's no point in creating a budget unless you're prepared to stick to it. It's tough, but the benefits of living debt free are huge so it's definitely worth it. Paying credit card bills late means that you end up paying much more interest than you would otherwise. Late payments can also affect your credit rating, and that might mean you'll end up paying more for a mortgage or other large loan in the future.

NEWSCASTER4: Credit cards allow you to pay a minimum amount each month, but the interest will keep adding up on your overall balance and the debt will keep growing. The only way to reduce credit card debt is to actually pay it off, as much as you can afford each month. Interest rates on credit cards are usually much higher than those on bank overdrafts or other loans, so pay off the ones that are costing you the most money first. You can deal with the others later once you've got rid of the loans that are the highest drain on your resources. Following these guidelines should give you a start in the right direction.

NEWSCASTER5: Of course, the best way to be debt free is not to get into it in the first place!