Debt can destroy your financial dream and make day to day living stressful. Debt makes it impossible to get ahead. Paying off debt required dedication and persistence. Her are a few smart ways to pay off debt fast:

1. Stop using credit cards
2. Pay as much as you can afford each month
3. Make cuts to your spending
4. Double up on payments
5. Use windfalls to pay down balances
6. Freelance to earn extra money
7. Tackle debts with the highest interest first
8. Don’t sacrifice the things you love the most

http://www.moneytalksnews.com/8-smart-ways-pay-off-debt-fast/

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The idea of saving for a rainy day has been around for centuries. Most of us want to prepare and set aside something for an uncertain future. Saving effectively is harder than it sounds, but it can be done if you are willing to be creative. Try to invest wisely using the right mix of assets. Remember investing is important for everyone no matter your income level. Here are some tips and how to avoid them:

1. Not investing
2. Investing before doing your homework
3. Being impatient
4. Not diversifying
5. Taking too much risk
6. Not taking enough risk
7. Getting greedy
8. Paying too much attention
9. Following the herd

https://www.moneytalksnews.com/12-dumb-moves-investor-make/2/

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A car is the ultimate financial black hole. This depreciating asset sucks up your savings and future wealth. This is the reason why many frugal drivers push a car to 200,000 miles or beyond. A little TLC is needed to reach this goal. These ideas get help you accomplish this goal:

1. Buy the right vehicle
2. Follow your car’s maintenance schedule
3. Change the timing belt before something goes wrong
4. Purchase quality parts
5. Find a great mechanic

https://www.moneytalksnews.com/5-tips-for-making-your-car-last-to-200000-miles/

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The National Financial Educators Council was established to tackle the financial illiteracy epidemic. Resources are available for schools, churches, families and organizations that need tools to reduce financial illiteracy. Join the effort to share info and tools in your local community. Share your success stories on social media to let others know there is a way out of debt. Living with debt should not be option using tools for success. We encourage financial education throughout our nation for every stage of life.

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Consider investments that are beneficial and meet your personal financial goals. Here are a few popular investments that will make you loose a ton of money.

1. Cryptocurrency
2. A boat
3. Timeshares
4. An expensive college education
5. Your friend’s business idea
6. A home that puts you in debt
7. Agriculture
8. Entertainment production
9. Penny stocks

http://www.businessinsider.com/investments-lose-money-2018-7

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According to the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), three companies generate care insurance reports.  You can get a copy of your free report every 12 months. It is important to check your car insurance report to be aware of your policy information, claim information, vehicle information and fault indicator. The companies you should contact are:

• CLUE: (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) collects and reports (for free) on auto insurance coverage and losses.
• Drivers History: Provides reports to its insurance clients containing information and data collected from open public sources and governmental agencies regarding driving violations issued to specific individuals for a fee.
• Insurance Information Exchange: (iiX) collects and reports (for free) motor vehicle records, including traffic violation data to insurance providers and prospective employers.

https://www.moneytalksnews.com/this-report-is-key-to-your-car-insurance-rates-heres-how-to-get-a-free-copy/

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If you have a student loan, there is a good chance that it may be serviced by Navient. Navient is a spin off from Sallie Mae and is the nation’s largest student loan servicer with more than 12 million customers of more than $300 billion government and private student loans. The summary of the California lawsuit focuses on federal student loans with allegations that Navient systematically and illegally failed borrowers at every stage to include the following:

• created obstacles to repayment by providing bad information;
• processed payment incorrectly;
• failed to act when borrowers complained
• illegally cheated many struggling borrowers out of their rights to lower payments, which caused them to overpay for their student loans
• deceived private student loan borrowers about requirements to release their co-signer from the loan; and
• harmed the credit of disabled borrowers, including severely injured Veterans

Read about your next steps:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2018/07/17/navient-student-loans-questions/amp/

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Back-to-school season is fast approaching, which means sales-tax holidays will begin in several states. Check out these upcoming sales-tax holidays for your state:

1. Alabama: July 20-22
2. Arkansas: August 4-5
3. Connecticut: yet to announce, but usually is the 3rd week in August (19-25)
4. Florida: August 3-5
5. Iowa: August: 3-4
6. Maryland: August 12-18
7. Mississippi: July 27-28
8. Missouri:August 3-5
9. New Mexico: August 3-5
10. Ohio: August 3-5
11. Oklahoma: August 3-5
12. South Carolina: August 3-5
13. Tennessee: July 27-29
14. Texas: August 10-12
15. Virginia: August 3-5
16. Wisconsin: August 1-5

For more information about what items are exempt or spending caps that may apply:

https://www.moneytalksnews.com/16-states-with0upcoming-sales-tax-holidays/

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When asking to get a raise in salary, there are certain things that you just don’t want to say. Perhaps you’re near the closing of a job interview and there is a great deal is near, you want to be able to use the correct words and strategies to make sure that you get that higher pay. According to Josh Doody, author of “Fearless Salary Negotiation”, “It’s important to be very clear with what you communicate to avoid ambiguity, which could complicate things and slow the negotiation process”.

A common mistake that people are always making is saying what you currently make. Once your the person you’re making the offer with knows what you are currently working with, they are more likely to tie your raise to the number you gave them. You are more likely to get a higher pay if you keep your current salary to yourself.

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Always do your homework before switching jobs rather than leaping hastily. The job of job-switching could prompt wage growth. Unemployment is at it’s lowest level in years and make the job market more favorable for the worker. Annual pay increases that job-switchers saw in May are roughly 30 percent larger than those who remain in the same job over the past year.  There are several things to consider besides higher wages such as tuition for college, childcare, your commute, and promotion potential. See if you can find better employment opportunities and evaluate if this is the best decision for you.

https://www.moneytalksnews.com/workers-who-do-this-boost-their-pay-by-30-percent/

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