DEBT MANAGEMENT

This is the final post in our 12 Days of Finance series. Keep voting until December 31st!

No finance expert list is complete without acclaimed financial counseling specialist, Dave Ramsey. He is most widely known for his Christian-based finance advice given through The Dave Ramsey Show, a nationally-syndicated radio segment which reaches millions of listeners eager for advice on their personal finance dilemmas.

This post is part 11 of our 12 Days of Finance series. Make sure to cast your vote for your favorite finance expert below!

Stacy Johnson has been a resource for those interested in better money management or struggling with debt for decades, providing guidance through his series, Money Talks News, which is syndicated to 80 cities nationwide via major television networks, NBC, CBS, FOX and ABC.

This post is part 9 of our 12 Days of Finance series. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite expert!

David Bach is a financial and motivational speaker who has helped Americans strategize for a debt-free lifestyle. He has authored the Finish Rich Series, which discuss his core principles including: Spend less than you make, don’t waste money on little things and pay yourself first, just to name a few.

This post is part 7 of our 12 Days of Finance series. Have you voted yet? If not, make your choice known below!

Nationally syndicated radio personality, Clark Howard, has taken Americans under his wing with his program, The Clark Howard Show. Unlike other financial experts who expand their money-saving approach to long-term goals like retirement, Clark Howard’s advice focuses on smaller, everyday spending habits that add up over time.

This article is the first in our 12 Days of Finance series. Have you voted for your favorite financial expert?

One of the most recognizable names and personalities in the finance world is undoubtedly personal finance guru, Suze Orman. Her often blunt financial advice has elicited a fierce following for this fiery Chicago native.

This is a guest post from Ask Mr. Credit Card. We get lots of great questions from our readers and wanted to share a recent one with you:

Mr. Credit Card,

I lost my job six months ago and I haven’t been able to find another one. I have a lot of credit card debt (about $15,000 as well as a $20,000 car loan that is half paid off.)

Debt is a real problem for a lot of people in our country. Whether it’s a credit card balance or mortgage loan, getting in over your head when it comes to owing money can feel like a hopeless situation. It doesn’t have to be, however, if you employ some tried and true debt reduction strategies, one of which is the easiest and least expensive options: Asking.

First Step in Debt Reduction Plan: Ask Lender for Help

Before signing your name on the dotted line of a credit card application, mortgage document or car loan agreement, wouldn’t it be great to have a warning message appear before your eyes that read “Wait! Your Credit Could Get Be Destroyed and You Could Fall Into Debt If You Sign Your Name!”?

Unfortunately, we don’t have this type of warning message to help us avoid the bad-credit cycle that is easy to get into but difficult to climb back out of. This means we have to learn how to sidestep the pitfalls of debt on our own. But how can we do this when relying on credit and loans is our way of life?

Recent data regarding consumer debt from a Consumer Reports survey, released just before the new year, revealed some startling facts about how the holiday season affects our bills. By the end of 2010, 13.6 million people had still not paid off their holiday debt from the year prior.

As you’ll see below, while about two-thirds didn’t bother to set a holiday budget (first mistake), a large number of those who did so still went over anyway. It seems Americans have a big problem when it comes to overspending.

Travis writes under My Journey Out of Debt and is currently enrolled in a CareOne Debt Management Plan. He is a father and husband sharing his family’s story as they journey through paying off their debt.

I am a married man with two children, as well as a software engineer with a large IT company and an excellent salary. As of July 2009, I had also accumulated over $109,000 in credit card debt. You may ask yourself, “How does someone with a career and a good income rack up that much credit card debt?”