Comments on: Credit Card & Debt Management: A Step-By-Step How-To Guide for Organizing Debt & Saving Money on Interest Payments

By: Diane Ayers

Diane Ayers — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:21:10 +0000

What a refreshing,knowledgeable and easy to understand book. Many others have failed to teach us about debt and credit card management in a language we could relate to. This book not only teaches but guides you along the way. Intimidation of debt management and saving money is not a factor anymore, thanks to the author. It opened my eyes to many things I didn’t know, or should already have knowledge of but could never understand. This book has encouraged me to take charge of my financial management and I now subscribe to the Debtsmart Newsletter, to keep the educational process going. I enjoyed the book tremendously and highly recommend it.
Rating: 5 / 5

By: Paul B.

Paul B. — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:23:56 +0000

This is the second book I’ve read on debt management. Each had different areas of focus. Scott’s here is debt portfolio management and the fundamentals of how loans work. He wants you to develop good financial habits and know exactly what’s coming in and where it’s going out, and he wants you to understand how interest rates add up, so you can cut through all the offers and pick the deal that’s best for you. Consequently, there are worksheets to help you analyze your current position, and there’s a lot of drilling on real-life examples of loans and what their true costs are. He gives you tables in the back of the book that make analysis fairly easy, but if you can handle a spreadsheet program that’s a better way to go.

My view is that it only takes one good tip from a book like this to make it worthwhile reading. Mine was the bit about taking a longer lower-rate loan and then paying it off using higher installments, providing there are no prepayment penalties. In doing this you’ll save a lot over a shorter-term higher-rate loan. The book also encouraged me to learn more about the financial functions in OpenOffice.

The book doesn’t go much into credit repair, per se. Not much about how to deal with credit companies, details on how to clean up your credit reports, etc. That’s why I think several books are the best way to get sharp on this stuff. But if you’re in the credit ICU, this is not the first book you should read; perhaps the second.

Taking control of credit is no less than a survival skill in our economy. Even if one is not in crisis he should read books such as these occasionally. And if one is in crisis they can be a lifesaver.
Rating: 4 / 5

By: Fred Erstein

Fred Erstein — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:44:39 +0000

CREDIT CARD AND DEBT MANAGEMENT PROVIDES A PRACTICAL STEP BY STEP EASY MANNER OF KEEPING YOUR DEBT UNDER CONTROL. THE AUTHOR APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN THERE AND GIVES YOU THE EASY WAYS TO CONSOLIDATE AND MANAGE YOUR DEBT AS WELL AS THE WAYS TO SAVE MONEY FROM CREDIT CARD MANAGEMENT TO SAVINGS WHEN PURCHASING AN AUTOMOBILE. IT’S ALL HERE FROR THE READING.
Rating: 5 / 5

By: Lewis M. Cruz

Lewis M. Cruz — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:01:12 +0000

I have looked around for a book with simple and candid explanations on how to use credit cards. Bilker’s format is great. The examples can easily be applied to your next credit purchase so you can save money. I am going to buy a few copies for some of my relatives and friends.
Rating: 5 / 5

By: Julia Cohen (julia.cohen@tfn.com)

Julia Cohen (julia.cohen@tfn.com) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:29:17 +0000

Buying Scott’s book can help anyone. A wise choice and well thought out and written.
Rating: 5 / 5