Credit and Debt Archives - Page 8 of 10 - The Outlier Model

Student loans…One year later

CF / October 14th, 2013 / 15 Comments

I started paying off my student loans one year ago in November 2012. Technically, this is the second round of repayment for me, due to my second degree, but it still marks the first year of my first aggressive attempt to pay it down. I started with about $27,000 in student loans at 5.5% interest, calculated daily. When I started repayment, my daily interest charge was well over $4. That’s...

Posted in: Credit and Debt

Dealing with a collections agency (or, remember to pay your bills!)

collections agency, past due bills, collections agent, bill payment

Brian / June 5th, 2013 / 17 Comments

Yesterday, I received a surprising phone call from a collections agency stating I allegedly owed $211 on a past Telus account (phone/internet/cable company). Naturally, I was somewhat shocked – I’m a personal finance blogger, how the hell am I being contacted by a collections agency? I have never missed a payment on, well, just about anything! After I got over the initial adrenaline burst...

Posted in: Credit and Debt Tagged with: collections agency, credit rating, credit report, credit score, dealing with debt, negotiation

Finding a way to say no

say no, financial responsibility, borrowing money, lending money, debt, free emergency kits, emergency, catastrophe, survival kit, preparation

CF / April 15th, 2013 / 48 Comments

Things have been a little rough around here lately. In the past, I’ve alluded to the fact that my parents have never had a lot of money, especially in the eyes of our relatives. It’s only gotten worse over time as debts add up and bills kept going unpaid. I think it’s reaching a breaking point. Photo Credit: George Self via Flickr My philosophy with money and family is much...

Posted in: Credit and Debt, Family, Money Tagged with: debt management, family debt, gifts are freely given, home equity line of credit, lending money to family, pay down debt, paying off debt

Using a windfall to pay off debt

pay off debt, financial windfall, extra money

CF / February 4th, 2013 / 42 Comments

When I went to do my weekly banking this week, I got a great surprise – an extra $260 from my previous job had been deposited into my account unexpectedly. I’m not entirely sure why I got paid, but I suspect it’s retroactive pay due to a salary increase that had been in negotiation while I was an employee at the university. Woohoo! Photo Credit: Images_of_money via Flickr Any...

Posted in: Credit and Debt Tagged with: debt reduction, debt snowball, pay down debt, paying off debt, saving money, student loan debt, student loan interest charges, tax refund, unexpected windfall