You are here: DIME Home > Loans > Credit cards and personal loans 'are the worst kind of debt'

Credit cards and personal loans 'are the worst kind of debt'

Getting in debt with a credit card or personal loan can be the worst kind, one writer has noted.

Author: Sam Gooch
Date: Sep 14, 2010 - 10:50:55 AM

Printer friendly page

Getting in debt with a credit card or personal loan can be the worst kind, one writer has noted.

Credit cards and personal loans are the worst type of debt that someone can have, according to one industry expert.

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon, writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, said these options are bad because of the high interest rates associated with them and they are used for assets that lose value over time.

"Or they are for experiences for which you'll have nothing to show afterwards, such as holidays," she added.

But she pointed out that a Credit card is often the worst offender as the repayments are usually set so low that people may never pay them off in full, while the rates are typically the largest.

Ms Pedersen-McKinnon recommended that the best way for someone to eliminate Aussie credit debt is to transfer the balance to another product which has a much lower or no interest rate for a starting period and attempt to remove the debt in that time.

She continued: "Don't use the card for any new spending - this is how the banks recoup their apparent generosity. Fresh debt will attract a high interest rate from day one and until you've cleared your entire transferred balance."

Moreover, it is not just personal loans and credit cards that are problematic as she noted that home loans can also cause issues.

However, the writer stated that there are "massive" potential savings from early repayments.

This advice comes after the Daily Telegraph's John Rolfe advised consumers to organise themselves financially in order to save capital, as well as switching to a low-rate credit card.

But those looking for lower home loan fees may like to take heed of recommendations from Damon Nagel, a director at property investment group Ironfish, who noted that these charges, as well as interest, could be decreased by using a package that the majority of financial corporations offer.

OZ Price Comparison website - http://www.which4u.com.au compares Credit Cards, Savings Accounts, Bank Accounts, Loans, Mortgages and Insurance to find the best OZ deals

View all articles by Sam Gooch

Link to this article:

Follow & Share Your Favorite Video Articles

Tell a Friend About This Site

Tweet about this site

Follow @dimeco

Recommended Associates

Do you write?

Would you like submit your articles and have them approved on a priority status? Find out more about how you can become a Priority author for pennies a day! Click here.