Credit Card and Debt Management: A Step-By-Step How-To-Guide for Organizing Debts and Saving Money on Interest Payments [Paperback]

If you ask single Americans in their 20s or early 30s what their biggest financial worry is, most will probably answer credit card debt. Bilker shows them the formulas for digging out of the credit-card hole--methodically, systematically, and with a minimum of confusion. Surprises abound, including Bilker's advice against cutting up one's credit cards--after all, one may need that credit line in case of emergency. He also advises against paying off one's credit debt with savings, opting instead to use budgeting from salary and letting that savings grow untouched. If used correctly, this book could be a big help to those experiencing a rather common burden. Joe Collins

"...the chapter that I found most interesting was...'Bad Advice,' in which Mr. Bilker questions all that conventional wisdom about debt we read day after day in the financial media." --Larry Roth, LIVING CHEAP NEWS -- Larry Roth, LIVING CHEAP NEWS

"An excellent and informative work. It was a great help to me in teaching others. It provides an easy-to-follow plan to use as resource material and also as a textbook in a small group teaching environment. It's concise, easy to understand and easily applied. The chapter presenting the debt-management model and time remaining tables allowed me to present this concept (payoff times) to a debt-free living class without having to confuse them with complicated math. The abundance of useful information make it (Credit Card and Debt Management) well worth the investment." --Alan E. Cooke, Manager and Debt-Free Living instructor -- Alan E. Cooke, Manager and Debt-Free Living instructor

"From reorganizing personal debt and saving money on interest payments to understanding savvy credit usage and money management skills, Bilker provides many excellent tips on credit cards. This is the perfect book to give to a young adult or to someone in their 20s just beginning to understand how debt works." --REVIEWER'S BOOKWATCH -- REVIEWER'S BOOKWATCH

"Have you ever noticed that every time you get motivated and pay off your credit cards that, before you know it, you've begun using them again and you're back where you started? Credit cards have their advantages, but some people can't seem to handle them without getting in over their heads. Bilker's book is geared to help people understand how to handle their debts and keep their spending under control. Bilker, an engineer, not a financier, gives a concise, perceptive spin on a problem that affects many of us." --Faye M. Dasen, THE PILOT -- Faye M. Dasen, THE PILOT

"I've located a dandy system for calculating the time remaining on a loan (complete with all of the hard stuff already worked out in user-friendly tables) in a book: Credit Card and Debt Management by Scott Bilker. Check with your library and if they haven't already ordered it, suggest they need this resource. I must admit that math is just about my least favorite subject (second only to root canal surgery without the benefit of anesthesia) and even thinking about equations and formulas makes me break out in a rash. So you can be sure that if I recommend it, this book contains easy-to-understand and has fairly painless instructions for everything having to do with credit-card debt--including how to figure the time remaining on a loan." --Mary Hunt, National columnist and author of Cheapskate Monthly -- Mary Hunt, National columnist and author of Cheapskate Monthly

"Lots of helpful hints!" --Debbie Cohen -- Debbie Cohen

"Millions of Americans have, or have had, difficulties with credit cards. Here is a book for anyone who has had such difficulties or who wants to avoid them. Scott Bilker's Credit Card and Debt Management is an informative and easy-to-read guide to keeping credit cards and debt under control. Bilker's book takes the reader through an understanding of credit problems and practical systematic approaches to their resolution. Text is supported by graphics, tables, and blank worksheets. The author is not an accountant but an engineer, and he uses more of an engineer's problem-to-solution approach than an accountant's bookkeeping one. And, unlike many engineers, Bilker writes as if he is writing for the layperson (which he is doing) rather than for engineers, scientists, and technicians. Bilker introduces the reader to "Credit Card Graveyard" (p 21), "APR" (annual percentage rate) (p 42), and other relevant nomenclature. He offers mathematical approaches that should be familiar to anyone with a background in arithmetic and introductory algebra--no need for calculus here. In short, he offers what I would consider to be an excellent book to help people meet a very important need in their lives and at a reasonably modest price: Credit Card and Debt Management. It may be the best thing to come out of Barnegat since Perrine's sneakbox boat." --Harry Hyde Jr., Managing Editor, VALLEY VOICE. -- Harry Hyde Jr., Managing Editor, VALLEY VOICE

"This is the most helpful and useful book I have ever come across. It's the only book that actually gives you answers. It has helped me to control my spending and to consolidate and pay off my debt. It helped me by setting up a plan. I feel that every one should read it before acquiring any credit debt. Every newly-wed couple should get one (book) as a gift. It's definitely worth the $19.95!" --Dori Maccagnano, Teacher -- DoriMaccagnano,

"Very useful to me (Credit Card and Debt Management)...it is simple to understand!" --William Sabin, Credit Counselor -- William Sabin, Credit Counselor (retired)