In this edition of Study Hall, I'm compiling all of our best credit card debt advice into one place so you can stop Googling in a shame spiral at 2 a.m. and actually understand what's going on with your debt. I'm breaking down how interest really works (and why credit card debt is uniquely expensive), walking you through step-by-step payoff strategies,  including the avalanche method, the Debt Free Guys' lasso method, and using personal loans to consolidate, and I'm finishing with some real talk about why shame is the worst debt payoff strategy on the planet. If you're carrying credit card debt and you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or like it's somehow your fault: this episode is your starting line.

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00:00 What makes up debt? 

01:00 How credit card interest actually works

04:00 Why credit card debt compounds into a "slippery slope"

05:30 Paying down the principal to reduce total cost

06:30 Getting your debt payoff plan together

07:00 Step-by-step: list debts, calculate payments, find extra

08:30 The avalanche method explained

09:30 Tori's Toyota story: paying toward principal

12:00 The Debt Lasso Method with the Debt Free Guys

16:00 Why balance transfers only work with a real plan

18:30 Personal loans: what they are and why they work

22:00 Simple interest vs. compound interest for debt

23:00 Things to consider before getting a personal loan

25:00 When personal loans are NOT the right move

28:00 What personal loans should NOT be used for

29:00 Debt settlement and your rights as a consumer with Leslie Tayne, Esq.

31:00 The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

33:00 Tori's closing pep talk: debt is not a personal failing

35:00 Goal-setting hack: specific, timely, and mission-driven

37:00 Writing goals in past tense — the visualization hack

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