Debt-Free – step-by-step guide (e-book)

Credit cards that never seem to go down, a personal loan you took to pay off another one, collection letters you can't bring yourself to open? This practical guide takes you step by step from chaos to control: get the full picture in one evening, stop new debt, build a budget you can actually stick to, choose between the snowball and avalanche methods, use balance transfers and consolidation loans without falling into the traps, and know your rights if collectors are already calling. Written for American readers, with worked examples, checklists, a letter template and a 90-day plan.

• A step-by-step plan from the first evening to the final payment
• Snowball or avalanche: worked examples that show what you save
• Balance transfers, collections, credit scores and your legal rights explained
• Checklists, a debt validation letter and a 90-day plan
• Approx. 23 pages
• EPUB for e-readers and PDF for phone, tablet or print

Before You Start

If you bought this book, it's probably because your debt has started to feel heavy. Maybe it's a credit card that never gets paid down, a personal loan you took out to pay off another one, or a pile of bills you can't face opening. Maybe it's all of the above.

The first thing you should know is that you're not alone. Americans owe well over a trillion dollars on credit cards alone, and millions of people carry more debt than they can comfortably pay. The second thing you should know is that debt is a math problem, not a moral one. You're not a bad person because you owe money. But the math is ruthless: high interest grows every single day, including the days you don't think about it.

The good news is that the math works the other way, too. Once you have a plan and follow it, your debt goes down faster than you think. Every dollar you pay on expensive debt is a dollar that stops growing against you.

How to use this book

This book is built like a staircase. Each chapter is one step, and each step builds on the one before. You can read the whole book in an evening, but you'll get the most out of it if you do the exercises as you go.

• Step 1: Get the full picture (one evening)
• Step 2: Stop new debt (one week)
• Step 3: Build a budget that works (two weeks)
• Step 4: Choose your payoff strategy (one evening)
• Step 5: Consider consolidation (if it makes sense)
• Step 6: Increase your income (ongoing)
• When it's gone too far: collections, your rights and last resorts
• Staying motivated, and life after debt

At the back of the book you'll find a 90-day plan that pulls everything together.

An important note

This book offers general guidance, not personalized financial or legal advice. Interest rates, fees and rules change, and some rules vary by state. If you're in serious trouble, consider talking to a nonprofit credit counselor, which is often free or low-cost. More on that later.

… The excerpt continues in the book.

1. Before You Start
2. Step 1: Get the Full Picture
3. Step 2: Stop New Debt
4. Step 3: Build a Budget That Works
5. Step 4: Choose Your Payoff Strategy
6. Step 5: Consider Consolidation
7. Step 6: Increase Your Income
8. When It's Gone Too Far
9. Staying Motivated
10. Life After Debt
11. The 90-Day Plan

Format: E-book as EPUB (Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, Kindle via “Send to Kindle”) and PDF.. Made with the help of AI and tested by our quality control. Not tax, accounting or legal advice. Terms and right of withdrawal