College Credit Card Debt -- Ellie answers on ABC NEWS NOW

As a mom of many (with three in college in 2009) and as "America's Family Financial Expert," I know a bit about college kids and credit card debt. Recent studies indicate that the average college student will graduate with $3,000 in consumer debt (in addition to $20K in student loans). This translates into BIG trouble for those starting out in life.

For example, our son, Daniel, recently graduated from college and then got married right away. Because he did things right and worked very hard, he has no car loans, no consumer debt, no student loan debt and a GREAT degree from the University of Texas. But then he lost his part time job--the one he was hoping would turn into full time work even as he was applying elsewhere (hint: it's not a great time to be a print journalist looking for work). But because he was debt free, he and his new wifey weathered the storm. Within three days, he had in 16 applications and within three weeks he was employed again--this time full time. If he had consumer debt, he would be in trouble.

So how do you navigate your kids toward financial literacy while in college? And how does the new Credit Card ACT impact your student? Click onto the link to hear the answers I gave on ABC NEWS NOW, "Good Money" to these questions and YOUR questions:

My question is why would you want to pay off a credit card while you're in college, making very little if any income? Why not pay the small minimum payment due each month, and pay off the balance after graduation? You would have a much higher paying job with a new college degree, and could pay off the balance (hopefully) within the first six months to a year of employment.
Teresa, Boise, ID

Our oldest daughter is entering her junior year of college, and has so far avoided any credit card debt by very purposefully not having a credit card. She has said that she knows the temptation for impulsive spending would be too great, so she would rather not open that door. While I admire her self-awareness, I am concerned that she is not establishing a "good credit" rating for herself. Is my concern valid? If so, do you have any advice for helping her manage a credit card responsibly?
Debra Devens, MA

Our daughter is a freshman this year. She is carrying 19 units so having a job is very difficult. She is on the waiting list for a job on campus and no one seems interested in hiring only for the weekends. It’s hard for her to get and pay off a credit card with no job. Do you have any suggestions?
Crystal Rough - Lancaster, CA

Is it a good idea to set up a debit card for college students so they can only spend what’s in the check acct? Wouldn’t that limit the % on a regular charge card if over extended?
Mitchell, West Bend, WI

Should parents help their student get a card, give them a set dollar amount, then let the student use the card to buy things, with the parents paying the bill, to build up the student's credit rating? Cherie Cheramie from Norton, OH

When you are a college student and keeping a budget, trying to pay credit card debt, what should you do if you don't have a stable income? Kelly, St. Louis Park, MN

All these readers got FREE copies of "The Little Book of Big Savings" and "Money Doesn't Grow on Trees." CONGRATULATIONS!

Ellie Kay

America's Family Financial Expert (R)

http://www.elliekay.com/

Win My New Book - Questions on College Credit Cards

Once again, it's time to give you a chance to win a copy of my new book, The Little Book of Big Savings . In case you missed the discussion about paying for college, then take a peek at ABC News Now for last week's media appearance. It answers questions as to how we are putting all of our kids through school debt free.

You'll see from previous blogs that others have already won their free book and this week, I'm throwing in one of my other titles as well: Money Doesn't Grow on Trees.

I'll be guesting on a national show on August 28th talking about: Credit card debt for college students: How to avoid getting buried in debt and finding ways to consistently pay if off even though they don’t have a steady income.

Get creative and ask me your questions on this blog or by emailing them to assistant@elliekay.com . If the producer selects your question to have me answer on the air, I'll send you both of my books as a way of saying "thank you." We need to have your questions posted or submitted no later than Tues, Aug 25th at 6:00 PM (PST).

Happy Savings,

Ellie Kay
America's Family Financial Expert (R)
http://www.elliekay.com/

Ellie Answers Your Questions on ABC News - "Good Money" Show

I was recently in New York on the set of a fun new show called "Good Money" and I solicited questions from this blog to ask on the air. By now you know if the producer chose your question to read on the air and you also have a free copy of my new book, The Little Book of Big Savings (Waterbrook, 2009) on its way to your mailbox! If you didn't win this time, don't give up! We'll post new ways to win a copy of my books in the future.

Here is a link of me answering your questions on ABC News Now - Good Money. Follow this live link to listen to my answers to the following award winning questions:

My husband and I want to get out of debt, but we each have a different idea as to how to go about achieving this. Any advice on how to get on the "same page"? Bren Jones - Vienna, WV

Deals4moms.org said... After all your experiences with counseling couples, can you say that your financial advice has helped to save marriages?If yes, what are the 3 top things that helped those couples?

Audrey asked...Here's my question-if one spouse makes more than the other, how can the budget be equalized?

L A Hughes said... Dear Ellie Kay,I saw your advice to the married couple who found it difficult to communicate about spending on Nightline. My question concerns couples who are dating, engaged, etc : Do you have any suggestions or tips for how couples can learn discover, understand or achieve common ground about attitudes about money--before marriage--without sacrificing romance, or without seeming pushy?

How can you have some fun and adventure with your spouse when you really shouldn't spend money to go out on a date night once a week because you have so many other bills to pay, and it gets boring just sitting home watching a movie and ordering a pizza or worse making your own dinner when it is supposed to be a break from the routine and not work. Kim from Manchester, Maryland.

OK, guys, we'll do this again in the future and please remember I didn't choose the questions to air, the producer did!

Ellie Kay

America's Family Financial Expert (R)

www.elliekay.com

Tax Free Holidays

Consumers across the country are searching for ways to cut their spending and still buy what they need, especially when shopping for back-to-school essentials for kids. Many states offer tax free holidays during the back to school shopping season to help families purchase back to school necessities.


The tax free holidays are just around the corner and if your state offers this, it's important to take full advantage of this holiday. Here are some tips to help:

• FIND OUT THE DEALS - Take advantage of savings opportunities linked by local retailers to the upcoming Tax Free Holiday weekends. Don't worry, there will be lots of ads in your local paper. Some stores like Sears even offer further discounts like $10 off a $50 apparel purchase just for showing your PTA or PTO card or student id. Be sure you go shopping prepared with these forms of identification to get your discounts.

• FIND OUT LIMITATIONS - Each state has its limitations, so ask the cashier at your retailer what the rules are for your state. For example, some states will only allow up to $100 on any single item of clothing and only up to $750 on a computer. So know the rules by googling your state, "tax free holiday" and "2009."

• FIND LAYAWAY - Some stores such as K-mart have reinstituted layaway in direct response to the recession. This option varies from family to family but our family tries to minimize credit card debt and layaway is another option that helps avoid consumer debt.

Upcoming Tax Free Holiday Dates

STATE

Vermont 8/22
Georgia 7/30 to 8/2
Mississippi 7/31 to 8/1
D C 8/1 to 8/9
Alabama 8/7 to 8/9
Iowa 8/7 to 8/8
Louisiana 8/7 to 8/8
Missouri 8/7 to 8/9
New Mexico 8/7 to 8/9
North Carolina 8/7 to 8/9
Oklahoma 8/7 to 8/9
South Carolina 8/7 to 8/9
Tennessee 8/7 to 8/9
Virginia 8/7 to 8/9

Happy Savings!

Ellie Kay

America's Family Financial Expert (R)

http://www.elliekay.com/

Nightline Segment - For Richer or Poorer

For Richer or Poorer

Shared via AddThis

Are you having problems in your marriage with money? Then watch this segment on Nightline where the Hansen family found the help they needed. Are you willing for me to read your question on ABC NEWS NOW next week? If so, then post your questions here and if we select your question to read on air, we'll send you a copy of my new upcoming book, "The Little Book of Big Savings" (Waterbrook, 2009).

Ellie Kay
America's Family Financial Expert (R)
www.elliekay.com

Back To School, Baby! - ABC News "Good Money" Show

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Summers are great and kids run free, but by the end of the break, a lot of parents are more than ready to start that back-to-school shopping. Truth be told, I think my "babies" are as ready to get back in the academic groove as I am ready to send them back! (BTW, I still call my 6'5" sons baby and get away with it). But getting ready can be hard on the old bank account if you are not strategic in how you shop. Here are some ideas that I shared on a new ABC News Now show called "Good Money"
1. Layer the Savings –When shopping online, look for sale items where you can also use a coupon or code to save even more on the price, shipping, or by getting free products. With the economy forcing parents to make hard decisions about what's really a necessity, putting a little research into finding extra discounts can add up to big savings.

2. “Double Dipping” – To maximize limited back-to-school shopping dollars, look for items that have good value, but also look to shop at locations where you can have a percentage of that purchase deposited into your child’s college savings account. Sign up for www.upromise.com so that a percentage of your purchases will go into your child's 529 plan.

3. Logistical Savings – If your college-bound baby is attending a school out of state, shop at online retailers that also have physical stores in the town where she/he is going to school. Often times, these retailers have online-to-store options where they will send the products to one of their local stores without charging a shipping fee. This option will allow parents and students to shop at their leisure online, take advantage of all the savings options, and have the convenience of going to a local store to pick up the items they ordered.

4. Link-in Friends and Family – Oftentimes, family and friends want to help contribute to a child’s education, but they don’t know how to help – especially in a recession. Grandparents or others can sign up for Upromise as well, for free to have a percentage of their purchases from hundreds of participating merchants deposited in a college savings account.

5. Family Spending Plan – Distinguish between “needs” and “wants” by making financial savings a family affair. Give children a spending plan that shows them how much money they can spend on back-to-school items. Inform children that what they do not spend, they can keep. This added motivation of learning ways to spend less and save more not only saves the family money, but trains children in money matters, making them more adept as young adults.

Wonderfully Yours!

Ellie Kay

America's Family Financial Expert (R)

http://www.elliekay.com/

Seven Steps to Thrive and Survive a Recession

Today, many families are facing the same issues that Bob and I faced when we were first married—paying bills, stretching paychecks, and still trying to maintain a reasonable quality of life. We read in the news that homes are being foreclosed upon in unprecedented numbers across the country. Consumer confidence isn’t very high these days, sub prime rates are fluctuating and wages are remaining relatively constant—which usually means more inflation. Let’s face it, the headlines aren’t all that cheerful in the midst of a recession. If most families aren't concerned about losing their homes in uncertain times, they're certainly concerned about rising food and fuel costs, keeping their kids in clothes, or the freedom to go on vacation. But there are answers for those who are willing to do something about it. Here are seven basic tips to help you beware and prepare:

1. Be Diligent: FICOS (Fair Isaac Credit Scores) – Now is the time to improve your FICO as these scores can determine your auto insurance premiums, whether you’ll get the promotion or the job (employers are checking FICOS these days), and whether you pay a security deposit for utilities. If you downsize a home or a vehicle, you’re also going to need to have an excellent FICO to get the best APR rates. To improve your FICO in three easy steps:
· Pay your bills a day early (rather than a day late) by setting up payments online
· Pay $5 to $10 more than the minimum balance on your credit cards, which means you are paying down debt
· Proportionality: make sure that you don’t have more than 50% of the available credit charged on any one card (for example, $3000 charged on a card with a $6,000 limit).

2. Be Smart: Save Money- I get loads of emails every week from families who are cutting hundreds from their household budget by following simple savings tips. From insurance to groceries, there are savvy ways to save at your fingertips. (See the money savings tips on blog). Start to implement these savings and it will create good discipline that will prepare you for the inevitable highs and lows of the economy. Use the money you save to pay down debt and build short term savings. This prepares you and solidifies your financial picture.

3. Beware: Debt Consolidation Companies: With rumors of economic challenge comes an influx of those who want to "help" prepare you for the worse by consolidating your debt. However, many of the for profit debt counseling companies charge a hefty fee for their services, which is usually tacked onto your debt load. Instead of going through a for profit company, consider going to the nonprofit, National Consumer Credit Counseling Service found at http://www.nfcc.org/.

4. Be Aware: Refinancing to Pay Debt - As things begin to get tight, you might be tempted to get a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) or refinance in order to pay your consumer debt. This isn’t a good idea if you’re using it to pay consumer debt and you haven’t learned the discipline of living on a budget. This kind of borrowing will only deteriorate the equity in your home and chances are really good you'll be right back in that HUGE boat load of debt by this time next year. The better option is to cut costs, budget, and only use a HELOC for home improvements.

5. Be a "B" Word Person - If you don't have the "B" word as part of your lifestyle, then yesterday was the day to start budgeting. Set one up with online budgeting tools, found at my web site . Make sure your budget has “fun” figured into it and isn’t so restrictive that it is impossible to follow.

6. Be Careful: Recalculate Your GPS (Gross Personal Savings): When my husband takes a wrong turn, our GPS (who we've named Bitty) says "Recalcuating. Recalculating." In this tip, you are building savings and paying down debt with the previous tips. But you are also recalculating your budget to accommodate the act of actually writing a check to pay debt or to fund your savings account. Otherwise, all the money you save is just flying out the door.

7. Be A Planner With A Purpose - Whenever a "theory" is tested, it must stand up to a "proof" in order to be established as true. You can have all this good stuff on paper, but if you slap down the credit card to pay for a "40% off" killer Marc Jacobs suit, or buy a new boat during summer vacation--and you have consumer debt--then your plan is only a theory. For it to become REAL, you need to make it part of your daily life. This means your family starts to live with the plan and they don’t incur more debt. Your purpose is to live a life with more financial freedom in order to benefit your family and your kids future in the long run.

Ellie Kay

America's Family Financial Expert (R)

http://www.elliekay.com/