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Money Instructor Menus Home lessons learning about contact register -- 5 Ways To Make Sure You Don’t Have Any Credit Card Debt .entry-header -- -- At some point each of us will be approached to sign-up for a credit card. Some of us decide we don’t want to take up the offer, citing that we don’t want to have spiraling uncontrollable credit card debt. Others decide to take up the offer, and that’s exactly what happens – spiraling uncontrollable debt! However, there is a third way: take up the offer and make sure you don’t have any credit card debt, all you need to do is keep in mind the following: It’s a credit limit, not unlimited credit! A mistake common to most first time credit card users is that the credit card limit “needs” to be used. There also appears to be a common misunderstanding that credit cards are “free” credit. In fact, neither could be further from the truth. You don’t need to use the credit card limit, and it is not free credit! Conversely, if you want to affect a manageable credit card debt scheme, you’ll start to put away the money you would otherwise have spent on the credit card purchase into an interest-bearing savings account and then use this money to make the repayment of your credit card bill when you get your next statement. Pay as you go, don’t go as you pay! Another common mistake made by most credit card users is to use the credit card when they don’t have the ready means to make payment for the product being purchased in cash. Sensible credit card use, where you don’t encounter unmanageable levels of credit card debt, means that you pay off your credit card balance in full at the end of each statement period. Here, make no mistake about it, credit cards are dangerous and expensive means of funding debt if you do not have the intention to be disciplined enough to at least try to make the repayment in full each statement period. If need be, use the credit card again in the next statement period; but do everything in your power to make sure you clear the balance at the end of the statement period! Don’t just pay it – look at it A third common mistake made by credit card users is just to pay the minimum balance at the end of the statement period. It’s almost as if they’re ashamed to see how much they charged to their card. But, you should keep in mind that credit card fraud is rife and so you should check your credit card statement each period to make sure you have not been charged for something which you clearly did not charge to your card. This goes double if you have charged anything to your credit card over the internet. To this end, not reviewing your credit card statement at the end of each payment period is a sure fire way to ensuring that you’ll soon have an unmanageable credit card debt! Calculate the interest & fees – don’t just take their word for it! As with all matters of finance, if you want to ensure you use your credit card properly and do not encounter any excess or unmanageable credit card debt levels you’ll need to educate yourself on how the process of credit cards, their interest rates, and their fees work. Always keep in mind that it is not uncommon for people to make mistakes and a computer is only as good as the person programming it! So, although it may not happen often, there is a chance that you may spot a mistake in the calculation of interest and the fees payable. If all else fails – don’t be afraid to cut your credit card up! As soon as you start to think that your credit card debt levels are starting to take control of your life, the time has come for you to cut the card up and to start to eliminate the credit card debt as quickly as possible. Do not, at all costs, let the credit card debt take control over your financial well-being, or take the risk of spending many a sleepless night wondering how you are going to make your next credit card debt payment. .entry-content -- -- Categories Debt & Credit Leave a comment .entry-footer -- -- How to Deliver a Successful Training Course .entry-header -- -- Whether you just received an assignment from your boss to develop a training course, or you are a manager that wants to train your staff on specific skills, you may be wondering how to get started. Not all companies have a training staff. And, while most people have attended a training course at some point, few ever give thought to what it takes to develop and deliver a successful curriculum, until they are thrust into the spotlight. Don’t panic! There is a rational way to approach this. First, you need to gather information. If the task was assigned to you, find out from your manager what she wants to accomplish with this training. What should the students know at the end of the class? If you were going to issue a certificate, what would it certify your class members to do? If you are the manager, sit down and think through what you want to accomplish with this training. Set goals. And develop an evaluation sheet for students to complete when they are finished with the course work. Ask questions that will give you feedback about whether you met your goals. Did they learn what you wanted them to learn? Did they find the course interesting? What would they want to see improved? What did they like the best? Next, you need to find out about the people who will attend the class. Are their skills very diverse or are they all in the same profession with approximately the same knowledge base? Teach to the lowest level student in the class. If you have to spend an hour getting that one person up to speed, so as not to bore the others in the class, consider spending time with the student before the class, or giving them ‘pre-work’ to get them closer to the class average. Depending on the class mix, and the type of people you are teaching, you might consider sending out an advance questionnaire. If you are teaching upper management staff, and you don’t want to waste their time, you can find out what your boss expects, and get her permission to poll the students. Find out what they want to get out of the class and what their hot buttons are, so you will be on target with your curriculum. But understand that you can’t be all things to all people. Try to hit 80% of the common factors defined in the questionnaire and you’ll be fine! Before you send out announcements, decide how long this class will be. The length of the session(s) will depend on the planned curriculum, who will be in the audience, and what you want to accomplish. Be sure to include plenty of breaks so you don’t lose the attention of the class. And, if the training or seminar is confidential or sensitive, you may want to seriously consider an off site location. When you have all your information together, you can start to develop the training class. Look at the time available; add in at least one 10-15 minute break for every 2 hours of teaching time. Consider a longer lunch if you have managers or critical employees in the class. They will need time to eat and make important phone calls before going back into the classroom. Once you have calculated the break time, you can calculate the total hours of teaching time. Subtract a small percentage for getting the class settled after each break, and for unexpected interruptions and questions. Take your total available hours and break it down into components. Assign times to each component so that you can use the agenda to let the class know what you are doing and when. If there are segments that a particular member does not need to attend, they will know when they can leave without missing anything that is important to them. Now, write your curriculum, including presentation slides, handouts and notes. Mix up the media to keep it interesting. Don’t just stand in front of a dark room and talk or you will hear a lot of snoring after the first hour. Typically, the slot after lunch is the most deadly. Serve a light lunch, and then keep the sessions interactive for at least the next hour, so that p...