Clark Howard's credit card debt program

Clark Howard is the popular talk show radio host of The Clark Howard Show. Clark Howard is an inspiration to many people who have credit card debt. Through his radio show, Clark Howard has been able to reach millions of people who are suffering from credit card debt. Clark Howard has created a credit card debt program that helps anyone get out of debt in 30 months.

About Clark Howard
Clark Howard made millions in the travel agency. Clark Howard has a master's degree in business management and a bachelor's degree in urban government. In 1987, he began giving travel advice on an Atlanta radio. The overwhelming popularity of Clark Howard on the radio lead to Howard devoting an hour each Friday to radio listeners in Atlanta.

Occasionally Howard will appear on television to warn consumers about scams and provides consumer warnings and consumer tips. Howard also has a newspaper column and has been featured on the Discovery Health Channel where he discussed money matters for couples struggling with their finances. 

Clark has also started several civic programs in the community, such as the Atlanta Volunteer Action, Inc., The Big Buddy Program, and Career Action. He has also built 23 homes around the Atlanta area for Habitat for Humanity. Another accomplishment Clark has under his belt is that he opened the Consumer Action Center, an advice service for consumer questions.

In 2006, Clark Howard began hosting another radio show, "Get Clark Smart with Clark Howard." This 20 episode series provided information about saving for college, buying a used car, etc.

Clark Howard is also the author of several books on consumer tips and bargains. His book, "Get Clark Smart" made it to number 6 on The New York Times best seller list. He has several other books that have made it to the top 20 or higher on The New York Times best seller list.

Clark Howard also has a website in which he hosts a regular discussion topic called "Clark stinks!"  This discussion topic section allows radio listeners a chance to disagree with his advice.  Howard will respond to the criticism on-air. Howard is known for sparring with people on-air who sell annuities.

Clark Howard's credit card debt program
"Indebtedness and the inability to save money, these two are tied together. And when you think about the fact that over 3 billion solicitations will be mailed this year for new lines of credit to consumers, it's no wonder that the availability of credit is so tempting and that so many people spend themselves into oblivion." Howard stresses that dealing with debt is a major challenge for many people. Because so many of Howard's listeners struggle with credit card debt, he created a credit card debt program that will help you get out of debt in 30 months.

 Depending upon your situation, Clark Howard can help. With car loans, Howard believes that people should pay out those debts as agreed because that debt is for an infinite period of time and will be paid no matter what. He feels the same way about a home loan as well. The biggest debt to worry about is with credit cards. Depending upon how much credit card debt you are carrying, Howard likes people to look at becoming debt free in 30 months.

Start tackling your highest-interest rate debt first. You should start paying the minimums on all the other credit cards and paying as much as you can toward the higher interest rate cards. Once you wipe out one credit card debt, you will move on to the next highest and so on until your debt is paid.

Clark Howard's 30 month program will show you the progress you are making in paying down your debt balances and putting yourself under a firm timeline to pay off your credit card debt. Howard's program is similar to a car loan; you set yourself up on a firm timeline and agree to pay it all off by a certain date.

Other advice from Clark
Many people wonder if they need to downsize their lifestyle in order to obtain financial freedom. Howard feels that if someone moves credit card debt from one card to a zero-percent credit card, it is not doing anything to reduce your overall debt unless you are paying on it and not buying more.

If you got into debt by spending more money than you make, then you will need to spend substantially less than you make in order to control incurring more debt. You need to have a budget plan that clearly shows each payment you need to make to creditors and other payment obligations, have money to cover the interest rates, and money to cover the pay-off balances.

Clark Howard also stresses the importance of paying off your debt before you set up an emergency cash fund. Once you have paid down 100 percent of your credit card balances, you can start saving for an emergency cash fund.

Howard also advices that after you have made it through the 30 month debt program that you should keep the credit card accounts open. Many people feel they should close their accounts once they are paid. Howard suggests that you keep the accounts open and lock the credit cards away if they are going to be too much of a temptation. If you close the credit cards, it will hurt your credit score.

Clark Howard also notes that you should focus on paying your debts before saving for your children's college fund. "There are no scholarships for retirement, but there are plenty of scholarships, loans, grants as well as job opportunities for a young person heading off to college." Howard feels that once parents have paid off their debts and covered their own retirement; they should then start saving for their children's college funds.

 The estimated debt level is $19,000 per household. Clark Howard's frustration is over people who pay on time each month and are still hit with giant increases and increases in their interest rates. Howard is lobbying to have the government fix the way credit card companies interest rate fees work. Clark feels that if you sign up at a certain interest rate, the bank must honor that rate on all existing balances. Howard states that credit card companies can feel free to raise the rate on all future purchases, but not on the existing balances.

Clark Howard has stated time and time again that he thinks the credit card companies are like drug dealers. He states that credit card companies want to get you hooked so they can hand out cards and if you pay down your balance, they will lower the minimum payment. Howard wants you to control your spending and not abuse the credit card. Howard's program is about getting yourself out of debt by not charging balances you cannot pay.

Howard also stresses that you should try making a payment every 14 days instead of every month. If your interest is calculated daily, the 14 day payment plan will work to your benefit and help to pay off your debt quicker.

Another tip Clark has is to be careful with your debit card. If you are renting a rental card, use a credit card instead of your debit card. Car rental companies will pull a credit report if you opt to use a debit card because they are protecting themselves from thieves who have used debit cards in the past.

Here are Clark's tips to remember:

1.  If you have several cards, your first goal is to pay off the card with the highest interest rate. This process is called laddering.   
                    
   
2. Pay more money toward that credit card and slightly less toward the other cards, and eventually you can rip it up. Then you move onto the next card, until you have paid off all your cards.
                    
   
3. One proven way to pay more toward the most expensive card - and to get rid of it faster - is to make a separate payment every 14 days to the credit card company. Mark your calendar every 14 days and write that check or send your online payment that day. Making a payment every 14 days equals one extra month's payment you've made at the end of the year. Work these payments around your statement cycle to avoid paying late fees. 

Before you succumb to bankruptcy due to the overwhelming amount of debt you are in, you should try Clark Howard's credit card debt program. He has helped millions of people pay down their debts with his 30 month program. Personal bankruptcy filings are up 40 percent from one year ago. Look at all your options before you give up and loose hope with your credit card debt. Listen to Clark Howard's radio or go to his web site for more information about how he can help you get out of debt. Sit down and map out a financial plan for yourself. The first step you can take is locking those credit cards away and not being tempted to use them again.