Hello! Are you new here? We are pleased that you found our little corner of the internet. Here at Debt Free Guys, we’re all about helping people experience the freedom of becoming debt free! Would you like to feel that relief? After reading our article below, Find out here how we can help you.
Here are the money solutions you need now
Whether it’s a global crisis or a personal crisis, you need a solution, and fast. Here are your 7 money solutions that are easier to implement than you think. Start paying off your credit card debt for free today 7-Step Credit Card Debt Reduction Here.
Here's what you’ll find:
Make your finances crisis-proof
Make more money as quickly as possible
Eliminate your debt the fastest way
Start or expand your emergency savings (an arm’s length away)
Take out adequate insurance to protect yourself and the people you love
Fix your credit score
Next, start saving for retirement
Your money solutions
1. Make your finances crisis-proof
If you are currently experiencing a financial crisis or other crisis, now is not the time to judge yourself for your past mistakes. It’s best to focus on what you can do immediately today and tomorrow.
First, stop all unnecessary spending immediately. The more slowly you can slow the flow of money out of your account, the better prepared you will be to deal with your crisis or mitigate its consequences.
We’re not telling you to give up your avocado toast forever – just for now.
Second, simplify your banking. Download the digital apps for your credit cards, banks, credit unions and other financial institutions. You want to be able to quickly track and access your money when needed.
When people are in a crisis, they often want to bury their heads in the sand when it comes to their money. This is the worst time to ignore your finances. Get in and keep track of every penny, and today it’s easier than ever.
Third, apply for payment insurance or add payment insurance to your credit cards. If you are concerned that you will be unemployed for a period of time or your salary will be reduced, for example if you are furloughed, this is a helpful tool.
There are up to three main types of credit insurance:
- Credit disability insurance to make minimum monthly payments and protect your credit if you become incapacitated
- Involuntary Unemployment Loan Insurance to make minimum monthly payments and protect your credit if you become unemployed or furloughed
- Credit life insurance to pay off debts in the event of death
The thing about credit insurance, similar to health insurance, is that credit insurance is “intended to protect you in the event of…” . . .” It can be difficult to take out credit insurance afterwards, for example for existing unemployment.
So as soon as you think you might need credit insurance, apply. This is especially true since many credit insurance policies have waiting periods.
2. Make more money as quickly as possible
No, uh! Right?
That’s not entirely true. Most people, not all who are “not good with money,” have a spending problem. You don’t have an income problem.
Maybe that’s not you, or maybe that’s not your current situation. Regardless, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you only focus on one side of your balance sheet, spending, during a crisis. As far as possible, it is helpful to also look at the income side.
Thanks to the internet and the gig economy, it’s easier than ever to start a side business or get a part-time job. That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily easy, just that the barrier to entry is lower.
Ways to earn instant income include::
No, none of these gigs will make you a millionaire. Some will only make you a few dollars here and there. But you need money solutions now.
The beauty of this is that you can continue all of these gigs even after your crisis is over, and in some cases you can expand on these gigs to generate even more money. That’s what we did our own freelance writing.
To hear a real-life example of how someone built a multi-million dollar brand that started selling on Amazon, listen to ours Queer money® podcast with the king of side hustles, Nick Loper.
Side Hustle Nation’s Nick Loper on Queer Money®:
To learn the pros and cons of starting a side business, share with us our experiences in starting Debt Free Guys LLC and the Queer money® Podcast for this episode of Queer money®.
3. Eliminate your debt as quickly as possible
Again, when you look at both sides of your balance sheet, you want to cut out as many expenses as possible. For many, credit card interest is one of the largest monthly costs.
Then you’ve come to the right place if you need advice on paying off credit card debt. . . fast!
We paid off $51,000 in credit card debt in two and a half years. How did we do that?
Using the snowball method, we didn’t pay off as much debt as quickly.
With the avalance method, we didn’t pay off as much debt as quickly.
We paid off all credit card debt with it our very own debt lasso method. In addition to being the fastest way to pay off credit card debt, the debt lasso method will save you more money in the long run than the snowball or avalanche methods and will help improve your credit score.
The idea with the debt lasso method is to keep your credit card interest rates as low as possible and put 100% of your interest savings (and any other savings you can muster) toward your credit card principal.
For a quick overview of the debt lasso method, check out the video we created with CNBC below.
Check out “Debt Free Guys” on CNBC:
Click here for step-by-step instructions the debt lasso method.
4. Start or expand your emergency savings (an arm’s length away)
Speaking of saving, an important part of any money solution plan is an emergency savings account. Now is the time to open or expand your emergency savings account.
Most Americans don’t have enough savings to cover a $400 cash emergency. That is, she need their credit cards. The problem is that this can push them down a rabbit hole that is difficult for them to escape.
Avoid this by maintaining your own emergency savings account away from you and your current bank or credit union—that’s what we mean by “arm’s length.”
It’s too difficult to set up a proper emergency savings account – ideally with enough cash to cover at least three months of living expenses – when you can easily access everything that comes up at any time. . .
a slightly higher dinner bill than expected. . .
the new sofa that you saw and just “had to have”. . .
this inexplicable lack in your checking account. . . .
Therefore, we recommend that you find a bank or credit union where you do not already have an account to open a savings account without check writing, electronic funds transfer (EFT), credit or debit card features. If possible, establish contingencies that do not allow a transfer or withdrawal of any kind without personally going to the bank or credit union to authorize the withdrawal.
5. Get enough insurance to protect yourself and the people you love
All too often we realize we are underinsured when it is too late. Don’t let this happen to you (or to those you love if something were to happen to you).
To ensure you are fully covered, try the following:
1. Get health insurance through GoHealth
Search, find and Thanks to GoHealth, getting health insurance is easier and more affordable.
After answering a few questions, GoHealth researches leading health insurance companies, from Cigna to BlueCross BlueShield to Kaiser and more, to find a curated list of the most suitable health insurance plans for you and your family.
Don’t hesitate. This is too important. Search GoHealth today!
2. Get life insurance through Haven Life
Gone are the days when you had to endure the arduous task of speaking to an insurance agent and then feeling oversold with a life insurance policy that you would never use. This is because you can fully research, find and apply for term life insurance MassMutual at HavenLife.com.
Plus, you can take out life insurance immediately – without waiting!
We spoke to Haven Life about this episode of Queer money®. Learn all about Haven Life and why everyone, including single LGBTQ people, needs life insurance.
Port life continues Queer money®:
3. Get life insurance through PolicyGenius
Another company we have worked with that offers wonderful life insurance solutions is PolicyGenius.
PolicyGenius’ award-winning, industry-changing website helps you find the best life insurance at the best rates from independent attorneys with no hidden fees.
With PolicyGenius you can save up to 40% by shopping the best insurers on the market. She is so confident in her value to you that PolicyGenius will give you $100 if you find a cheaper plan for the same life insurance policy.
Learn more about life insurance found by PolicyGenius today.
4. Get home insurance through PolicyGenius
While we’re on the topic of insurance and PolicyGenius, you can do that too Use it to find appropriate home contents insurance.
On average, PolicyGenius saves its customers up to $1,127 per year in three to five minutes by shopping for the best insurers on the market. Additionally, your coverage is recalculated every year to ensure you get the best coverage at the best rate.
Learn more about home insurance from PolicyGenius here.
5. Protect your pet with pet insurance from PetFirst
Your pet is one of the most important People Parts of your life. Protect you and your wallet with it Pet insurance through PetFirst.
PetFirst offers your furry family member more protection with less effort. Additionally, it typically offers the shortest wait times for accident and illness coverage.
Get a $10 offer in your first month at PetFirst and earn $25 when you refer a friend. Find out more here.
6. Buy car insurance through Gabi Auto Insurance
In just two minutes and without fees, Gabi searches over 40 car insurance providers for you.
On average, you can save up to $720 with Gabi.
Get a great deal here and learn more about Gabi’s mobile app.
7. Sign in to receive your medications from YouDrugstore
YouDrugstore gives Americans medicines that only come from Canada at Canadian prices. Registration is free and shipping is free on orders over $100.
YouDrugstore can supply everything from the most commonly prescribed medications to medications for rare diseases, both branded and generic.
Join YouDrugstore today and start saving!
8. Protect your business with Hiscox Small Business Insurance
We’re committed to helping more queer people start their own full- and part-time businesses. To do this intelligently is to get Hiscox small business insurance.
Hiscox Small Business Insurance specializes in protecting IT/technology, marketing, consulting, carpentry, lemonade stands and many other professional service businesses.
founded in 1901, Hiscox is a small business insurer you can trust.
6. Fix your credit score
With just a few tips, you can save more money over your lifetime than having good credit. Because if you have poor or even mediocre credit, lenders will charge you more – sometimes significantly more.
That’s why one of the first steps we take many of our students through is building or improving their credit. So follow these steps to improve your credit score now in the fastest and most effective way.
Pay all your bills in full and on time
Your payment history, the way you have paid all your bills in full and on time, makes up the largest portion of your overall credit score – 35%! This is just one of the reasons why we recommend purchasing payment insurance above so you don’t miss any payments on your credit card.
Pay off most of your debts as quickly as possible
Your credit utilization makes up 30% of your credit score, the second largest component. Credit utilization is just an overly complicated way of reporting the percentage of debt you owe relative to the amount of debt you have available.
So if you have a total balance of $10,000 across all your credit cards and you have a total of $5,000 in credit card debt, your credit utilization ratio is 50%. In keeping with our example there, your credit utilization should ideally be less than 50%.
The fastest way for you to lower your credit utilization is with the debt lasso method in step 3 above, which you can read more about here. If you need help following the Debt Lasso Method and paying off your credit card debt quickly and without errors, Sign up for the credit card payout plan here.
Order, check and clean your credit report
Your credit report is the closest thing you have to the record you have as an adult.
Over time, the old traces leave traces should disappear over time and errors remain and are recorded on your credit report. This requires you to take active steps to clean up your credit report.
Typically, you can get a free credit report from any of the three credit rating agencies: Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. Due to the current crisis, all three agencies have agreed to offer free weekly credit reports for the next year.
You can request your free reports at annualcreditreport.com. Do this now as it may (not always) take up to a month to receive a report. When you receive your reports, review them carefully and request that any old markings or errors be removed.
3 quick tips to improve your credit score
1. Sign up for Experian Boost
Experian Boost connects your FICO™ credit score to your savings and checking accounts. Once you’ve done this, Experian will review and retrieve your payment history for bills such as cable, utility and phone bills.
So if you’ve consistently paid your cable, utility and phone bills on time, your FICO credit score could improve by 5 to 50 points in 15 minutes or less.
Learn more about Experian Boost here.
2. Download the Credit Karma app
Credit Karmas app quickly and easily gives you your Vantage credit score, which is similar to but different from your FICO credit score and just as important. The app also gives you insights into the impact on your Vantage credit score and tips on how to improve it.
Learn more about Credit Karma and its app here.
3. Enroll in our free plan to improve or build your credit score
If any of this talk about credit scores and ways to improve them sounds difficult or scary, don’t go at it alone. Register with us for free Improve or create your credit score plan.
We’ll walk you through all of the steps above and more to build or improve your credit score easily and quickly. We worked with our friends at Experian to make sure this was a solid plan. Let us make this easier for you.
The 3 Biggest Mistakes That Keep Your Credit Score Low:
Find out more about the very free Improve or expand your credit score with Experian Boost here.
7. Next, start saving for retirement
Many of what we recommended above are great monetary solutions for this crisis and the next. However, don’t forget about your future. . . your retirement.
Retirement always seems too far away until it’s just around the corner.
Too many people between the ages of 55 and 65 email us and say, “I don’t have any money saved and I want to retire in five years.” That’s not impossible, but it’s not easy.
So start planning and saving for your retirement as soon as possible. Luckily we offer Here’s a 21-step plan to help you save for retirement.
Check out the 3 steps to financial wellness:
3 more tools to prepare for your retirement
1. Follow this plan to save for retirement the fastest
If you’re searching the internet for money solutions because you wanted to retire yesterday and didn’t save any money today, listen to this episode of the Queer Money® podcast. In it, we talk to Todd Tressider about his three-step plan to save, invest, and prepare for retirement quickly.
Keep listening to Todd Tressider, financial mentor Queer money®:
2. Sign up for Acorns
The first goal most people tell us is that they “don’t have enough money to start saving and investing for retirement.” Luckily for you, Our friends at Acorns have fixed this issue.
Through Acorns, you can invest in your retirement with your spare change and cashback rewards.
Find out how easy it is to invest in your retirement through Acorns here.
3. Sign in to Blooom
All too often, with 401(k)s and 403(b)s, people think they can set it up and forget about it. This is a costly mistake.
That’s because while 401(k)s and 403(b)s are the most common path to financial security in America today, they are expensive and it’s important to choose the right mutual funds or exchange traded funds (ETFs) for you .
For this reason We have partnered with Bloom.
Bloom will be conducting one free Company-supported retirement planning analysis for you. You’ll then receive unbiased advice on the right mutual funds and ETFs to suit your short- and long-term financial goals.
Find out more about Blooom by clicking this link here.
Check out 5 ways to make your money last longer in retirement:
If you are looking for money solutions and need them quickly, we recommend you follow these seven steps. From all our experience, we know that these are the fastest and most effective money solutions for financial security.
And ultimately, financial security is what you want. Right?
Note: This article contains affiliate links. This means that we receive payment at no cost to you when you purchase through these links. We only recommend products that we use or thoroughly review and would recommend to our mothers. If you buy too many of them, you’ll live fabulously broke. Life fabulous with financial security, Start here.
More money solutions to make your finances crisis-proof: