The Mogo Blog

4 Crazy Ways to Stop Credit Card Debt Before it Starts

Credit Card Problems? We’ve all been there – trust me. But here are some (possibly insane) ways to stop the pain of credit card over-spending. Credit cards can be easy to get, and that’s part of the problem. Cash (that you don’t actually have) is easy to access and spend, which can cause a mountain of debt to deal with. When this happens, it’s time to sort out your credit card habits. Here are some ways to stop the over-spending pain before it even starts. While all of them might not be for you, you might find an overall theme that we’re trying to get across… The Tips! 1. Cut’em Up! That’s right! Ditch the card entirely. If you can’t trust yourself to spend responsibly, then you’re better off using the scissors than using the POS. If you’ve got a few cards, but only need one… trim down the fat. 2. Leave them at home You might not be able to go through with #1, but Tip #2 is well within reason. Heading out to the mall to pick yourself up a new shirt? Only take the cash that you have

$2000 In Cash Prizes & $1 Donated To Food Banks Canada For Each Entry

The Dollars for Debt contest is back and it’s bigger and better than ever! There are $2000 in cash prizes to be won and $1 will be donated to Food Banks Canada for every person that enters and publishes the contest to their Facebook wall. We have a tool that lets you do this in 10 seconds! ENTER NOW to win money towards paying your bills! Contest closes at 12:00pm PST on November 25th, 2010 Free Sweepstakes and Contest

How I Lowered My Credit Card Rate & Saved $100s!

To kick off our “Save $100 in 10 Minutes” section, here is a 10-minute tip that could actually save you hundreds of dollars over the year. Your Credit Card Like everyone, I’ve got credit cards and sometimes run my bill higher than I’d like (even as a money blogger!). That’s a normal part of your financial life. Spending is easy – especially with credit. To keep your spending and credit card habits in check, there are a ton of budgeting tips and financial techniques, but have you thought about simply paying less interest on the money that’s riding on your credit card? It seems like a crazy concept – or one the banks would hate – but in reality, with some simple steps and a phone call, you can cut your payments down with relative ease. Take Me For Example Credit card companies have 24/7 phone support from representatives who have access to your accounts – and your rates and available cash. Think of them as people working for you and not Visa/Mastercard. I was getting a pretty standard 19.97% interest charge on my Visa card – it’s the same rate as when I signed up three

Canadians on the Brink of Debt Spiral

A warning from those that know – Canadians are carrying way too much debt. That’s the finding from a new survey by the Certified General Accountants Association. The CGA says 84 per cent of Canadians carry debt – 14 per cent say it’s increasing too fast and a full quarter of us aren’t saving any money, even for retirement. If it continues on the current pace it will only put more downward pressure on the economy. It’s all too easy to use that plastic to pay day-to-day living expenses. Years of cheap and easy credit and the lure of rewards have left people like Alex struggling. “The purpose of the credit card was to gain points for free airmiles, but then they changed the policy to 20 per cent only – unfortunately it’s not working the way we wanted it to. But we still have the debt now.” He says he is not keeping up. “Right now we are month-to-month paying it off – it’s a little dry for sure right now.” Source: NEWS 1130 Ready to break the cycle of big loans, long terms and more debt? Mogo only offers small loans and short terms which means