Do
you have savings? Do you find yourself exhausting savings as
a way of supporting your debts?
If you do not have savings, you should be concerned
because you may not be able to adjust to an unexpected situation
that requires additional financial resources. If you are exhausting
savings to keep up with your bills, it may be an indication
that you are spending more than your income can support.
Do you pay only minimum payments
on your credit cards?
If you are only making minimum payments and can afford
to pay more, you should. If you can only afford minimum payments
or not much more than minimum payments, you are probably overextended
and should analyze your budget and adjust your spending behavior.
It is likely that if you are thrown into a situation that
requires more financial resources, your situation will become
unmanageable.
Have you been declined credit or
declined a credit line increase?
Being declined for credit is a good sign that
you need to evaluate your finances. Creditors use guidelines
to determine your credit worthiness and if they decline you,
it means that they feel that your finances exhibit signs of
trouble.
After you pay your monthly credit
card bills, do you accumulate as much or more debt the following
month?
This may be a sign that you are dependent on
your credit cards to maintain your style of living or supplement
day to day living expenses.
Can you account for the total amount
of debt that you owe? Do you avoid adding up the total of
the amount of your outstanding debt?
If you can not account for the total amount
of debt that you owe, you may be avoiding the problem. You
must confront your spending behavior. Stop avoiding the pain
of paying on your debt and establish a better repayment plan
before the situation becomes unmanageable.
Are your cards nearing or over your
available credit limit? Have you ever attempted to make a
credit card purchase and had the card declined?
If the answer is yes, it may be another sign
that you are turning your cheek to the pain of confronting
paying for credit card purchases. It is also a sign that you
are not aware of your financial situation. If you were aware
of your finances and understood how high your balances were,
the situation could have been avoided. Your creditors assign
a credit limit to you based on your credit history, outstanding
indebtedness, and income. If you are at or near your limit
it is a good sign that you are headed for financial trouble.
Are you dependent on cash advances
to pay on your other credit obligations?
Danger!!! Stop immediately!! Your income can
not support your style of life. Analyze your budget and make
adjustments. You may need to seek outside help for guidance.
Do you purposely hide credit card
bills from family members?
Hiding debt from family members is an indication
that you realize that there is a problem. The fact that you
feel you have to hide your spending behavior from loved ones
indicates that you refuse to confront the situation, but realize
there is a problem.
Do you float checks or bounce checks?
Floating checks is the practice of issuing a
check in hopes that by the time the check is cashed, you will
have the money in the account. Floating and/or bouncing checks
is an indication that you are living paycheck to paycheck
and your finances are in trouble. Floating and bouncing checks
indicates that you are not fully aware of your financial situation.
Do you get collection calls from
creditors?
Collection calls are a sure sign that you are
behind on credit obligations. Don't avoid the problem. Start
planning to become current again.
If
you answered YES to any of these questions, click here.
