Don't let these four mistakes wreck your debt payoff plans in 2026. Learn how to outsmart them and ditch your balance faster.

To pay off credit card debt, start with your credit score to assess your options. Checking your credit score will not damage your credit.

Make a list of your credit card debt, from the highest interest rate to the lowest. Decide how much extra you can spare.

Could your debt be reduced or forgiven? Take our financial relief quiz. According to a review of in-house data by Experian in 2025, the average American holds over $105,000 in debt. From car loans to ...

Debt levels in the U.S. are climbing higher than ever, and the strain is being felt across millions of households. Borrowers are carrying larger balances overall in terms of their debt loads, and ...

Being saddled with debt can be stressful, especially if you're balancing that struggle with saving for long-term goals like growing your family or retirement. But if you do have debt, you're certainly ...

When preparing for retirement, making a plan to get out of debt should be part of the process. Yet paying down debt can seem like a daunting, or even impossible, goal. Many Americans are living with ...

Ashley Eneriz is a financial writer who has been published on a myriad of sites. She has 10+ years of financial writing experience. Investopedia / Nez Riaz The debt avalanche and the debt snowball ...

Ali Hussain has a background that consists of a career in finance with large financial institutions and in journalism covering business. Vikki Velasquez is a researcher and writer who has managed, ...

Jennifer Allan says AI helped her focus on paying off her debt. A woman says she turned to artificial intelligence and used ChatGPT for help with paying off thousands of dollars of debt. Realtor and ...