Becoming Debt Free Tips

Getting debt free doesn't have to be just a dream, you can escape the nightmare of the debt cycle. If you are fed up with your debt levels, live in fear because of debt it's time to end it. I've been paying off and tracking my debt for over four years.

Here Are Five Tips To Becoming Debt Free:

1. Evaluate your financial situation by creating a budget. List all your expenses for the month and see what you can reduce and cut back on.

2. The money you save in cutting back is then put into your debt.

3. There is lots of methods for paying off debt. Pay the smallest debt off first, the one with the highest interest rate. In my eyes start on any debt you wish to clear, be it card credits, loans or the mortgage. When you want your debt to be gone paying off any debt is best than not dealing with it at all.

4. Avoid using debt. I know that some types of debt are difficult to avoid. You probably need a loan to buy a home or a car. We can't all be rich jerks. Just be more aware of using debt to fund a life you can't afford.

5. When you make any extra money throw it all at your debts.

Just to make is clear am not obsessed with paying off debt, or a fitness freak. Debt busting and getting fitter shouldn't be and isn't that hard when you committed to the cause. Small changes to your habits make a big difference.

Paying Down Debts might not feel or be very exciting and you'll have to cut down on recreational spending and treats to make it happen. Yes that might mean less beer, less computer games and no cigarettes.

What areas are you spending the most money on. Where can you lower bills and outgoings. We want to save money so we can pay off debt.

If paying off debt was fun more people would do it faster. The fact is being in debt and unfit is destroying your ability to enjoy and live life to the maximum. DO IT FOR YOU AND DO IT NOW.

Have you Ever Met a Fat Vegetarian?

Think about it, have you ever seen a fat vegetarian? Probably not. In fact, for most of us, vegetarian is almost synonymous with lean and healthy, isn’t it? And when you start any diet, what’s the first thing the experts tell you? Generally it’s to increase the amounts of vegetables you’re eating and to eat limited amounts of meat, especially high-fat red meat and pork.

And what happens when you resume your old eating habits? Generally the weight will come right back on. Even the greatest will-power can’t overcome the unhealthy effects of eating high-fat meat.

When you eat a diet that’s higher in dietary fiber, that’s primarily if not totally vegetarian, you’re naturally healthier. You’re feeding your body and getting it the nutrition it needs to run efficiently. You have more energy and stamina; you wake up more easily and more refreshed. It’s easier to exercise, because you’re not so weighed down by digesting the high fat and excessive protein that comes from eating a carnivorous diet.

Many diets fail because we think of them as depriving ourselves of food we love. The trick is to change that thinking. There are so many compelling reasons to reduce meat from our diet, so why not forget about losing weight? Focus instead on eating healthier, or eating in a way that’s in balance with the earth, and that doesn’t need to subsist on the suffering of animals. You’ll probably find you’ll start to lose weight without even thinking about it.

And when you do lose weight, so many other health risks can fall by the wayside as well. You’ll find your blood pressure falls into a healthier range and your risk for Type II diabetes can decrease. You’ll look better and feel better and probably never go back to your old ways of eating.

Company Bonus

Each year every employee get a bonus based on last year's profits and personal performance. There is always a buzz around the workplace as people wait for their reviews to see how much they are going to receive and what they will spend it on after the taxman has taken his piece.

In previous years I’ve bought a cheap £700 car, used the money to go on holiday, bought a new PC and lots of other gadgets.

Can you guess what I’m spending the money on this year? That’s correct, weight loss surgery. Ha, no it’s my debt.

While it would be great to spend the bonus on something fun or upgrade my mobile the sensible and wise thing to do is spend it on debt. I’ve developed a good habit to put all spare cash and extra earning into reducing my financial liabilities.

It’s easy to forget that the reward for working and hitting targets is earning your wage and even easier to waste it on buying things that you think you need.

Creating a Schedule to Pay Off Your Debt

It would be great to double my income so I could pay everything off sooner, however I have to be honest that is unlikely. And yet with some aggressive budgeting and health changes I've made some big savings which I've use to clear off my debts.

To date I've paid off:

Overdraft: £800

Credit Cards: £7,919 + £5039 = £12,958

Car Loan: £6,885

Now I only have my mortgage outstanding and want to pay it off faster.

I admit my debt repayment plan was extreme and I sacrificed a lot but I learned that spending less on the things you think you need saves a fortune and you'll be able to pile that money into your debts.

I've sold things I don't use or want anymore, made massive debt repayments when I've received my company bonus and even spent my emergency fund on debt. I spend money on my debt. I want the evil beast killed off so I can build wealth.

The best course of action is to take action and stop paying the minimum amount every month. Sure some months you may need to reduce the payments and not contribute as much because you want a meal out and a few beers with friends, or want to go on holiday with the family. You can still have a social life and purchase the things that you enjoy now and then. It's not totally forbidden to enjoy yourself and have some fun.

Please remember your debt schedule doesn't have to be forever. Make addition credit card and loan repayments when every you can. Find cheaper insurance pay it towards your debt, save on your energy bills put it towards your debt, reduce your food bill pay it towards your debt, get some birthday money pay it towards your debt, find money on the pavement put it in your debt.

Your schedule to pay off your debt doesn't have to be that radical. I suggest you devote the maximum that you can afford to your debt every month by trying some of my methods above. Spending your income on debt is the only way to reduce the debt balance until it's gone.

The bottom line is make sure you budget for your debt as well as the good stuff. Debt paid off today saves you a fortune in interest in the future. Progress may be slow at the start and yet any small random payments will help repay your debts, whether it takes 12 months or twelve years total debt freedom is the goal.

 

Cyber Security Framework

I’ve worked in cyber security and been preventing cybercrime for over several years now. Am the sort of hero that keeps your data safe and shouts at you for using “Qwerty1” as your password and sticking to your monitor on a post-it note.

Cyber Security is such a big space to cover and the threats to computer systems are always evolving. If you are interested in taking up Cyber Security as a career here are a few things that you should study and learn more about:

Access Controls:

Permission to login and access network resources and software. In a Windows environment this is managed by Active Directory or AD for short. AD authenticates users and device access to a network domains. Group policy can be used to protect how the operating system and applications interact with users.

Secure Networking:

Networks and computer systems need to be secured and locked down using firewalls to block traffic ports and prevent unauthorised devices from using the network.

Denial Of Services:

This happens when a website or service is overloaded by requests with the intention to bring the service down. Flooding a server with more web traffic than it can handle will cause it to slow down and even crash. This causes disruption to customers and reputational and financial losses to organisations.

Viruses, Trojans, Malware & Ransomware

Cyber attack intend to infect systems so they can take control to steal data personal information for profit, cause damage, spend adverting messages or for hacking bragging rights.

Phishing & Social Engineering:

Phishing attacks are the top method for cyber criminals and hackers to compromise a network or PC system. Social Engineering uses manipulation to gain access to accounts and computers.

Phishing emails use con tricks to get you to reveal confidential information and account details so hackers and criminals can take control of computer systems and services. This is usually by clicking a link or opening an attachment.

Social media also possess a risk as information can be gathered from your online presence and data harvested by site scrapping unsecured profiles and unethical apps.

Cybercrime is a growing threat and I enjoy making my living by preventing your information and data ending up in the wrong hands.

YOUR JOB

No matter what job you do, when you get paid learn to manage your money. The income you earn needs to be used wisely. Use it to save, invest and clear your debt.