Given Robin’s recent inheritance, it was clearly time for her to pay off her consumer debt.  She had the remainder of a car loan, which I told her to pay off right away, as well as her credit card balance of $3,000.  I suggested that she might want to change her outlook on how to use credit cards going forward.  Credit cards, when the balance is paid off monthly, give you the opportunity to get some cash back or rewards for their use.  I suggested that she spend a little time at the website www.creditcard.com to find a rewards card that matches her needs., some offer discounts on airline tickets or free flights, others give pay you back in gift cards to buy gas or are affiliated with major retailers.  Even though she had carried a balance for years, she had a good credit rating from always making timely payments, and would have no problem getting a card with rewards.

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