{"id":52426,"date":"2020-10-26T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-26T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ae.com\/aerie-real-life\/?p=52426"},"modified":"2020-10-26T14:46:44","modified_gmt":"2020-10-26T14:46:44","slug":"financial-tips-berna-anat-part-3-reducing-debt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ae.com\/aerie-real-life\/2020\/10\/26\/financial-tips-berna-anat-part-3-reducing-debt\/","title":{"rendered":"Financial Tips by Berna Anat (Part 3): Reducing Debt"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hey Aerie<\/a> Fam, Berna Anat here, your Financial Hype Woman bringing you more money tips to help you get prepared for the future! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So many of us walk around with this one financial secret burning a hole in our brains (and our wallets). But is it even a secret if you share it with 80% of strangers you see walking down the street? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big not-so-secret is debt, and yep \u2014 8 of every 10 Americans are in debt, with an average of around $38,000 owed. (I know my folks in grad school are like, \u201cI wish<\/em> we owed only $38k!\u201d) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Debt is so common that lots of us assume it\u2019s a life sentence; we feel forever buried under never-ending interest charges and monthly fees. But if you\u2019re getting compensated fairly and you\u2019ve got a grip on your budget and savings goals (oh hey, first two videos<\/a>!), then I can help answer some of the questions hiding in that debt cloud over your head: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which do I focus on first: Debt or savings? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How do I approach my debt if I don\u2019t know where to start? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Why has no one actually<\/em> explained to me what an interest rate is?! <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Peep our latest video to put together a debt plan that \u2014 finally! \u2014 makes sense to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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