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One stock you may not have heard about that was swept up in the stock-buying frenzy was Express, a mall retailer that perfectly profiled the small-cap stock that the Reddit forum, WallStreetBets, favored. This stock took off like a track star leaping off running blocks. Its 400% leap, startled Wall Street\u2019s elite billionaire investors, causing them to appeal in desperation to the SEC to stop the Reddit-based retail investors from seizing the day with their unorthodox but perfectly legitimate crowdsource-like tactics.<\/span><\/p>\n If you wish you could have got in on the action when it was unfolding, then you should prepare yourself for something as spectacular happening again in the future by paying down your debt to a zero balance and setting S.M.A.R.T.E.R. financial goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may seem absurd to talk about paying your debts down to zero when you consider yourself lucky just to pay off even a small portion of your credit card balance every month. If you\u2019re in this dicey situation, there is a way out that you may not have considered: Getting a consolidated loan. This is an unsecured loan that is substantial enough to pay off all your credit cards at once.<\/span><\/p>\n Repaying a consolidated loan is easier than paying off each credit card one at a time because you will pay a lower interest rate and only pay an amount that works with your budget.<\/span><\/p>\n Consumers can also use <\/span>installment loans to build credit<\/span><\/a> and reduce debt. These are short-term loans that can be repaid in small installments. You can receive up to $2,000 to pay off credit cards with the highest interest rates and pay the loan off in a more practical and affordable way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As you\u2019ve probably guessed, S.M.A.R.T. does not refer to a more ingenious way of setting goals \u2014 although it is more multilayered than most goal-setting methods \u2014 but is an acronym.\u00a0 Briefly, S stands for \u201cspecific,\u201d M stands for \u201cmeasurable,\u201d A stands for \u201cactionable,\u201d R stands for \u201crelevant,\u201d and T stands for \u201ctime-bound.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While this <\/span>goal-setting framework<\/span><\/a> is often used by corporations to improve their bottom line, you can borrow it to improve your own personal finances. The reason it\u2019s more effective than most goal-setting methods is that it forces you to clearly outline your aspirations, which, of course, increases your likelihood of achieving them.<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a closer look at how this goal-setting method can be used for <\/span>financial goals<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n In summary, position yourself to have the money you need to jump in on promising future stock market investments by paying off all your debt and setting S.M.A.R.T. financial goals for the year. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One stock you may not have heard about that was swept up in the stock-buying frenzy was Express, a mall retailer that perfectly profiled the small-cap stock that the Reddit forum, WallStreetBets, favored. This stock took off like a track star leaping off running blocks. Its 400% leap, startled Wall Street\u2019s elite billionaire investors, causing … <\/p>\nPaying Down Your Debt to Zero Balance\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
Set S.M.A.R.T. Financial Goals\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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