How to Beat the Winter Blues

Whip Your Finances into Shape

Not only is it seemingly always dark outside—it's that special time of year when holiday credit cards bills start rolling in, rapid-fire. And while a couple years ago you may have regretted buying a quesadilla maker for your cousin’s-boyfriend’s-best friend, it's even scarier to face your debt in the midst of a recession. You know you need to pay it off, but then what? We went back to some of Suze's best advice for advanced debt-control. She says to keep newly paid off accounts open but inactive. "About 30 percent of your credit rating (FICO score) is based on your debt-to-credit ratio," she explains. Closing the accounts will reduce your amount of available credit and hurt your FICO score.

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