It is important to pay off short term high interest debt before taking on any stock investment positions. It’s simply a numbers game. Here’s the rationality behind getting rid of debt as the start to your investment strategy. You can find this and more strategies at Finance World if you wish.
High interest can eat away at your investment earnings. It’s simple math. If you are paying 10% a year on a credit card, which is on the low end, you have to make at least 10% in the stock market to break even. So before you find stocks to invest in, pay off all of your credit cards. This isn’t even including the rate of inflation, which will also eat into your earnings.
The best thing you can do for yourself is to find a financial advisor to talk through all of this stuff and get help. They will look through your finances with you and show you how you can save yourself lost time and money with tips like this.