Tip of the Day

Make your monthly loan payments forever. That;s right, never pay that car off. But pay yourself instead of the lender. Many of us have monthly loan payments, whether for a car loan, credit card debt, a mortgage, or all of the above. When you’ve finally paid off a debt, try to keep it up. But instead of sending a check to the lender, deposit the money into a savings account. You've increased your net worth by paying off the debt; now keep up the good work by building up your assets.

Say you've got a car payment that is $435 a month and you finally get that sporty Camry you bought paid for. That car is gonna last another 10 years if you care for it. Keep "paying" that $435 a month, but dump it into a savings account or a mutual fund, depending on your goals. In another 10 years that payment will be worth over $52,000 even if its sitting in a crappy savings account and over $60,000 if its in a mutual fund. Unless of course the economy goes into the crapper.