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Top 10 Overlooked Causes of Debt

ByGrayson Bell 02/27/201408/26/2022

Over the past decade, more and more people have found themselves deep in financial debt. While there may be some obvious reasons why some people have gotten into debt, there are also many other overlooked factors that could have led to their accumulation of debt. I have spent a good amount of my adult life in debt. I know how it feels. There is nothing fun about it, but that doesn’t mean it has to define you. Remember that you are the one in control of your money, so don’t let it take control of you. We all make mistakes and debt should be one that you only make once. I don’t plan on making the debt mistake again, so I hope you do the same.

Real Estate

Six Home Improvements That Can Add Value When You Sell

ByGrayson Bell 02/20/201407/12/2016

One of the popular ways to build long-term wealth is to own your own home. While simply owning a home and paying down a mortgage over time will lead a significant amount of wealth creation, those that are looking to maximize the amount of equity that they could ultimately have in their homes should look for ways to improve their home. Those that are looking for home improvement projects to consider, here are six specific home improvements that could add the most amount of value to your home when you ultimately try to sell your home.

Banking | Reviews

American Express Personal Savings Review – A Good Option

ByGrayson Bell 02/04/201404/23/2022

As a reformed spender, I love the opportunity to save money. Unfortunately for all of us savers, the economy is not really geared to rewarding us for holding onto our money. Even with low interest rates, I still love to save money and want to tell you about the American Express personal savings account. One of my goals is to give my readers options on where they store their cash. I am a big proponent of spreading your liquid assets in different places, so adding another savings account is no big thing for me. I am also a big fan of American Express, because they are the holder of one of my favorite cash back credit cards. Since my large banks are giving their savings customers a paltry 0.10%, anything better than that is good for everyone!

Insurance

Insurance Basics – Spreading Risk

ByGrayson Bell 02/02/201407/27/2017

Insurance is on the forefront of everyone’s thoughts these days. With the new healthcare roll out in the US, people are wanting to know more about insurance. Insurance is actually a pretty easy topic to understand, but there are still people out there that don’t carry any insurance or just don’t really know how it actually works. I am going to go over the simple basics of insurance and how it works, just on a top level. There are many forms of insurance, which include health, car, home, marine, business, life, banking, and many more. Insurance is a part of our life, so we should take just a little time to understand how it works.

Cell Phones

Dear Verizon, This Is Our Final Goodbye!

ByGrayson Bell 12/02/201312/01/2013

Dear Verizon Wireless, I have been a loyal customer of your cell phone service since I was 16. You provided the best service at a reasonable price. You allowed me to get a nice phone for very little money and pay it off on my bill every month. Then, you would reduce my bill after the phone was paid for. Those were the days! Unfortunately, times have changed. Here is our final goodbye letter letting you know that were are dumping you for someone a little less flashy, but way more affordable.

Autos

Why You Should Pay Down Your Debt Before Financing a Car

ByGuest Author 08/27/201310/02/2015

It is always a good idea to pay down your debt. Surely, you have heard that mantra before. It is shouted from every personal finance rooftop on the internet. But why is it such a good idea, especially when you look at it in the light applying for a new car loan? There are many reasons you might not be immediately aware of, so here we go.

Savings

How A Window A/C Unit Saved Me Money

ByGrayson Bell 08/07/201308/06/2013

My home air conditioner is severely inefficient, so my wife and I decided to look into saving money another way. We love to have our room very cold when we sleep, but we just couldn’t afford it. In a way to save money, I bought a window air conditioner and looked to see how much I would save. Check out my saving experiment and see how much I was able to save each and every month.

Personal

A Gym Membership, an Auto-Draft, and a Lawsuit

ByGrayson Bell 04/10/201308/14/2014

A gym membership is a great way to get in shape, but sometimes things can go wrong. When I was in high school, I signed up with Gold’s Gym for a one year membership. I had used the gym everyday to get in shape and I was enjoying it. One day that all changed with Gold’s Gym couldn’t pull money from my account any more. After a few more months, I got a call from a lawyer representing Gold’s Gym. They were suing me. Here is the full story.

Recommendations

ByGrayson Bell 04/06/201308/23/2022

As a personal finance blogger, I have used or tested quite a few tools and resources in order to help me get to my main financial goals. There are so many websites out there that it can be hard to choose. I wanted to personally hand select some of the helpful money tools for you, so…

Money

Too Focused on Money and Losing Focus on Enjoyment?

ByGrayson Bell 03/11/201311/13/2015

Ever since July 2012, I have been focusing on building my savings account, my investments, and my net worth. Everything that I do has been focused on building my wealth and getting on track for retirement. I have been so focused on making more money, saving money, and getting on track that I have forgot to focus on things that I enjoy. I have kept a sharp eye on finances and got blurry vision on my hobbies. I need to get back on track and open my eyes completely. I need to refocus my energy toward my hobbies. Are we too driven by money?

Fighting Debt | Personal

My Personal Debt Beginning

ByGrayson Bell 08/26/201212/13/2016

My personal debt story begins the same as many people’s does, with one credit card and the feeling of freedom on the horizon. I got my first credit card during my freshman year in college. I was working at the time, but didn’t earn much. I had enough to pay for gas and go out when I wanted to eat something that was not made during a creative cafeteria night. My credit card was a SonyCard, which gave me points to get free Sony electronics. This was a win-win for me because I love electronics and I love being able to “afford” the things I want. This card was the beginning of a long journey that I will never forget.

About Wealth Bytes

ByGrayson Bell 08/22/201206/01/2023

My name is Grayson Bell and I created this site in 2012 after I took an all too familiar journey to get out of debt. Wealth Bytes is dedicated to figuring out how to get your finances in order and push yourself to get out of debt. Once out of debt, we want to help…