Controlling Your Finances_What Will YOU Do?

[''NOTHING BUT BILLS''] --- <img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/HDLearning_PublishedOpenly/_Twine%20Pictures/TooManyBills.png" width="700 height="350" alt="Too Many Bills"> You have been having a difficult time, financially, for several years. In fact, it’s been so long, that it’s hard to remember a time when you //weren’t// struggling. This month in particular, you are doubtful that you can pay all your bills. You are already behind on a couple of things, as well as having credit card debt. The whole situation feels like a house of cards that’s about to fall down. Time to decide what bills to pay and what to fall behind on. You: --- [[> Contact a Payday Loan company to see what they can do for you.->Payday Loan]] [[> Get educated about ways to get out of debt, and what community resources are available.->Financial Education]]

''PAYDAY LOAN'' --- <img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/HDLearning_PublishedOpenly/_Twine%20Pictures/PaydayLoans.png" width="650" height="350" alt="Payday Loan"> You contact the payday loan company. Two, in fact. The rates are basically the same...high!! But it seems better than your current situation. You decide to: --- [[> Take the loan->Continued Money Problems]] [[> Learn more about your financial options->Financial Education]]

''FINANCIAL EDUCATION'' --- <img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/HDLearning_PublishedOpenly/_Twine%20Pictures/FinancialEducation.png" width="650" height="350" alt="Payday Loan"> You attend a series of short online courses that teach you how to set up and stick to a budget, how to get out of debt faster, and how to save money on things like utilities and basic needs. Afterwards, you: --- [[> Stick to the principles you were taught, and track your spending carefully. You review your spending each month, as well as the debt you still owe.->Getting Better]] [[> Do pretty well for the first month, then get busy and forget. Also, you really needed a new cell phone, and it wasn’t cheap. You decided to pay for it monthly, which means your phone bill has gone up.->Continued Money Problems]]

''GETTING BETTER'' --- <img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/HDLearning_PublishedOpenly/_Twine%20Pictures/CreditScore.png" width="650" height="350" alt="CreditScore"> In addition to reducing your spending, you contacted a reputable debt consolidation company to work out a payment plan. It’s not going to be easy, but if you can stick to the plan, your debt will be paid off in 3 years. Best of all, your credit rating will start to improve. Choices: --- [[> You made the first several debt payments on time, but then other things came up that you needed to spend the money on.->If At First You Don't Succeed]] [[> You make your payments to the debt consolidation company on time, even though you had to pay a couple of other bills late, like your phone bill.->Much Less Stress!]]

(text-colour:magenta)[''THE PROBLEMS CONTINUE''] --- <img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/HDLearning_PublishedOpenly/_Twine%20Pictures/EngineTrouble_Car.png" width="650" height="350" alt="Engine Trouble_car"> You are still having difficulty making ends meet, and you haven’t paid off your existing debt. Now you’ve learned that your car needs expensive repairs, likely in the next month. Without a car, you can’t get to work. If you do repair your car, you’ll go deeper into debt. You: --- [[> Quit your job, then try to find another. It will look better to potential employers if you quit than if you get fired.->IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME]] [[> Find a job near home, so that you can walk or take the bus. Then quit your current job. If your car breaks down before you can find another job, pay someone to give you a ride (or use Lyft).->A New Job]] [[> Get your car repaired as cheaply as you can.->Good News, Bad News]]

''IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME, BUT... '' --- <img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/HDLearning_PublishedOpenly/_Twine%20Pictures/Empty%20Wallet_Twine_WWYD.png" width="650" height="350" alt="Empty Wallet"> So, you quit your job, rather than risk being fired. Unfortunately, that means you have no more income. To make matters worse, recruiters and hiring managers are less likely to hire people who aren’t currently employed. --- To see the final outcome of your choices: [[CLICK HERE->FINAL OUTCOME 3]]

(text-colour:lime)[''A SIGH OF RELIEF''] <img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/HDLearning_PublishedOpenly/_Twine%20Pictures/CreditScore.png" width="650" height="350" alt="CreditScore"> Now that you have a new job, and no car, maybe it’s time to pay off some debt. But there are other things you would like to do with the extra money, like take a trip, or finally start eating at a restaurant more than once a month. What to do? You decide to contact a debt consolidation company and try to get your money under control. --- [[CONTACT THE COMPANY->Getting Better]]

[''THINGS COULD BE BETTER''] <img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/HDLearning_PublishedOpenly/_Twine%20Pictures/Work%20Schedule_no%20hours.png" width="650" height="350" alt="CreditScore"> The good news is, your car got fixed, and it didn't cost you quite as much as you were worried about. But you missed a few days of work while waiting on your car, so your hours got cut. Still, you haven't been fired...yet... --- To see the final outcome of your choices: [[CLICK HERE ->FINAL OUTCOME 2]]

(text-colour:magenta)[''COULDA WOULDA SHOULDA''] <img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/HDLearning_PublishedOpenly/_Twine%20Pictures/BadChoice_roadsign.png" width="650" height="350" alt="BadChoice_RoadSign"> Okay, you messed up. The important thing is that you know it. You remembered a key point from the financial wellness courses: the only way to end the vicious cycle of overdue bills and high-interest credit cards is to Get Out of Debt! (text-colour:cyan)[TAKE THE PLUNGE] – you decide to contact the debt consolidation company, and resume payments as scheduled. Because you missed some payments, your debt won’t get paid of quite as quickly as you hoped, but it WILL get paid off. --- [[CONTACT THE COMPANY->Much Less Stress!]]

''MUCH LESS STRESS'' <img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/HDLearning_PublishedOpenly/_Twine%20Pictures/Relief_face.png" width="650" height="350" alt="Relief_Face"> Whew, making those payments was tough! Especially the months when you had unexpected expenses, like XYZ. But now, you have ZERO DEBT! Now that you no longer have to make payments to the debt consolidation company, and have no more credit card debt, you have a little bit extra to put away. Equally as important – your stress level has gone WAY down. --- To see the final outcome of your choices: [[CLICK HERE->FINAL OUTCOME 1]]

[(text-colour:red)[''THE FUTURE ISN'T LOOKING GREAT RIGHT NOW'']] The worst hasn’t happened, thankfully. But you also haven’t improved your financial situation. You continue to struggle with bills and debt for the foreseeable future, which means you are under constant stress. It even takes its toll on your health and personal relationships. Some options to consider include: * Continued financial education/counseling * Moving in with a friend to share rent/bills * Contacting a reputable debt consolidation company --- You can use the "back" arrow, located at the top left of the screen, to go back and make a different choice. To Exit this session, click "Leave Session" below. You can reenter the scenario from the beginning and try again. [[LEAVE SESSION->EXIT TO PORTFOLIO]]

(text-colour:red)[''THIS COULD BE BAD. REALLY BAD''] Not only haven’t you cleared up existing debt, now you’ve got more. You are constantly trying to stay one step ahead of the debt collectors, but it’s futile. You could get evicted, get your belongings auctioned off, and more. Some options to consider include: * Continued financial education/counseling * Moving in with a friend to share rent/bills * Contacting a reputable debt consolidation company --- You can use the "back" arrow, located at the top left of the screen, to go back and make a different choice. To Exit this session, click "Leave Session" below. You can reenter the scenario from the beginning and try again. [[LEAVE SESSION->EXIT TO PORTFOLIO]]

(text-colour:#12a512)[''[NICELY DONE!]''] Now that your debt is paid off and you have started a savings account, you are feeling SO much better! You are smiling more, sleeping better, and have more energy. Your personal relationships have even improved! You have a financial plan to stay out of debt, and the knowledge and confidence to stick to it. --- You can use the "back" arrow, located at the top left of the screen, to go back and make a different choice. To Exit this session, click "Leave Session" below. You can reenter the scenario from the beginning and try again. [[LEAVE SESSION->EXIT TO PORTFOLIO]]

{(link repeat: "LEAVE SESSION") [(goto-url: "http://www.myhdlearning.com/portfolio")}}