<br><div><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__bv"/><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__bvd gnt_x__h"/><aside class="gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el" aria-label="Video - 'Buy now, pay later' options seems good for some but can drive debt, experts say"><div class="gnt_em_vp_w" data-g-r="vp_tp" data-c-vt="teal" data-t-pl="teal-hero"><button class="gnt_em_vp_a gnt_em_vp__tp_a" data-g-r="vp_ap vp_tg" data-c-vpattrs="{"muted":true,"bContent":false,"an":"usatoday","pn":"USA TODAY","vidNum":1,"docking":true,"t0060":1,"cut":1}" data-c-vpdata="{"adsEnabled":true,"awsPath":"money","byline":"Ariana Triggs","canonicalURL":"","contentSourceCode":"USAT","credit":"","duration":72000,"headline":"'Buy now, pay later' options seems good for some but can drive debt, experts say","hlsURL":"https://hlsmedia.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/videos/zype/renditions/674667fa189dfa0001d6393d/480p_30fps,720p_30fps,1080p_30fps,master.m3u8?subtitles=76605217007","id":"76605217007","image":{"opto":true,"url":"/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/11/27/USAT/76605233007-buy-now-pay-later.jpg?crop=1919,1079,x0,y0"},"keywords":"Budgets and budgeting,Personal Finance and Investing,Holidays,Holiday Shopping,Shopping,Online Shopping,VPC - Video Analytics,Video Syndication - USAT","mp4URL":"https://downloadmedia.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/videos/zype/renditions/674667fa189dfa0001d6393d/1080p_30fps.mp4","origin":"USA TODAY","pageURL":{"long":"https://www.usatoday.com/videos/money/2024/11/26/consumers-grab-on-to-buy-now-pay-later-appeal/76605217007/"},"promoBrief":"'Buy now, pay later' options offer customers flexibility in paying for items and services they want, but experts warn to proceed with caution.","propertyName":"USATODAY","series":"","ssts":{"section":"money","subsection":"","topic":"","subtopic":""},"tags":[{"id":"1914ead2-9f0b-4086-9841-dce39e94ea13","name":"Budgets and budgeting"},{"id":"41f36a21-891b-48b5-88aa-880ebf243f98","name":"Personal Finance and Investing"},{"id":"17ac4560-347e-4b31-a6b8-c2d0c9f02928","name":"Holidays"},{"id":"0ebeecee-3c11-43c5-87ce-ca2a67432463","name":"Holiday Shopping"},{"id":"52d93b4b-2824-4cea-bcee-acdd1f41b320","name":"Shopping"},{"id":"222631e1-99b0-4569-9a5d-d48381241207","name":"Online Shopping"},{"id":"12cc5543-9f04-49f7-9b7f-d0d46b93b8e0","name":"VPC - Video Analytics"},{"id":"6f55135f-3b5e-490d-8a52-a3b8e1f11ee7","name":"Video Syndication - USAT"}],"title":"Consumers grab on to 'buy now, pay later' appeal","url":"/videos/money/2024/11/26/consumers-grab-on-to-buy-now-pay-later-appeal/76605217007/"}" aria-label="Play video"><img alt="" class="gnt_em_vp_img" src="https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/images/motleyfool/2024/12/31/USAT/77344174007-getty-begin-2025-new-year.jpeg?crop=5499,3093,x0,y433&width=660&height=371&format=pjpg&auto=webp" data-g-r="vp_po" fetchpriority="high" elementtiming="ar-lead-image" decoding="async"/><svg class="gnt_em_vp_svg"><use xlink:href="#gnt_svg_video_play"/></svg></button></div></aside><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">If you want to look back on 2025 with great satisfaction, here are some financial moves you might make now or soon:</p><h2 class="gnt_ar_b_h2">1. Get out of debt</h2><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">It's hard to get ahead if you're paying 15% or 25% in interest while aiming to earn 8% or 10% on investments. So aim to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fool.com/money/personal-finance/how-to-pay-off-debt/?utm_source=usa-today&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article&referring_guid=02dcd335-de87-4db0-a4d0-bae60b92a78a" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|z|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">get out of any high-interest rate debt</a> as soon as you can.</p><h2 class="gnt_ar_b_h2">2. Live below your means</h2><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Each of us should be <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fool.com/retirement/2024/08/21/10-secrets-of-ira-millionaires/?utm_source=usa-today&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article&referring_guid=02dcd335-de87-4db0-a4d0-bae60b92a78a" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|z|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">living below our means</a> – spending less than we bring in. The greater the difference between what you earn and what you spend, the more money you can free up for retirement savings or for your kids' college educations or whatever is important to you.</p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><h2 class="gnt_ar_b_h2">3. Have an emergency fund</h2><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Unless you're financially independent, you'll want to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fool.com/terms/e/emergency-fund/?utm_source=usa-today&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article&referring_guid=02dcd335-de87-4db0-a4d0-bae60b92a78a" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|z|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">have an emergency fund</a> at the ready, able to cover at least three or more months' worth of all nonnegotiable expenses (such as taxes, housing, food, transportation, utilities, etc.). You may not expect to be laid off or to face sudden huge expenses such as a big car repair or major surgery, but it can happen. If you have an emergency fund to tap at such times, you won't have to break into savings or retirement accounts or take on any debt.</p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><h2 class="gnt_ar_b_h2">4. Rebalance your portfolio</h2><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">We at the Motley Fool often extol the virtue of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2024/12/25/prediction-2-stocks-will-be-worth-more-than-nvidia/?utm_source=usa-today&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article&referring_guid=02dcd335-de87-4db0-a4d0-bae60b92a78a" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|z|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">investing in great companies</a> (or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2024/10/11/is-the-vanguard-sp-500-etf-a-millionaire-maker/?utm_source=usa-today&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article&referring_guid=02dcd335-de87-4db0-a4d0-bae60b92a78a" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|z|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">great and powerful index funds</a>) -- and then leaving those investments alone to grow over long periods. Legendary investor Warren Buffett, too, has said that his favorite holding period is forever.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Still, it's sometimes smart to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fool.com/investing/how-to-invest/balanced-portfolio/?utm_source=usa-today&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article&referring_guid=02dcd335-de87-4db0-a4d0-bae60b92a78a" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|z|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">rebalance your portfolio</a>....</p></div> <style> .wrapper { text-align: center; } </style> <div class="wrapper"> <a class="button" href ="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2025/01/05/smart-money-moves-new-year/77344178007/">Read more <span>➤</span></a> </div>
