How I paid off $20,000 in credit card debt without giving up my avocado toast
You don’t need to give up your avocado toast to pay off credit card debt.
5 min read
Jul 19, 2022
EXPERTISE
- Consumer law
- Monetary policy
- Debt management
- Mortgages
EDUCATION
- MBA and BA in Economics from accredited Indian universities
- M.A. in Journalism, University of Mississippi
Making good financial decisions enables people to get more out of life, and I’m happy to contribute to that endeavor.
— Poonkulali Thangavelu
Highlights
- Extensive journalism experience covering personal finance and business topics
- Covered home price fluctuations leading up to the housing market crash
- Views credit cards as a good financial resource to draw on, if used wisely
Experience
Poonkulali Thangavelu is a senior writer and columnist at CreditCards.com and Bankrate, addressing debt and credit card-related legal and regulatory issues.
She believes that making good financial decisions enables people to get more out of life and is happy to contribute to this endeavor. She uses credit cards extensively and sees them as a good financial resource to draw on, if used wisely.
She has extensive journalism experience covering personal finance and business topics. She draws on her financial expertise (she holds an MBA degree, with finance and marketing concentrations, as well as a BA in economics from accredited Indian universities, in addition to an M.A. in journalism from the University of Mississippi, where she was awarded a graduate assistantship) and likes to simplify the subject matter to enable readers to make good decisions. And she has participated in the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton seminars for business journalists program to keep abreast of business topics.
While covering the mortgage market for National Mortgage News, she curated and edited a newsletter targeting the home-equity lending niche of the mortgage industry. In this role, she cautioned that home prices were getting out of hand in the period leading to the housing market crash that started in 2006.
She has also contributed to multiple business and consumer-oriented publishers, including Investopedia, CreditKarma and Multi-Housing News. Her work has been picked up by various national publishers such as the San Francisco Gate, Chicago Tribune and McGraw Hill, along with being syndicated to Fidelity, MSN, Nasdaq, Yahoo! and others.
Her career includes a stint doing consumer market research for global advertising agency Ogilvy (formerly Ogilvy & Mather) as well as experience as an equity analyst and writer.
Making good financial decisions enables people to get more out of life, and I’m happy to contribute to that endeavor.
— Poonkulali Thangavelu
Poonkulali's latest articles
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Use price protection to benefit from Amazon Prime Day deals
Use price protection to benefit from Amazon Prime Day deals.
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Is credit card interest tax-deductible?
Interest paid on outstanding student loan debt, mortgage and home equity loan debt, business expenses, and interest on money borrowed to purchase investment property qualifies for a deduction.
3 min read Jul 07, 2022 -
Do ECOA protections apply after a credit-card loan closes?
Should a lender provide an explanation if it closes your credit-card account?
4 min read Jun 29, 2022 -
Credit bureaus report incorrect information about identity theft
If you have been a victim of identity theft and had accounts opened in your name, the FCRA allows you to ask credit bureaus to stop reporting on these illegal accounts.
3 min read Jun 06, 2022 -
CFPB alleges TransUnion lured consumers with dark patterns
Digital dark patterns, such as those the CFPB alleges TransUnion engaged in, seek to market to consumers by misleading them.
3 min read May 20, 2022 -
Can a hotel charge my credit card for damage I didn’t cause?
A reader says a hotel charged his credit card for smoking in his room. He disagrees and says he didn’t. What should he do?
3 min read May 09, 2022
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What debts can you transfer to a credit card?
You can transfer a variety of debt to cards, but not all cards accept all transfers.
4 min read Jun 02, 2023 -
Business line of credit vs. business credit cards
A business line of credit can offer more funds and can be more difficult to obtain.
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Small business credit cards vs. corporate credit cards: What’s best for your growing business?
Corporate credit cards have stiffer qualifying requirements than small-business cards.
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The pros and cons of 0% APR credit cards
A 0 percent intro APR credit card offers more than savings in interest. Find out how.
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Want a lower credit card interest rate? Just ask
Securing a lower interest rate may be as simple as asking your credit card issuer.
4 min read May 25, 2023 -
What happens when your 0% intro APR period ends?
A higher interest rate will kick in once your promotion ends.
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How to get cash back from a credit card
There are many ways to redeem cash back rewards, such as a statement credit.
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How to choose a cash back credit card
Choose a cash back card that aligns with your spending patterns
6 min read May 19, 2023
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Charge cards vs. credit cards: What are the differences?
You can carry a balance on a credit card, but not with a charge card.
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Wells Fargo Active Cash vs. Citi Double Cash
Both cards offer 2 percent cash back on all purchases, but offer different benefits.
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Best travel credit cards with 0% APR
Compare and pick the best 0% APR travel credit cards
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Guide to Bilt Rewards Mastercard
This card lets you pay your rent with no added fees and earn rewards while you’re at it.
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Guide to Comenity Bank-issued credit cards
Comenity Bank, now known as Bread Financial, offers 140+ store credit cards to retailers around the world.
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Best credit cards for shopping in 2023
No matter the season, a rewards card can help lighten the load of your spending.
11 min read Jan 18, 2023 -
The best credit card deals for 2023
The right credit card deal can make holding a card even more valuable.
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Citi Premier vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Citi Premier and Chase Sapphire Preferred are both solid rewards cards.
6 min read Jan 13, 2023