My friends and I often make road trips. It’s something that we all appreciate, and most of us have a driver’s license, so it’s never really a burden on anyone. With all of our experience, there’s something that really stands out to us as surprising about the logistics of it all. It’s actually better in the long run to rent a car from a really good car hire company than to take our own car. Unless a friend happens to have a really big van or, like we did once, a mobile trailer, renting a large, roomy car is just better.

This may sound strange since it’s a more expensive option, but remember that at least five people will be splitting the check. But asides from price, it’s all perks. I mean, the number one problem with using a friend’s car on a road trip is that you have to be really careful with it. With a rental, you can mess it up all you want, and we know how messy road trips get. And you don’t need to worry about messing up the car when it’s your turn to drive. Just get a comprehensive insurance package and you’re good to go, no pressure.

After your ISA has matured, it’s especially important to check the current interest rates. When you first opened your ISA you were probably given a very good interest rate, but after the initial period of between six months and a year, you’re probably earning a very low rate on your savings.

ISA providers generally advertise a high rate to draw in new clients. While they stress the rates they offer, they may not emphasize just how low your rates will drop once your account has reached maturity. After the bonus period, your rates could drop by several points which can add up to a substantial decrease in your interest earnings.

It’s in your best interest to find out if there’s a higher rate available. It’s in the ISA providers best interest when you receive the lowest rates possible. So, don’t depend on them to keep you updated when the rates raise.  The only way to make sure you get the best cash ISA rate is to take an active role in monitoring the rates.

It can literally take you years, or decades to pay off high credit card balances, especially if you’re only able to make the minimum payment each month. And, because of the high interest associated with most credit cards, when you do make a payment, very little of it is deducted from your actual balance.

There is just no sense in paying all of that interest every month when you have enough in a savings account to pay off the balance in full. When you use your savings account to pay off a high interest debt, you could be literally doubling your money in the savings you’ll see on that interest.

With a credit card balance of just $2,000 at about 18 percent interest and a  minimum payment of $155, it will take you 5 years to pay off the balance. When you multiply your payment by 60 months, you’ll realize that you’ll be paying over $9,000 for the $2,000 you charges. It just doesn’t make good financial sense to have enough in savings to pay off a credit card and not do it!