The “Snowball” method for paying off debt is very popular, but what about one offered by Suze Orman? Which one results in paying the least money and getting out of debt the fastest? First, take a peek at JLP’s description of both.

David Ramsey’s Snowball Method:

1) Make a list of all your credit cards, ranked in order from the highest balance to the smallest balance.

2) Beginning with the card with the smallest balance, pay as much as you can on that card while paying the minimums on the other cards.

3) Once the card with the smallest balance is paid off, take the amount you were paying towards that card and apply to the card with the next lowest balance.

4) Keep on keepin’ on until ALL the cards are paid off.

And here’s Suze Orman’s The Road to Wealth method:

1) Figure out the largest possible amount you can afford to pay each month toward all your credit card balances together.

2) Add $10 to each minimum payment that your credit card company is asking you to pay.

3) Add up all your minimum payments plus $10 added for each card.

4) Hopefully the difference between the figure found in Step 1 is GREATER than the figure in found in Step 3. If so, apply the difference to the card with the HIGHEST interest rate.

5) Once that card is paid off, you continue the process (Steps 1 – 4) until ALL the cards are paid off.

Which method pays off debt faster? Which method costs the least? Demonstrate in the comments using hard numbers. — BEN POPKEN

Dave Ramsey’s Snowball Method vs. Suze Orman’s Method for Getting Out of Debt [All Financial Matters]

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