I received a question from Maria M. who said I'm a new United States immigrant working

hard to build good credit and make smart financial decisions.

I'm so glad to find your money girl podcast because it's helping me a lot.

I have $8,000 in credit card debt and I'm considering paying it off with a three-year

loan that would charge 16% APR.

Would that be a good option for me?

And how would it affect my credit score?

Welcome to the United States and thank you for the great question, Maria.

I'll give you an answer on this show and talk about whether consolidating credit card

debt with a personal loan helps or hurts your credit scores.

Hey, everyone and welcome back to Money Girl.

I appreciate you downloading the show.

I'm Laura Adams, a personal finance expert, spokesperson and speaker who's been hosting

the Money Girl podcast since 2008.

I'm also the author of several books, including my most recent title, which was a number

one Amazon new release called Money Smart Solo Prenure, a personal finance system for

freelancers, entrepreneurs and side hustlers.

So if you're building a business or want to earn more income with a side hustle, I hope

you will get a copy.

You can buy it as a paperback, e-book or audiobook.

Here on Money Girl, you're going to hear me talk about a whole wide range of money topics,

like building credit, debt investing, retirement, real estate, cutting taxes, insurance, money

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