Once you've got that figure you need to work out the cost of your consolidation loan. At least with that you will have a rough idea in advance. All you have to do is multiply the monthly repayment by the term of the loan. Having done that it is simply a case of taking the bill consolidation figure from the credit card cost. A great way to do this is to shop around and compares prices and costs exactly the same as for making any major purchase. With the internet available to just about everyone now doing the checking can be a very simple task. Starting with the banks and loan company's own web site is usually best. Once you have got a good idea of how much refinancing is likely to cost you are far better equipped to approach the directly. That is a feature that you probably won't fully appreciate until you have had the pleasure of using one of them. Or alternatively you have made yourself dizzy flicking backwards and forwards in one of the older style ones! So do you really need to have a stock market dictionary? No but once you have got yourself a good one to help you fathom out the impenetrable terminology you will find that your investing life becomes so much easier than before. These financial institutions are very clear on imparting knowledge about their CD products so that they can attract more customers. You can use this information to do your own research into deciding which financial institution will be the best for you. Two things that you need to look at is the interest rate itself, which will be mentioned clearly on the website and the maturity period. He advocates never placing money into any venture that he doesn't immediately understand such as micro technology. A second guideline for the newcomer to stocks is to do your own checking before parting with any cash. As Buffett says "A public-opinion poll is no substitute for thought." If you are planning to make an investment doesn't it make sense to check things for yourself? " is one of the most common questions that new investors ask. They know having investments for a better future is a good idea but what they really want answered is "how do I start?". Investing like anything else is a skill which has to be learned and the good news is that there are plenty of opportunities to learn it.