Four reasons a credit-card balance transfer may be a bad idea

Some credit card users suffer from what I call “serial get-out-of-debt disorder.”

This means you if you follow this pattern: You have the ability to aggressively cut expenses and/or are in a position to earn more to get out of debt. You pay it off, but credit cards with no balance somehow become an irresistible invitation to spend. The purchases start off slowly. You got this. You can pay off the balance by the due date. Then the debt starts to increase. Before long, it spirals up, and you can’t pay it off every month.