Finances change during each stage of life, but Leona Fitzgerald rests assured she is always prepared. As a self-proclaimed “typical consumer,” Leona says she has never been good at managing her money. But with Financial Freedom’s PayAccel program, she has taken control of her finances, stayed out of debt and improved her credit over the past five years.

“My husband and I are retired, and it feels wonderful to be financially stable,” says Leona. “Once you are a part of the PayAccel program, you’ll want to use it for the rest of your life. It’s amazing how much it has helped us get ahead.”

PayAccel first taught Leona and her husband, who live in Orem, Utah, how to organize their money. They participated in financial training and then put a predetermined amount of money into an account each month. Then Financial Freedom uses that money to pay their bills. They can use the rest of their income to meet their wants and needs, knowing the bills have been paid.

“I love waking up and not worrying about how I’m going to take care of the bills. After a few years on PayAccel we are out of debt and simply use the program to pay our few remaining bills like the mortgage and utilities.”

Leona says she and her husband have always loved to buy things. She believes they would be in debt without the PayAccel program. But thanks to Financial Freedom’s help in organizing their finances, they have a nice home and a lot of nice things, but without the credit card bills.

“Without PayAccel, we would probably still have nice things, but we would be in debt,” says Leona. “My husband and I both love to spend money, so we never balanced each other out very well in that area. This program helps us live within our means and has eliminated disagreements about who spent too much money on something.”

When Leona started using PayAccel, her credit score was very low. Now, she and her husband have a great credit score, which was one goal they had when they began the program. She says they don’t make a lot of money, so having good credit and staying in control of their finances is essential to their happiness.

“Some of our friends have also joined PayAccel and we all agree - having peace regarding your finances is a wonderful thing.”

Arlyne Lee wants to become debt free, and the Mortgage Eliminator is helping her reach that goal. As a retiree who lives in Makakilo, Hawaii, Arlyne owns a home but has never had a spending plan in her life – until now.

“I needed someone to help me learn how to manage my finances so I can pay off my house,” says Arlyne. “I don’t want to have anything to worry about, and I want to leave the earth debt free so my kids won’t have to worry about paying any of my bills.”

Arlyne has a 30 year mortgage, but she’s hoping to pay it off in just 9 or 10 years. The Mortgage Eliminator collects all of her income and savings into one account. Then Arlyne pays all of her expenses with a credit card during the interest free period. At the end of the month she pays the credit card bill, but the principal balance of her loan has been reduced by leaving money in the Mortgage Eliminator account for as long as possible.

“I’ve learned how to use other people’s money to my advantage, while I save my own money,” says Arlyne. “I feel so much better now that I am paying my debts - those credit cards can really choke you.”

Spending less than you make is the key, since the Mortgage Eliminator builds on how much money you can save. A financial counselor helps Arlyne with her spending plan, paying down her mortgage, and staying on track when she needs help or encouragement. The first principle the financial counselor taught Arlyne was that the more she could save, the more they could put in her Mortgage Eliminator account to pay down her mortgage principle.

Arlyne says she enjoys talking to her coach, who has helped her understand the big picture regarding her finances. Arlyne also says her coach helped her learn how to manage her finances online, since she wasn’t very comfortable with a computer.

“The Mortgage Eliminator program is teaching me how to be more money wise, making me more conscious of my spending habits,” says Arlyne. “It is a great program and I would recommend it to anybody.”

The Mortgage Eliminator can help you pay your home loan off faster, which means you pay less interest, build equity faster, and can access that equity for your personal needs. For more information on how you can pay off your mortgage in one third of the time, read about PayAccel HELOC (Mortgage Eliminator) here.