While markets fluctuate and at times quite wildly they do tend to rise over time but that won't help you if you need to get your hands on your cash the day after tomorrow and the market's in freefall. As with anything else it's vital to understand the rules of the game and how they apply to the position you are planning to take. Easy enough to say I know but it really isn't going to help. Just stop and think of a plan of action. Before you do anything else at all, contact the companies you owe the money too. Explain the situation you've found yourself in and ask what they can do to help. Some, not all, but some companies will freeze the interest, especially if you've always had a triple A credit rating in the past. To be clear it is not a way to just write off your outstanding credit or to walk away scot free from your financial obligations. No, it is a service offered by some companies to reduce the amount of your overall credit bill. Consolidation service is the name used by many of these companies to describe a service where by they will negotiate with your creditors. If for example you prefer to learn by watching you could invest in DVDs in preference to buying a book. One way which is becoming increasingly popular is to learn by attending seminars. These allow you to raise questions and get them answered by experts. Something that obviously just isn't possible from reading books, watching DVDs or listening to audio CDs. That's where shopping around comes in. Just like any other loan a credit card consolidation loan comes with different interest rates and it's your job to find the most competitive. After this is your money and if you won't fight for it you can hardly expect anyone else to do it for you! The best place to start is on the internet. That could be a major problem when your investments are at stake! Of course this is the age of the internet so as an alternative to books you can search for financial and stock market terminology online. The important thing to bear in mind with this is that you should only use reputable and trusted sources.