One thing which many people tend to forget when they first start to invest in the markets is that they are investing for the medium to long term. If you have that clearly in the forefront of your mind you will make much safer investment decisions. That's simply because you're far less likely to panic if you see the price of your stocks fluctuate dramatically. If you find that is the case then start to look at some of the options. Do you have a family member that can lend you the cash to pay off what you owe? If not, what about your bank? Ask them for a loan that you can repay over a period of time you feel comfortable with. That way you begin to take control over the situation and you will soon begin to whittle away at that sudden debt. Crash of stock market prices can be expected from time to time as markets correct themselves following false highs but what happened that October began an economic downturn that lasted for years. Starting on the Thursday October 24th, 1929 crash of stock market confidence became even worse on the following Monday and Tuesday. It's your cash that we are talking about here and no one will take care of it better than you. Another thing for you to keep in mind is that you should shop around for the best deal. And don't hesitate to haggle a bit with the banks and loan companies. Play them off against each other. No matter how good their offer sounds always tell them that you will need to think about it. Think of it this way; Credit cards are not "bad", just like anything else they have plusses and minuses. Ok the minuses include horrendously high rates of interest but on the other side of the coin they can be invaluable in emergencies. Just don't use them as long term loans because they were never designed for that kind of borrowing. Just as with any other form of loan every aspect of it needs to be carefully weighed up before going ahead. Things to consider are: 1. How much will the overall cost of the loan work out at? 2. How much will be saved each and every month over what is currently being paid? 3. Is there a cheaper option?