Fiscal responsibility is coming back into style, and military families are leading the way with a commitment to reduce their credit card debt.

Military families with household incomes of at least $50,000 pay more towards their short-term debt than the rank and file of middle-class Americans, according to the First Command Financial Behaviors Index®. And recent findings reveal that half of military families say they intend to decrease the amount of debt they carry in the next month.

Want to join them? Consider these three tips for taking control of your credit card debt.

• Talk to your credit card company. They may offer a reduced interest rate to customers who routinely pay on time.
• Look into transferring high-interest rate balances to a lower-interest card. Don’t just make the minimum payment each month. Make sure you pay at least the new purchases plus interest, and more – as much as you can – and make sure your payments arrive on time. Your credit card company could charge high fees for being even a day or two late.
• Consider a debt consolidation loan. These low, fixed-rate products offer several ways to break free from costly high interest rates as you pay off your credit card debt.

First Command Bank offers debt consolidation loans that can be tailored to meet your specific wants and needs. Looking to accelerate your payoff and save money over time? Say you're making credit card payments of $200 monthly at 18 percent APR. At our lower fixed rate — as low as 9.99 percent APR — more of your payment is applied to principal, less to interest. So you can pay off your debt more quickly — and save money.

You can also lower your payments to free up cash. Suppose that same $200 monthly payment at 18 percent APR is stretching your budget thin. At our lower fixed interest rate, you can lower your monthly payment and/or extend your repayment schedule to free up cash to meet your needs.

And you have the flexibility to choose your loan amount and term. Select an amount up to $25,000 unsecured with good credit, at terms from six to 60 months, and consolidate your high-interest debt payments into one fixed monthly payment today.

There's no application fee, no monthly service fee, no closing costs. And because your loan’s rate will never vary, you can budget around a fixed monthly payment.

Apply now. It’s easy. Just click here for an online loan application, call (888) 763.7600 to speak to a First Command Bank loan consultant or talk to your First Command Financial Advisor.

First Command Financial Services and its subsidiaries, including First Command Bank and First Command Financial Planning, assist American families in their efforts to build wealth, reduce debt and pursue their lifetime financial goals and dreams—focusing on consumer behavior as the first and most powerful determinant of results. Through knowledgeable advice and coaching of the financial behaviors conducive to success, First Command Financial Advisors have built trustworthy, lasting relationships with hundreds of thousands of client families since 1958. Compiled by Sentient Decision Science, Inc., the First Command Financial Behaviors Index® assesses trends among the American public’s financial behaviors, attitudes and intentions through a monthly survey of approximately 1,000 U.S. consumers aged 25 to 70 with annual household incomes of at least $50,000. Results are reported quarterly. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percent with a 95 percent level of confidence. www.firstcommand.com/research Sentient Decision Science was commissioned by First Command to compile the Financial Behaviors Index®. SDS is a behavioral science and consumer psychology consulting firm with special vertical expertise within the financial services industry. SDS specializes in advanced research methods and statistical analysis of behavioral and attitudinal data. First Command Financial Services, Inc., is the parent of First Command Financial Planning, Inc. (Member SIPC, FINRA), First Command Insurance Services, Inc. and First Command Bank. Financial planning services and investment products, including securities, are offered by First Command Financial Planning, Inc. Insurance products and services are offered by First Command Insurance Services, Inc. in all states except Montana, where as required by law, insurance products and services are offered by First Command Financial Services, Inc. (a separate Montana domestic corporation).  Banking products and services are offered by First Command Bank. Securities products are not FDIC insured, have no bank guarantee and may lose value. A financial plan, by itself, cannot assure that retirement or other financial goals will be met. In Europe, investment and insurance products and services are offered through First Command Europe Limited. First Command Europe Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Command Financial Services, Inc. and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Certain products and services offered in the United States may not be available through First Command Europe Limited.