Some of the best known and most successful investors of all time such as Ben Graham, Warren Buffett and Peter Lynch are all known for looking for straight forward opportunities to put their money into. Warren Buffett's approach of "KISS" or "Keep It Simple Stupid" is something that any novice investor can follow. It's almost certainly going to be far higher than you first imagined. Once you've got that figure you need to work out the cost of your consolidation loan. At least with that you will have a rough idea in advance. All you have to do is multiply the monthly repayment by the term of the loan. Having done that it is simply a case of taking the bill consolidation figure from the credit card cost. Never lose sight of the fact that high rewards are being offered for a reason - the risk of loss is also high. Whatever the type of investment you are after you should always try to think about having a broad portfolio of investments as this again will lessen your risks while giving you the opportunity to get a good return. However go with the wrong credit counselling service and you'll be paying out more and for longer. To select your company you need to look out for some important points. Do they have a good record of helping people for example? Have you been referred to them by someone you know and trust? Are they non-profit or a profit making company? Not just the short term because that will almost all ways be better than the amount you are currently paying. It's the long term cost that can be the sting in the tail with any kind of debt consolidation loan. As a smart shopper you need to do the math on whether the amount you will pay over the life of your refinancing will be worth the monthly reduction in your outgoings. The 13th Century Italians almost certainly had the closest share trading markets to what we would recognize today. The Venetian traders were probably the first ones to begin dealing with government securities and even back then there was insider trading going on. In fact as early as 1351 there was a law passed in Venice which was designed to stop people spreading rumors that would drive down prices.