The major turning point for me was when I got serious with my girlfriend. She made about a third of what I made, but she had about a year's salary saved up. I was ashamed to have $40,000 in debt, so I started applying the IWT principles to pay down debt and accomplished that inside two years.

The card I use for travel and eating out is the Chase Sapphire Reserve. For everything else, I use an Alliant cash back card. And for business, I use a Capital One cash back business card. For extra benefits, I have an Amex Platinum card.