Why Every Student Should Have A Credit Card

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  Students are simply not getting adequate financial education before being expected to handle their own finances as adults. In my kids’ high school there is a single semester personal finance class, but it is an elective. If the goal of an education is to give young people the skills they need to be successful functioning adults, how can this not be a required class? Even then, a single semester seems like a dreadfully inadequate amount of time to cover seemingly infinite financial subjects such as budgeting, tracking spending, insurance, and retirement planning. The responsibility to teach these lessons falls […] Read more »

How to Increase Your Credit Score Without Using Credit Cards

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How to Increase Your Credit Score Without Using Credit Cards

If you’ve read any of my articles before, you know I’m not a big fan of having a credit score.  In fact, I believe the best credit score is no score at all.  So why would I write a post about how to increase your credit score? Well, in some cases it’s easier to increase your credit score quickly rather than waiting for it to go to zero while you’re in the transition of getting out of debt (which may take months to years). This might be necessary if you have an immediate need for buying a home or renting […] Read more »

5 Reasons People May Overspend With Credit Cards

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Staying out of debt is as easy as spending less than you earn. Sounds simple, right? If it’s so simple, why do so many people find themselves over their heads in debt? Sometimes life just happens. An unexpected catastrophe, or medical emergency and you’ve got enough debt racked up for a lifetime. In other cases people just consistently overspend, and find themselves waking up one day saying, “How did I get here?” Having paid off over $109,000 in credit card debt, I know a little something about the latter situation. So how do people get into such a situation? Why […] Read more »

The Dangers Of Swiping A Card

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If you’re a regular reader here on Enemy Of Debt, you know that I’m a firm believer that cash is king. I’d much rather throw down some greenbacks than swipe a card. Every reason that I love paying for things with cash was reinforced by a situation with my daughter that occurred over the weekend. As I waded through my email, I noticed three email receipts from Apple for purchases made through iTunes. I hadn’t made any purchases during the week, so I was interested to see what had been bought, and by who. The agreement with my kids is […] Read more »

Why Cash Is King: Security Breach Edition

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I’ve never received a thin envelope from my bank and had it contain good news. I’ve opened up similar thin mailings in the past from my financial institution and been greeted by a loan decline letter, or an overdraft notice. It’s never been a positive experience, so when I found just such a thin envelope in my mailbox last week I knew I should brace myself for bad news.   I slowly opened the letter to discover that my debit card may have been compromised due to the recent security breach at Home Depot. A new debit card and a new […] Read more »

Credit Cards Are Officially NOT For Me

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Some use credit cards for as many of their day to day expenses as possible in order to rack up reward program points. Some even go through a process called credit card churning to earn points for signing up for a new accounts in exchange for cash, airline miles, or travel accommodations.  I know people that have taken their entire family on a free, or nearly free, trip by using such methods. Good for them, as long as they’re using their cards responsibly. But this kind of “beat the system” mentality is not for everyone. Not everyone has the internal […] Read more »

Have We Learned To Use Credit Responsibly?

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The thunder and lightning carrying on outside represented my struggle well. Two evenly matched forces were doing battle inside my head. The need to save money whenever possible, and my solid stance that using a credit card to pay for something should be avoided at all costs. Let me be clear, I do not think that credit cards themselves are evil. When used correctly, they can be a valuable tool in a person’s financial tool belt that can actually save money.   However, I have a huge problem with some of the business practices and policies of credit card companies. My […] Read more »

Credit Card Companies Aren’t Providing Credit Scores For YOUR Benefit

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The credit card companies are at it again. Remember, these are the same companies that think you’re so stupid that they actually created a commercial that suggests it would be a great idea to buy things for your friends just to earn credit card rewards. What are they up to now? Credit card companies are offering to give you your credit score for free. On the surface, it sounds like a good deal for consumers. Obtaining your credit score will usually cost you somewhere around $20. The credit card companies are doing us such a nice favor by providing us […] Read more »

Why I Hate Credit Cards: Hotel Incidental Policy

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I hate credit cards with a passion. The more I walk through life trying not to use them, the more I hate them. My family and I drove to Florida late last week, which gave me the opportunity to find yet another reason to despise them. No matter how much I want to pay with cash, or at least with my debit card so the money comes immediately out of my checking account, businesses seem insistent in pushing me to use the demon plastic. As my wife and I planned our trip, we carefully budgeted our spending for each day. […] Read more »

Lies We Tell Ourselves So We Can Keep Our Credit Cards

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People love their credit cards. Why? They aren’t valuable, can’t be traded or sold, and cost people money and often their freedom. I’ve been separated from my credit cards for over seven years and can tell you that I don’t miss them a bit. Now that I’m coaching people through their debt problems I get to hear all the same lies I used to say that justified my reason for keeping the plastic crutches. Do you feel a shiver in your spine when you hear these lies people say so they can keep their credit cards? “I only use my […] Read more »

Credit Card Companies Think You’re Stupid

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Over the weekend I saw a credit card commercial that had me shaking my head. In the commercial, two woman are having lunch at an outdoor restaurant when one woman suggests the others’ friends are simply inviting her to events so they can pay with their credit card and earn credit card rewards points. When the bill comes, woman #1 whips out her credit card and offers to pay. The commercial ends with the two staring at each other, one wondering if she is being used, the other hoping her friend won’t figure it out. Seriously, do credit card companies […] Read more »

Goin’ Commando With Credit

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If you ever ask me about how to get out of debt, I have a variety of answers, depending on the situation.  Probably the number one answer I give is “spend less than you make”.  When you start asking more questions about how to get started, I’ll usually tell you that the first step is to cut up your credit cards. You just don’t need them. They only serve as a drag on your financial situation. When you use a credit card to make purchases, it’s too easy to spend money without thinking about it, because swiping a card doesn’t […] Read more »

What Will You Do…With Your Tax Refund

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If you are one of the millions of Americans slated to receive a tax refund this year, why not make your refund work for you? Of course you will be tempted to splurge on a vacation, start home renovations or maybe even buy something frivolous, but why not use it to improve your financial situation. If you are struggling with debt, have little to no emergency fund, or haven’t even begun to think about retirement those refund dollars could make a big difference. Reducing your debt and preparing for the “what if” are a great way to reduce daily stress […] Read more »

It’s a Win-Win: Get Rewarded for Saving

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I recently heard about a really cool concept that started abroad and is making its way to the US—prize linked savings accounts. Just for doing what you’re already (hopefully, should be) doing, you are automatically entered to win a prize. Yes, adults like prizes and anything that is free just like kids do.; a novel idea that has more people thinking about saving for their future. This comes at just the right time, with the rate of savings in America at an all time low. A report issued by the non-profit Corporation for Enterprise Development, found almost one third of […] Read more »