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Teach Your Kids to Use Credit Card Offers Wisely
12:00:00 AM Friday, October 26, 2007
Education of children is very important, especially financial education. Every day my younger daughter can see this magic little plastic card in my hands, which pays for everything me buy. She doesn't know yet about APR or cash back or that mommy goes to work 5 days a week to pay off the credit card bills or we all are going to be in trouble.
To my mind, the financial education should start from the early age. Kids have to learn about the value of money and especially about credit card offers that they will use in a little while. It is very important as their financial future will depend on the basis of financial education they were given.
I am a mother of 2 children: one of my daughters, Missy, is 6, another, Laura, is 16. I think that it is very important for my children to know all about credit card offers and its wise usage.
It is hard to explain all the financial terminology to Missy, but I try my best to make it fun for her. I take her to the mall with me, she looks at all prices and I explain her which one is the best. Every time we stop by the cash register I explain to her that the computer is counting the money we are spending.
It is very hard, but I try to explain her that we should buy all the things we really need, not all the things we want. Missy has no clue but that's the way it works with credit cards! I really want my little daughter to be educated enough to have good credit history and not to make financial mistakes that can ruin her life.
Laura is already sixteen; she is planning to go to college, that's why it is very important to tell her all about credit cards. In 2 years she will be a credit card owner herself!
I've seen to many college students, who were abusing their student credit cards simply to impress their friends. I try my best to explain that credit card - is not free money; you always have to pay back.
She knows the credit card basis: that credit cards have higher interest rate that practically any kind of borrowing, credit card terminology, etc. Laura is well aware of the fact that by making only minimum payments she will never pay off the debt and will end up with bad credit history.
Now Laura is an authorized user of my credit card. It really helps to teach responsibility, because she knows very well that she is responsible for my credit history too. I think credit cards for minors can help to teach your kid to use credit cards correctly.
I think it is very important for all parents of young Americans to educate their kids about credit cards. We live in the 21st century in the United States where each family now has about $10000 in credit card debt! I want my children to be debt free, I am sure you want yours too. Remember the best time to start helping your children to build stable financial future - is their childhood.
NEWS about Credit Cards | >> View all News
Banks and card companies cut their lending risk factor by either lowering credit limits, increasing APRs on some credit cards or by not approving applications at all. The slumping economy and credit crisis force lenders to curtail 0% APR offers, benefits and even rewards programs. Some card offers have already imposed restrictions on when and how rewards can be redeemed.
The good news is that there are still plenty of deals offering lucrative cash back, gas and miles rewards and you only need to apply for the right card now. The difficulty here is the rewards vary from card to card and to make the best deal, you need to compare offers and choose one based on your spending priorities and financial standing. The key is to make the rewards work for you.
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Most of regular unsecured credit card offers for valuable customers carry in-built benefits which are free from additional charge. The benefits include $0 fraud liability, extended warranty protection, 24-hour roadside assistance, auto rental insurance, free online account access and management services and others. Their cost is already distributed among the annual fees, if any; interest rates and other charges specified in the fine print and you do not mark it out making credit card payments.
But on receiving a statement, you might be confused to spot there a charge you did not authorize in fact. The charge, labelled as payment protector premium, is designed to cover you in the event you cannot pay bills for some reason.
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While a whole range of charges associated with credit card use is not a surprise any more, the way they are sometimes applied may confuse a not too knowledgeable consumer. What hurts most is the consequence which might come up to a damaged budget at best and ruined credit at worst. The fine print is a great source of information on all the charges and terms they are applied under, but one needs to be financially educated to understand a point there.
If you're looking for a proper card offer right now, or you're already holding a plastic, the following information will be of prime importance for you, especially as the recent changes in the market require new and more rational behavior.
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