The Dangers Of Plastic
We live in a society where credit cards are a way of life. The ease with which plastic can be obtained adds to the proliferation of their use. But just because this is something that you can easily get, it does not automatically mean that it’s good for you. Some financial experts say that credit is a tool. Because of credit, you can obtain expensive things like a car and a house—necessities most people would otherwise not be able to buy with cash.
However, not all credit is good for you. In fact, the most common one—credit cards—can be very bad for your finances. If you don’t have the self-restraint when it comes to denying yourself the things which you know you don’t need then you can’t possibly own a credit card without putting yourself in danger financially.
One of the things that make credit cards so deadly is that you always believe that you have something to fall back on in case you run out of cash. In fact, a lot of people think of their credit cards as their rainy day fund—it’s something that can provide them with the money they need when they need it. The problem is that only a few people actually have the discipline to use their cards for real emergencies. Most see a sale and think that the situation is an emergency. So they take out their plastic, swipe it and bring the item home.
Research shows that more than half of American households are faced with high consumer debts brought about by credit card use. Because of the uncontrolled charges they make to their credit cards, they end up being unable to pay for them. Consequently, this puts them in trouble with debt collectors and ruins their credit score. The latter also brings its own set of problems. A lousy credit score can impact your ability to get a house or even get a job.
The ease with which credit cards are used is also the reason why they are dangerous to use. When you use plastic to pay for your purchases, you merely swipe it. You don’t feel that money is taken away from you. Since your credit limit is in the thousands of dollars, you won’t feel that you will run out of money any time soon. You only get the shock of your life when you receive your credit card statement each month and realize that you’ve spent more than you can afford to pay.
But wait. The bank is kind enough allow you to give only minimum payments, so you do. The problem is, you end up with a hefty interest afterwards and they just keep on adding up the longer you stay in debt.
Other related info you might be interested in:
No comments:
Post a Comment