Evaluating The Risks And Benefits Of Credit Cards

Throughout the extract, “Strapped,” author Tamara Draut notes why today’s young adults have complications getting financially ahead. Along with student-loan debt, today’s college students may also leave with the burden of credit card debt. Draut argues that college campuses aren’t sufficiently regulating card companies on campus, therefore putting their students at risk for debt.

James D Scurlock’s “Maxed Out” focused on the revolving use of credit cards to charge now and pay later and the fact that once the credit card was maxed out another one was sent from the credit card companies and the whole process begins all over again. Scurlock’s essay made the reader aware of the downfalls and hardships that can occur when credit cards are constantly used for purchases compared to Kevin O’Donnell’s “Why Won’t Anyone give Me a Credit Card”.

The later idea suggests that one of the major conflicts associated with credit card debt among college students is because of the relaxed view taken on credit. To illustrate, “83% of college undergraduate students in the US have credit cards…”(Wang & Xiao, 2009) exemplifying the potential danger of accruing debt by signing up for so manu credit cards. Furthermore, with increased costs of education, universities find it is acceptable for students to pay for tuition by credit card. In certain circumstances, credit cards have become a quick remedy and students are forced to supplement income to pay for education and other necessities and as a result perpetuate the debt issue.

* Create a budget- creating a budget will help you not spend more money than you have. Creating a budget will also help you stay out of debt.

I the article, “The Credit Card Company Made Me Do It!” -The Credit Card Industry’s Role in Causing Student Debt” by Carlos Macias. What Carlos writes about is how much College students go in debt when they use credit cards. He talks about how credit card companies prey on students who are in college because they don’t know what how to handle a credit card. He wrote in the article, that the industry makes billions of dollars in profits, and many students are drawn in by the advertising credit card companies use to make college students feel like its easy for anyone to own a credit card. He even said students may even feel pressure from family, peers, and themselves to be responsible adults and try not to live off their parents. Carlos also

Credit cards are one of the many factors that contribute to student debt. A larger proportion of college students rely on credit cards for paying direct academic expenses. ''This includes textbooks, school supplies, and tuition" (Min Zhan 134). Credit cards appear to be a great investment in college, but they are also problematic. Credit cards are related to higher levels of student drop outs from college. Student indebtedness are necessary given the rapid increase needed to meet the financial needs of higher education.

In “Strapped,” author Tamara Draut explains why today’s young adults have trouble getting financially ahead. Along with student- loan debt, today’s college graduates also leave with a higher risk of credit card debt than previous generations. Draut argues that college campuses aren’t regulating the card companies on campuses, therefore not protecting their students. She reasons that a problem on college campuses across the nation, credit card debt, has spun out of control by credit card pushers leading students into debt and feeling financially held back.

Attitudes about spending changed drastically. At this point, more people had access to credit cards because credit card companies stopped limiting their customer base to the wealthy, and began issuing cards to people with moderate to low incomes (Garon, 2012, CNN World). This gave Americans a way to purchase goods and services immediately, even if they didn’t have the cash on hand. The seven to eight percent savings rate maintained in the United States from the 1960s to the 1980s plummeted to less than two percent, and remained so until the first decade of the 21st century (Melicher & Norton, 2014, p. 168).

Financial literacy is essential in living in today’s society, therefore it should be taught at a young age because people have been going bankrupt more than ever before. According to Kelly Walsh, “Students between ages 18-25 have at least one credit card. By the time they graduate half of them have four or more credit cards that have an average balance of $3,000” (Walsh). If students were taught at a younger age how credit cards actually work; they would better understand the consequences of debt. For instance, if students were to research different credit

First, we must blame ourselves for letting this debt build up. It’s so easy to just say “charge it” and deal with the money later. It’s so much more convenient to use a credit card then using our cash. In the April 2005 issue of University Wire, Dr. James Roberts conducted a study about the spending habits of students around the country. He found that students who used credit cards to pay for their books weren’t able to tell within $30, $40, or even $50 dollars of how much they spent compared to the students who used cash and were able to tell within a few dollars how much they

Money is a necessity in life and is a constant worry for college students especially when you take out a $10,000 loan. Financial aid has replaced studying as the biggest worry for college students. The objective of college is to learn and grow as a person, but is limited by financial capabilities which is a big problem for the U.S. education system and prices continue to go up. Main focus is having to focus on rigorous studying, students may also have to work to stay in school. A student is paying college through a $10,000 loan and working a part time job 20 hours a week. John wonders if getting a credit card will help him financially. The best solution is to attain a credit card that has student benefits included and will make it easier to protect and keep track of your money.

The silent epidemic sweeping the nation today is credit card abuse. As prices of goods increase faster than average wages, American families slide deeper into debt. In the meantime, the banks are flourishing from their desire to buy now and pay later. It is amazing how a small piece of plastic can be so dangerous. Society today almost requires people to carry credit cards. In my opinion, credit cards are one of America’s family’s most underrated problems.

Try to make a budget, it will be your blueprint for your finances. The first step for anyone wanting to take control of their finances is to make a budget. A budget will allow you to understand where your money is going and enable you to adjust your spending by designating how much you can afford. Creating a budget is a good idea for everyone, but especially for individuals with limited income. Write down your budget, with specific categories of spending, and stick to it. Start slowly by using a percentage on how much you will save versus spend. A plan doesn’t work unless you work the plan.

Students are graduating with an enormous amount to debt. This is a perfect reason to stop marketing credit cards on college campuses. The average outstanding balance on graduate student credit cards is $8,612, an increase of 10% from the 2003 average of $7,831 (Nellie Mae, 2007). This shows the trend that students are graduating with more debt than just their student loans. Students should not be worrying about any other debt after graduating. With credit card companies preying on students on campus, students will get these credit cards and ruin their financial future after college. Students which are 4 year undergraduates that borrow to pay their education, graduate with an average debt of $24,651 according to The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid on www.finaid.org. That total with the average credit card debt equals $33,263, which is double the annual income of a minimum wage worker in the state of Maryland. Students will more than likely make less money a year than the total amount of debt they accumulate in college. Why then have credit card companies on campus dimming the potential light these students

I know the word “budgeting” may have a negative connotation because most people think of it as restricting themselves by setting hard limits on spending in certain categories. If you want to do that, I won’t stop you; however, the budgeting I am referring to is simply tracking your spending so that you are aware of how much money you