Essay on Overspending and Bankruptcy in America

There is a widespread concern about rising levels of debt. Debt can become disastrous for those who live alone or those families who are already having problems with supporting their family. The people who might be struck by debt, they might have trouble recovering. Debt can cause Americans to lose their homes and stability they need to feed, and shelter their families. Although debt comes upon us Americans quickly, people can see debt as terrible thing to be stuck with. It has many disadvantages that can devastate to people.

Startling numbers from one study show that in the United States, 140 million credit card holders have 1.2 billion retail and credit cards (Lynott, 2008). Outstanding balances of

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”.

In The United States these past few years everything has gone from bad to worse dealing with spending money; which has developed economical problems, such as debt. Currently people are spending their money on things that they do not need such as iPods, MTV, and so on. They buy things to satisfy their

U.S. National Debt The U.S. national debt has reached an alarming proportion. As it steadily increases, it's effect may not be felt now, but it will be in the future. Paul Gregory and Roy ruffin, in their book entitled Economics, linked deficits with inflation in the long run (251). Demand-side inflation of this type fails to increase the GDP, but instead just increases prices.

21. Which is true about the practice of marketing credit cards to teenagers? a. Teens are the number one target of credit card companies in America today. b. Brand loyalty to your first card is incredible, so credit card companies work hard to win you over first. c. Colleges are losing more students to credit card debt problems than to academic failure. d. All of the above 22. Which is not true about making purchases with credit cards? a. You spend 12-18% less when using a credit card. b. You spend 12-18% more when using a credit card. c. You are less likely to experience neurological “pain” when purchasing with a credit card. d. None of the above 23. Why do people think that the home equity loan is a good idea? a. There is a good tax refund. b. It serves as a substitute for an emergency fund. c. It’s a way to consolidate debt. d. All of the above 24. Kevin has the following debts: Home Equity Loan, $24,000; Visa, $1,200; Student Loan, $5,000; Car, $12,000. How should he prioritize his debt snowball? a. Home Equity Loan, Visa, Student Loan, Car b. Visa, Car, Student Loan, Home Equity Loan c. Visa, Student Loan, Car, Home Equity Loan d. Cannot prioritize the debt snowball without knowing the interest rates on each debt

Living in debt has become the norm for most U.S citizens, with nearly 80% of the population in some kind of financial dilemma. Even the national government is trillions of dollars in debt, and the main cause is spending money we don't have. If everyone would stop using credit cards, taking out huge loans, and buying houses that they really can't afford, the economy might slowly regenerate. Many people don't understand how fast debt can build up and how much interest rates can increase that debt. Yes, life would be a lot more difficult for many people if they could only use money they actually have instead of paying it back later and adding on debt, but sometimes change is needed. No matter how difficult this change may be to implement, it may

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).

Whenever the topic of the American Economy is mentioned the first thing that pops in our heads is,”debt”. The debt of the U.S. has been a controversial topic for years now, especially in our politics. The U.S. debt as if now is 18 trillion dollars, but we didn’t always have this debt.

The main argument throughout this documentary is that credit cards are the main cause of the debt crisis, which occurred in 2006 in America. Credit cards are portrayed throughout this documentary to carry negative consequences, aiding in the corruption of the system, and ultimately creating debt problems that America faces as a nation. The main question we are left with is, can we as a nation live without credit cards?

The federal government’s debt is the total value of all outstanding government bonds and the accumulation of past deficits. Before the federal government had assumed the liabilities of CMHC which was $236,708 million dollars as of September 30, 2015 and the liabilities of commercial banks, growth in Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had been forecasted to be low due to continual fall in oil prices in the last six months which has lead to a significant depreciation in the value of the Canadian dollar and considerable declines in the federal government revenue.

On a periodic basis, the Federal reserve releases key statistics related to credit card debt in America. With almost 2,000,000,000 credit cards in use while in the hands of almost 200,000,000 individual credit card holders, there is no denying the popularity of these little pieces of plastic. Through May of 2015, Americans were responsible for $901 billion in credit

Whilst a critical part of consumer spending, credit card companies are constantly accused of malicious legal contracts and schemes to increase profits. Without heavy regulation, these companies have the power to bankrupt millions of Americans that rely on credit cards in their daily lives. However, after the introduction of The Credit Card Act of 2009, these accusations represent an inability to accept responsibility for financial blunders on the consumer’s behalf. Due largely in part to the government’s strict regulations, credit card companies should not be at fault for the student credit card debt crisis. Credit card companies remain blameless for student credit card debt as a result of

“The average American owns 3.5 credit cards and $15,799 in credit card debt… totaling consumer debt of $2.43 trillion in the USA alone.” (Beckner). Debt forces many people into depression and worrying lives. People struggle to discover happiness through financing goods, but struggle even more to find a way out of debt. Through consumerism, people lose their finances in department stores, car dealerships, and much more. Most of the possessions people buy with credit cards become impractical within a few months. The void they search for is never really filled. Consumerism is just a way to get the economy going, without thinking of a person’s individual finance

In today’s economy, cash or a credit card is needed to meet the basic human needs. It is an apparent fact that we need cash or credit cards to purchase items such as food, clothing, and to buy gas. Also, when you are out shopping and discover that you have used all the cash in your possession, it is then that you realize that the advantage of having a credit card. Furthermore, with cash, you are restricted to the amount in your wallet or purse; however, a credit card allows you to pay for your purchase at a later date. Both cash and credit cards can be useful when you manage them wisely. While cash and credit cards are similar in that they both are readily accessible, used for goods and services at the time of purchase, they are dissimilar because of theft, high- interest rates, identity theft.