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Written by Mary Kroger
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Find Dept Relief at the Dinner Table. People go into debt for many reasons, but Americans carry the highest debt of any other nation in the world. The average household in the U.S. has 13 payment cards; in those cards are credit, department store, and debt cards. The amount that the average American family carries from month to month is an average of $6,000. With over 40% of U.S. families spending more than they earn it is no wonder why Americans make over a trillion dollars of credit card debt every year.
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Written by Beth Reynolds
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Taking Control Of Your Debt  If you are not in debt of some kind, you’re unusual. For most Americans today, debt is a part of daily life. Using a credit card, borrowing for college, applying for a mortgage to buy a house taking on debts such as these may well be the first experience many of us have with a financial institution. All the more reason to understand and master the do’s and don’ts of debt. Until you know how to manage debt, it’s almost impossible to save, invest, or build an intimate financial relationship with a life partner based on anything resembling a strong foundation. Until your debt is in control and part of your life plan, you will not achieve financial freedom. For many of us, credit card debt is a special trouble spot. To put it bluntly, credit card companies are in the business of separating us from our money. They tempt us with monthly offers of “pre-approved” cards and, once we’ve accepted their offers and accumulated a little debt, they know how to lure us into trouble. To take just one example: If you’re susceptible to overspending with your credit cards, you may have noticed that just when your “available credit” limit is reaching zero, a credit card company will raise it. “What a thoughtful company,” you tell yourself you may forget that you are paying 11 percent, 15 percent, 20 percent, or more for the privilege of using the company’s money. Most of that is pure profit for the company
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