credit cards

Can you imagine life without debt?

Being able to envision what it would be like to be free from debt can help motivate you to take the steps necessary to make it a reality. For many, debt is a way of life. Or rather, it has … Read MoreRead More

Why your goal is to not care about credit cards (if you even care today)

As you build wealth, the reasons to use credit cards fall away even more. Recently I wrote about my own revelation that, while I love collecting (and using!) frequent flyer miles, eventually, with my own financial goals in place, I … Read MoreRead More

Here are the times when I use a credit card

Once of the very first posts on this site was called “How credit cards are like alcohol“. In it, I stated that I didn’t believe that there was anything inherently bad about credit cards, but only that some people can … Read MoreRead More

Push pins

Is a credit card safer than a debit card?

I recently got some pushback about using debit cards. I always appreciate this. I want ideas to be battle-tested, and I welcome the opportunity to think critically about decisions I’ve made and suggestions I’ve given. I don’t need everyone to … Read MoreRead More

Target Red Card

How store credit cards foreshadow the retail apocalypse

In my last post, I mentioned how I had once had an Exxon credit card given to me by my mom to use for emergencies. It made me think about those specialty credit cards. How quaint I thought. A credit … Read MoreRead More

Exxon

Emergencies are the worst time for using debt

Not long after I got my drivers license, my mom gave me an Exxon card to carry around with me. “For emergencies, in case you run out of gas and are stranded.” I never used it. It’s not that I … Read MoreRead More

Captain Obvious Reports: How not to have more credit card debt

Sometimes I like to get deep into the rabbit role with details. The post I wrote immediately before this detailed the ins and outs of rebalancing your investment portfolio. An important topic to discuss, but it’s hard not to be … Read MoreRead More

The Exchange

A quick primer on obtaining and using foreign currencies when traveling

As I mentioned about tracking expenses when traveling abroad, other countries don’t use US dollars. (I’m joking about this being notable, of course.) But switching between currencies presents some extra challenges and requires extra awareness to prevent getting burned with … Read MoreRead More

Lounge lights

How to decide whether to keep a credit card with an annual fee

I mentioned that there is only one reason to keep a credit card that carries an annual fee: The benefits you get from holding the card that you would have paid for anyway must be greater than the annual fee. … Read MoreRead More

Fire breathing

Conferring with the enemy (Part 5): Finishing the deal

All posts in this series: Conferring with the enemy (Part 1): A credit card for a travel plan Conferring with the enemy (Part 2): Fulfilling minimum spend requirements on a credit card Conferring with the enemy (Part 3): The waiting (for … Read MoreRead More