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People still getting a charge out of Credit Cards.

Even though we hear over and over in the media, we, as Americans are still charging up a storm. According to a recent Federal Reserve survey, the median balance on Credit Cards in 2004 was 2400 dollars. This does not bode well. This means that many people are losing 240 dollars or more annually, just on credit card interest payments.

There are some bright sides to the survey though. Only 3% of all debt is Credit Card debt. This means that what is often termed good debt: mortgages and college, are much larger amounts. This is important because mortgages are debts that have an a tangible asset associated with them: real estate. In the event that these debts cannot be repaid, at least there is an asset that is available.

Although the increase is somewhat concerning, it is not quite so large when you consider inflation and the fact that over 20% of credit card users pay off their bill each month. This means that many people are using their cards responsibly. The key to keeping our national economy in good shape will be making sure that a few bad apples don't spoil the bunch.

Source: http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/bulletin/2006/financesurvey.pdf
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