Credit to Cover Credit
A year after their marriage, Joe and Mary’s first child is born. Along with the child come hospital, doctor, and general care bills. A surprising number of salesperson comes knocking at their door to help them get their youngster off to right start. First there are diaper services, a must for the modern mother. Then there is a photographer who will take regular pictures of their child so they will have a permanent record of their child’s growth. There are toys that will help
3
increase their child’s intellectual growth. And, of course, they now need a set of encyclopedias?
One month Joe discovers that his paycheck doesn’t quite cover their monthly expenses. At first they panic, but then Mary remembers an ad she saw that said “Borrow enough money to get completely out of debt”. At the time it didn’t seem to make sense, but now it does. They can wipe out all of their small debt by combining them into one large package loan that reduces their total monthly payments. With a sigh of relief they go to the finance company and soon have things financially under control again. But the interest rate is higher, making the overall debt actually higher than it was. Five years after their marriage. Joe and Mary are in bankruptcy court. No, they didn’t gamble on a big investment, they slowly drowned in a rising sea of debt.
Most personal bankruptcies are average families like Mary and Joe’s. They slowly become overburdened with increasing debts. Moreover, going through bankruptcy does not seem to help some people become more careful with their spending. Of those who file for bankruptcy, 80 percent use credit and are in debt trouble again within five years.