Chan's Personal Blog

Lately I've been getting requests to write more about money since I've been fairly light on this subject for a while. This is probably partially due to the fact that I had been unemployed for a good part of the year, so I really didn't have a lot to talk about in the subject other than wishing for more of it . However, my cash flow is positive again, so back to our regularly scheduled program.

I am again in the market for credit cards since my Canadian ones won't work in many cases. As Chad discovered while he was in California, he couldn't pay with his credit card at the pump because the machine asks for your zip code. Being a Canadian, we don't have zip codes, so the transaction couldn't go through. I've run into similar situations, and it has been a pain in the butt. Therefore, it's time to get an American card.

So, it's timely for me to blog about credit cards. It's definitely an important topic as many people, both young and old, run into problems with credit cards. It can be a great financial tool or a great financial burden.

PBS ran a great documentary entitled, "The Secret History Of The Credit Card." It goes over everything you should know about credit cards, and how to take advantage of them. In addition, it goes over some of the really nasty things that credit cards can do to you like raising your interest rates if you miss even one payment.


I strive to be like Ben Stein, who milks the credit card companies for all they're worth. He doesn't pay a cent in interest to them because he always pays off his balances, and he milks the company by getting all these rewards and points. It's an awesome system. Spend your own money, and some company gives you free stuff. That's why I use my credit card for everything.

Fight the system, fight the man. Pay off your credit card balances.