About the author:
Sean P. EgenAfter realizing he couldn’t pay back his outrageous film school student loans with rejection notices from Hollywood studios, Sean focused his screenwriting skills on scripting corporate videos. Videos led to marketing communications, which led to articles and, before he knew it, Sean was making a living as a writer. He continues to do so today by leveraging his expertise in credit, financial planning, wealth-building, and living your best life for Credit One Bank.
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” proclaims the holiday song with the same name as its iconic opening line. But it can also be the most expensive time of the year for many Americans. Credit One Bank was interested in finding out how our card members expect their 2017 holiday spending to go, so we contacted over 18,000 of them back in September 2017. Our definition of the “holiday season” included November through New Year’s, and the nearly 1,000 survey respondents were asked to consider the following five categories in their responses: gifts, food, decorations, entertainment, and travel. Here’s what they told us.
According to recent research by Statistic Brain, 41% of Americans usually make New Year’s resolutions, yet only 44.8% of those who do, manage to maintain them longer than six months. That same research found that financial resolutions rank third in popularity, behind only losing weight and general self-improvement. And effectively managing your credit can play a major role in improving your finances.
Debt happens. For better or worse, it has become an undeniable part of modern American life. It can be unintended debt, such as medical expenses, which a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation and New York Times found affected nearly one in four adults ages 18-64 in the United States. Or it can be intentional debt, the kind many of us go into voluntarily in order to buy a home or car or pay for higher education.
Forget ghosts, goblins, and ghouls. Mismanaging and damaging your credit can be scarier than an old, dilapidated mansion haunted by all three. But don’t cower in fear and shy away from using credit or shun it altogether. The good news is there are credit “tricks” and even a few “treats” that make establishing good credit and managing it effectively something to actually look forward to, not fear.
Credit One Bank was interested in finding out how our card members expect their 2017 holiday spending to go, so we contacted over 18,000 of them back in September. The nearly 1,000 respondents were asked to consider five categories—gifts, food, decorations, entertainment, and travel—in formulating their answers about holiday spending, the "holidays" defined as November through New Year’s. Here’s what we learned.
A good education is priceless—but it can also be pricey. From notebooks and notepads to books and backpacks to the perfect first-day-of-school outfit, annual back-to-school shopping for supplies can quickly snowball into an unexpected budget-breaker. Fortunately, school supplies are also one of the educational costs you have the most control over.
Working in the so-called gig economy (the labor market made up of part-time, short-term, and freelance jobs, often in combination) is not for everyone. Some people, particularly those who enjoy more personal freedom and may not do well in a cubicle environment, embrace it. Others find themselves in it as a matter of necessity more than choice.
After realizing he couldn’t pay back his outrageous film school student loans with rejection notices from Hollywood studios, Sean focused his screenwriting skills on scripting corporate videos. Videos led to marketing communications, which led to articles and, before he knew it, Sean was making a living as a writer. He continues to do so today by leveraging his expertise in credit, financial planning, wealth-building, and living your best life for Credit One Bank.
This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of a qualified tax advisor, attorney or financial advisor. Readers should consult with their own tax advisor, attorney or financial advisor with regard to their personal situations.