Children Want to Play with Credit Card Deals Now
Barbie dolls, teddy-bears, toy soldiers, hide-and-seek, hopscotch, and marble games you used to play in your childhood are left back then in the past. Kids of the twenty first century are no longer into games for children. They want to grow up as fast as possible. (At this point not much have changed since the previous generations) These days kids play computer games, surf the Web, watch reality-shows. And they no longer play the-doctor-and-the-patient; they make believe to be creditors, credit card holders, and even brokers.
But the good old Monopoly is still popular. Moreover, toy manufacturers produce more and more money-oriented games. Kids pretending to be grown-ups look so innocent and sweet. But are this kind of games really so harmless for your children?
The toy market is enormous nowadays. Children have so many opportunities for emotional and intellectual growth. There are lots of fun games that can entertain kids. But more and more often the little ones give their preferences to "adult" games. When it comes to make-believe, they become bankers and business people. Together with make-believe kids play different board games based on money and finance.
Sounds ridiculous? Not at all. Let's take the Monopoly. It involves real buy/sell process. You can buy, trade, rent properties. You can borrow and lend money, etc. This game was patented in 1935. It was re-edited many times. But players always used play money before. But its latest edition surprised the game's fans. Now kids can play plastic money instead of fake cash.
Even a wrist-thin-waist Barbie is becoming more real. Now the doll can make purchases using tiny pink credit cards. So, girls with great pleasure "get" more and more clothes and other stuff for their dolls. But have they any idea of credit card rates and fees, of the importance of credit history, and of credit limit, after all. No, they have no clue that their Barbie riding ponies, changing outfits, lying in a bubble bath all day long would never be able to afford buying a pink Porsche.
Kids when playing do not go into details concerning credit cards use. They would not analyze which plastic is better - a no fee credit card or a low interest one. They do not know when they should use balance transfer cards and when to get a rewards plastic. But does a 5-year-old kid really need to know all the intricacies of credit card processing?
No, not really. But what is actually important - is to catch the moment when your kid turns into a teenager. And it will be the right time to teach him or her the basics of credit card management.
Bank of America having teamed up with Visa and a popular Hello Kitty brand have designed a credit card for kids. Its target audience is children of from 10 to 15. Parents can apply for this card and show their kids how to deal with plastics. Perhaps, it is a good way to teach a child how to make credit card deals and how to manage them right. Well, it is definitely better for a kid to learn from real financial operations rather than from stylized board money games. Your attention, interest, and guard are all your kid needs to learn treat money right.
Identity theft cases have become as common as dirt. The crisis US economy in at the moment triggers the rise of credit crime rate. Crooks do not even have to invent new more sophisticated ways to steal credit cards or identities themselves. Credit consumers struck by credit market crunch do not think much about protection against thieves now.
But now taking security measures against credit fraud is more important than ever. Say you discovered that you fell victim to identity theft. Do you have an instant action plan? Do you know what to do in order to minimize the grave consequences the fraud can bring about? Credit report freeze is the answer.
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Too much is never enough. Especially when it comes to money. Your income is the cap on the amount of money you can spend. But if you have credit cards, your buying power increases and your spending limits do not bother and restrain you that much. However, nearly every credit card holder would not refuse to have a bigger credit limit.
Even if you carry a no limit plastic, you still have a cap on credit card spendings. Your highest balance is usually considered to be your limit. But can you increase your credit limit? And how will it affect your credit score?
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Credit consumers, who want to highlight their financial standing, can find credit products that will fit their interests. There are the so-called status-credit cards on the market. Customers can choose silver, gold, platinum or black credit cards. All of them give certain privileges and that very status to their owners.
What is interesting, you do not even need to have excellent or good credit and really high income to get one of the status credit cards. They are available to bad credit owners as well. Let's take a closer look at Gold credit cards. Learn more about features, options and services that Gold credit cards offer.
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