The average American household budget
The average household earned $101,805 in 2023 before taxes and spent $77,280.
Credit cards are useful tools for building credit and earning rewards. But you need to make a vow that you’ll pay your balance in full and by the due date every month. The first time you carry a balance, it becomes your new normal and that leads to credit card debt.
— Beverly Harzog
Beverly Harzog is a nationally recognized consumer finance analyst, credit expert and host of the Your Personal Economy podcast. She's also the bestselling and award-winning author of five personal finance books.
She’s been in the personal finance industry for 30 years and has recently been a columnist and media spokesperson for U.S. News & World Report. She’s appeared on Fox News, CNN, CBS Evening News, NBC News and Cheddar. She’s been a quoted in thousands of articles, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Money Magazine, The New York Times, New York Magazine, Kiplinger, Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, Cosmopolitan, Real Simple and much more.
Her byline has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, Good Housekeeping, Entrepreneur, Health, Better Homes and Gardens, Cooking Light, New York Daily News, ABCNews.com and Yahoo Finance.
She has an MBA from the University of New Haven and is a former CPA. Her current passions include hosting her podcast, Your Personal Economy, and learning to play the guitar.
Credit cards are useful tools for building credit and earning rewards. But you need to make a vow that you’ll pay your balance in full and by the due date every month. The first time you carry a balance, it becomes your new normal and that leads to credit card debt.
— Beverly Harzog
The average household earned $101,805 in 2023 before taxes and spent $77,280.
A pay-for-delete letter is one way to try to improve your credit score.
Personal loan interest rates today are unusually high, thanks to market forces.
Are you looking for a temporary break from APR? One of the balance transfer credit card offers available on Bankrate could help you pay down balances, improve your credit score and save on interest charges — plus, some earn great rewards.
Installment loans can be useful, but inflexible. Try these options instead.
Bank account budgeting tools make it easy to track your personal finances.
Returned card payments can bring on a variety of fees and may harm your credit.
What should you consider before getting a corporate credit card?