Rudro Chakrabarti By Rudro Chakrabarti

Growing up, I was terrified of credit cards. I trace it back to my dad driving me to school most mornings, listening to the news every day — followed by classical or jazz channels.

One time the anchor went on about all these people, spending thousands of dollars they didn't have, using plastic cards. And his voice morphed into 'wah wahs' straight out of Charlie Brown — as the numbers started getting bigger and bigger.

This is a members-only article.

Become a member now for $9.99/month to read this article and get unlimited, ad-free access to all of the best articles on MoneyWise.

Featured Offers

Get Matched With 3 Local Financial Advisors

Research suggests that working with a financial advisor can lead to average additional investment returns of 1.5% to 4% a year. Find fiduciaries near you for free.

Start Now

Take Surveys. Get Paid.

Get paid to take surveys. Earn free gift cards from your favorite retailers, or get cash back. Get a $5 bonus when you earn 2,500 SB points within your first 60 days.

Start Now

Automatic Round-Ups

Acorns forces you to save money by automatically investing your spare change (rounding up) from everyday purchases.

Start Now

Your Free Credit Score

Get your free credit score, free credit report card and free credit monitoring.

Start Now