Americans have been struggling lately, and it seems to be due to the calculated actions of this administration. If a plan was created with the goal of teetering society on the brink of oblivion, then one could say that this is a mission that has been successfully accomplished. By systematically and deliberately making sure that people own less, individuals across all categories and demographics now find themselves experiencing the worst of it.
Credit card debt has grown to an unprecedented rate for Americans, alarmingly surpassing an unthinkable amount in the fourth quarter. This growth points to a greater issue of people needing to take out loans, especially those in lower-income brackets, to put everyday expenses on their credit card. Further driving this disparity is the inflation of prices and devaluation of the dollar, which continues to challenge the financial stability of millions across America.Â
Newsmax reports, According to TransUnion, the total amount of credit card debt among Americans hit a record $930.6 billion in the fourth quarter, an 18.5% increase from one year earlier.
KTLA 5 discussed the record crisis Americans are facing.
On average, Americans carry $5,805 in credit card debt, with interest rates of almost 20%.
According to Paul Siegried, senior vice president and credit card business leader at TransUnion, Generation Z has been hitting the plastic the most, with credit card balances ballooning 64% and the number of cards held increasing 19%.
As of the fourth quarter of 2022, there were 2.26% of credit card holders who were delinquent on their payments, an increase from 1.48% in the previous quarter.
Americans opened up 202 million new credit accounts in the fourth quarter of 2022, bringing the total number of credit cards held by the 332 million people living in the United States to 518.4 million.
Bankrate estimates that, at a 20% interest rate, a person paying just the minimum on a $5,805 credit card balance and not making any additional purchases would pay an additional $8,213 in interest over 17 years before bringing their balance down to zero.
The invention of the credit card was an ingenious way of streamlining transactions and ushered in a new era of convenience. Capitalism allowed this to happen, but unfortunately, it comes with major consequences that all consumers should be aware of. As we struggle through this inflation, lets remember who put us in this position. Those who put us in this record inflation will be knocking on our doors with ‘free money’ to soften the blow. But don’t fall into the trap. Also lets be grateful that we have a republican majority that will be saving us from even more credit debt, if were the opposite, this problem would be far greater.
Let’s continue this conversation, in the comments below.
