by exploited » Thu Jul 27, 2017 11:51 am
For sure, I get that. I don't like credit either, and I use it sparingly. But yeah, it is good to have, and it can be financially prudent to use.
My big issue with modern credit is that, let's face it, the majority of people who use it don't understand it. They can't calculate compound interest, or even describe what it is. They can't do quick mental math to figure out the actual dollar amount of interest. And, worst of all, there are tons of institutions that are simply exploiting that ignorance, and putting people into more and more debt. I mean at least we don't have debtors prison, and we do have bankruptcy protections, but I fully agree that something has to give with this system. There needs to be more protections against predatory lenders.
In Canada, it isn't so much payday places, it is mortgage lenders that are the problem. Historic low interest rates plus cheap credit and an inflated market equals certain disaster for tons of people. I have a friend, for instance, he just bought a house for $275k. He makes $15/hr and his wife makes $19/hr. Their monthly payment is gonna be at least $1200 and they only put 10% down. If the market crashes or if something happens to one of them, they are f**k, but they still got a mortgage.