The Skinny on Credit Cards: How to Master the Credit Card Game

by Jim Randel

The Skinny on Credit Cards, How to Master the Credit Card Game. Finally, someone has written a book which is clear, concise and comprehensive on the subject of credit cards. The Skinny on Credit Cards will be helpful to everyone from the young adult getting his or her first card to the older adult who has used cards for years and never really totally understood the rules of the game. The Skinny on Credit Cards is a compilation of all the books and articles that have been written on the subject. All the experts were consulted. The Skinny On™ presents all the relevant information in an entertaining and easy-to-digest fashion. The credit card world is willing to lend you money. They want money back in return in the form of fees and interest. In some ways, the use of a credit card is a big game. Your job as a consumer is to play the game well so that you get more out of the relationship than do the credit card issuers. The Skinny on Credit Cards will teach you how to win the game!!

176 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

About the author

Jim Randel, a graduate of the Columbia University College and Law School, has made his living as an entrepreneur. During his 30-year career, Jim has been the lead investor in many real estate and business deals. He has been a guest speaker at Harvard and NYU Business Schools, annual conventions for national organizations, and investor sessions in every large city in the United States. He has also appeared on numerous networks as an expert on investing. Recent engagements include ABC, CBS, Fox, Fox Business and BetterTV.com.

Throughout his career, Jim's passion has been to teach and write. His first book, The Real Estate Game (CCH), was published in 1986 and received national recognition from investors and critics. From 1988 to 1990 he was a daily commentator on the Financial News Network (now CNBC). In 2006 he wrote Confessions of a Real Estate Entrepreneur (McGraw-Hill) which reached #1 in several Amazon categories.

In 2008 Jim founded Rand Media Co, which, under the imprint The Skinny On™, publishes a revolutionary line of illustrated non-fiction books.

The first book in this series, The Skinny on the Housing Crisis, was awarded First Prize in the prestigious Robert Bruss Real Estate Book competition sponsored by NAREE, a group of 600 journalists who cover business and finance. This was quickly followed by 8 more titles: The Skinny on Willpower, The Skinny on Credit Cards, The Skinny on Success, The Skinny on Real Estate Investing, The Skinny on Direct Sales (also available in Spanish as The Skinny on Venta Directa), The Skinny on Time Management, The Skinny on the Art of Persuasion, and the newest in the series, The Skinny on Networking.

Jim lives and works in Westport, Connecticut with his wife Carol. They have four grown children and two grandchildren.

For more information about the Skinny on series, go to: www.TheSkinnyOn.com.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is a simple, but not simplistic, look at the world of credit cards.

Beth and Billy are your average married couple who suddenly find themselves with a lot of credit card debt. Billy feels that as long as he pays the minimum payment each month, everything is fine, but Beth is not so sure. Along comes Randel, the author, to explain to them the reality behind credit cards.

Credit card companies want cardholders to pay just the minimum payment each month. That way, they can charge interest on the unpaid balance, raising your overall bill. If that particular ard was never used again, it can take years to pay your total bill by paying just the minimum amount. You will also pay the credit card company more than you originally owe, because of the accumulated interest on the unpaid balance.

Credit card companies can, and will, raise your APR (Annual percentage Rate) whenever they want; the Cardholder Agreement says so. They can also be very sneaky about setting the cut-off time for receiving payments. For instance, they can set the cut-off time for 10 AM, when they receive their daily mail delivery at noon. Even if your payment was received that day, it is still late, which means that they can charge a late fee. College students are a goldmine, because they are probably financially illiterate, and think of credit cards as free money.

What can the average consumer do about it? Pay off as much of your bill each month as possible; forget about paying just the minimum payment. Call your credit card company, and ask them for a lower interest. It could shave months, or years, off the time needed to eliminate your debt. If you have a large debt, look for a one-time infusion of cash to reduce the debt. Consider a low-interest credit card as a place to which to transfer your balances.

This book does a wonderful job at teaching the financial literacy not taught in school. get past the stick figure illustrations, and this book is highly recommended for everyone.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this being the 2nd book I've read on the subject of credit cards I'd say it's definitely a great one to start with Before you sign up for a card. It's also filled with solid advice if your someone who's currently in credit debt and not sure how to get out of it or want to get out faster and for less.

Ultimately a very easy read with a lot of stick figure illustrations telling the story of Billy & Beth who have gotten themselves into credit card debt. Mostly Billy's fault but with the help of humorous author Jim Randel and his understandable credit card know-how sets them on a path to getting out of debt and becoming financially responsible.

It's like reading a Zine but that's what made it entertaining and easy to understand. At the same it was very informative as to how credit card companies work and how credit could be used to your advantage or disadvantage (if you don't know how they actually work).

I mentioned this was the second book I've read on the subject. The first being Your Credit Score by Liz Weston which the author references in this book along with other's.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on credit cards and they way that they work. Would recommend for anyone who doesn't understand how they work, or for teens about to be inundated with applications for credit cards.