The Indispensable Means By Which Americans Live Beyond Their Means

Where would we be without credit cards? Not neck deep in debt, for one thing. A Gallup poll depicts the extent to which Americans finance their lives by leaving unpaid balances on their cards, and it’s not a pretty sight. A virtuous 37 percent of cardholders say they always pay the full amount they owe, and 16 percent claim they usually do so. But 31 percent “usually leave balances,” 12 percent “usually pay the minimum amount due, but not much more” and 2 percent “pay less than the minimum amount due.”