Curtis Arnold is not only a
contributor to DebtSmart.com, but also a contributor to consumer awareness. He’s the founder of
U.S. Citizens for Fair Credit Card Terms, Inc. and
CardRatings.com. Curtis
has been helping people save money by promoting financial education since
1998. His latest project is his first book,
How You Can Profit From Credit
Cards: Using Credit to Improve Your Financial Life and Bottom Line, and
as you may guess, I loved the book! The book has been available at Amazon.com
since its release this month.
Curtis knows firsthand the devastating effects of
credit card debt. By the time he was finished with his graduate studies at the
University of Texas at Dallas, his credit card debt reached $45,000. The stress
it created in his life was “unbelievable,” as Curtis puts it, and has a lot to
do with why he wrote this book. His goal is to spare you the experience of what
he went through and to show you the best ways to benefit from your credit cards.
Curtis has a particular passion for educating
students about credit. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for
Consumer Financial Services at Rochester Institute of Technology, which provides
national leadership and research on student credit issues. Curtis also regularly
speaks on college campuses about the ins and outs of credit. Finally, he
currently serves as co-chair of the Arkansas chapter of the Jump$tart Coalition
for Financial Literacy, which seeks to educate students about personal finance
issues.
Curtis says, “Why should huge banks and credit
card companies make all the money?” And of course, I agree!
| A few of the
topics covered in the book include: |
| * |
Unlocking the keys to huge
credit card savings |
| * |
Finding the best rates and
balance transfer offers—and making the most of them |
| * |
Fly anywhere, finance
anything |
| * |
Use credit cards to earn
free airline tickets and cash rebates or for low-cost “creative
financing” |
| * |
Don’t get ripped off—by
your bank or anyone else |
| * |
Avoid hidden fees, costly
small print, and flat-out fraud |
| * |
Slash your debt, and cut
your cost of credit |
| * |
Stop throwing away money
you could be saving or investing |
In summary: what I like best about this book is
that it’s easy to read and understand. You can put the principles Curtis lays
out to work right away in your life to start winning the battle against the
banks. This is one of the best books on credit cards ever written, and I
recommend that you
pick up a copy today.
