Bankrupt! Nearly 1 in 4 People Are Uncomfortable With Their Debt

A new Gallup poll reveals that, despite the fact Americans are taking on more and more debt as a way to fuel consumption (and in theory are comfortable with the idea of debt), about 23% are "somewhat or very uncomfortable" in terms of their level of debt.




While 23% may not be as "significant" as Gallup claims (keep in mind, 77% of respondents said they are "very" or "somewhat" comfortable with their debt level), to me the more important piece comes after, in that 49% of respondents are uncomfortable with making a major purchase (in turn adding to their debt) in the next 3 months.

Perhaps we're seeing a turning point- people finally getting fed up with the ever growing mountain of debt weighing them down. Take this with things like the growing proliferation of debit cards- particularly young people, "with 60% of people 18-25 reporting they use the cards for purchases for anything from digital content and vending machines to parking and newspapers" according to MSN- and it does seem that the willingness to incur debt may be retreating.

Though, its a long battle back from the situation we young'ns are in. Yikes.

Also interesting to note that 4 of the 10 most recent Gallup poles are focused on debt, highlighting again how top of mind this issue is for people.

Postcards from Second Life: World of Warcraft Visa

Visa teamed up with Blizzard Entertainment, the makers of World of Warcraft, to offer a credit card that rewards WoW players with playtime if they make a qualifying purchase: "for each $1 spent on their WOW Visas, players will get $0.01 credit toward their $14.99 monthly subscription fee".

Good news, because it bodes well that WuTang Financial still has a chance of getting launched, too!


via GameSpot

Identity Theft: Dateline "To Catch an ID Thief"

Chris Hansen of 'Dateline' stalks the people who steal credit card information and try to scam Americans out of money. Originally aired on NBC March 27.