Financial News Features

"If you're at a dealership ready to buy a car, and the dealer says they can help you pay for that car with an in-house loan, that's an example of captive financing," says Howard Dvorkin, an author, certified public accountant (CPA) and chairman of Debt.com.

"Really put some thought into this because you're making a promise to yourself that this is it — you're not buying anything more for anyone else," Howard Dvorkin, chairman of Debt.com, tells Nasdaq.

“These guys (retailers) have had not one year, not two years but 100 years to figure out how to separate you from your money,” says Howard Dvorkin, chairman of Debt.com. “They are very good at it. They want it to be perceived that you are getting a deal, and sometimes that deal is not a real one.”

“With inflation up from last year, consumers are entering one of the priciest holiday seasons during a time when most of them can’t afford it,” said Howard Dvorkin, CPA and chairman of Debt.com. “The pandemic caused many people to stretch their finances, and this holiday season will ask them to pull even further.”

“Just because an announcement to eliminate junk fees was made doesn’t mean all banks may comply in all cases,” says Dvorkin. “Banking consumers should conduct a quick internet search for their account fees. If they’ve already been hit with junk fees, they should call their bank and try to get them waived.”

Debt.com polled a thousand Americans, and most participants said that they are now tracking their finances, and their budgeting habit has helped them get out and stay out of debt.