Financial News Features

"Americans are addicted to credit cards, no question," said Howard Dvorkin, a certified public accountant and the chairman of Debt.com.

Now, "consumers are maintaining and supporting their lifestyles using credit card debt," said Howard Dvorkin, a certified public accountant and the chairman of Debt.com.

You may want to consider a non-profit credit counselor, says Howard Dvorkin, a certified public accountant and chairman of Debt.com: “In my experience, good people with few savings don’t need a private sector investment professional. They need a nonprofit credit counselor to help them create a household budget and get out of personal debt,” says Dvorkin.

"there is a tremendous amount of education out there," said Howard Dvorkin, a certified public accountant and the chairman of Debt.com. "Stay away from TikTok, stay away from Instagram," he said.

“The reason Sam’s Club is the least expensive of the three is because of Walmart’s buying power,” says Howard Dvorkin, chairman of Debt.com. “That said, they don’t have the premium brands Costco typically has.”

Freezing your credit used to be a costly headache, said Howard Dvorkin, CPA and chairman of Debt.com. Then, in 2018, Congress ordered the big three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to offer credit freezes free of charge. It became relatively simple to freeze and unfreeze your credit online. Of course, it’s not simple if you aren’t computer savvy, Dvorkin noted. “Credit freezes massively reduce the risk of identity theft, but nothing is totally effective,” Dvorkin said. “If you freeze your credit, you still need to review your credit card statements and check your credit reports annually.”