Willow - I understand your position and in a way you are like the son who stayed home while the wayward son left and was welcomed back to the father's house.  For every person who spent wildly or foolishly, there are people who got caught up in the financial mess due to (pick some of these) 1) medical emergencies; 2) unexpected job loss due to employer bankruptcy, change in marketplace, embezzlement, theft, etc. 3) People who did it all right and were in the wrong place at the wrong time. e.g. sold stocks or investments too late or too soon. 4) People who had theft, id theft, accidents, injuries, issues with kids, unexpected bills and twists and turns of fate. 5) People who missed one payment by a day and saw their interest rate soar to 25%.  I mean, come on, so many people have issues that we don't have or don't understand. That doesn't make them bad people or lazy people or grifters. The plain fact is, far too many financial companies practice usury. Even in states like mine where there are usury laws, there are loopholes that the elite financial institutions figure out. And you see outrageous interest rates when the Fed is at an all time low.  So - goody for you that you've been a good girl and did your finances "correctly." But not everyone is so lucky. Not everyone had the path that you did. And BTW Citibank is the absolute worst financial institution in the world. Illuminati based, evil and malicious lenders. I would rather have a loan or credit card from Guido down by the docks.   Anyway rewarding irresponsible spending and charging irks me.  Don't judge till you've walked a mile in other's shoes. You make a blanket statement that shows you don't get out much. Nor do you take many risks. Nor do you have situations that require quick cash solutions, which is one of the reasons people get in trouble. Not all those in debt are being irresponsible nor are they driving around in cadillacs and wearing Gucci. Chill