Chapter © 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning Responsibilities and Costs of Credit Using Credit Wisely Costs of Credit 18

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 2 Chapter 18 Lesson 18.1 Using Credit Wisely GOALS Describe the responsibilities of consumer credit. Discuss how to protect your credit from fraud. Explain how you can reduce or avoid credit costs.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 3 Chapter 18 Responsibilities to Yourself Use credit wisely and do not get into debt beyond an amount you can comfortably repay. Check out businesses before making credit purchases.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 4 Chapter 18 Responsibilities to Yourself Comparison shop and avoid impulse buying. Comparison shopping involves checking several places to be sure you are getting the best price for equal quality. Video Impulse buying occurs when you buy something without thinking about it and making a conscious decision. Video (continued)

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 5 Chapter 18 Responsibilities to Yourself Have the right attitude about using credit. Enter into each transaction in good faith and with full expectation of meeting your obligations and upholding your good credit reputation. Garnishment is a legal process that allows part of your paycheck to be withheld for payment of a debt. (continued)

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 6 Chapter 18 Responsibilities to Creditors Some of your responsibilities are: Limit your spending Make payments Read and understand terms Contact creditor to resolve problems

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 7 Chapter 18 Creditors’ Responsibilities to You Assisting consumers in making wise purchases by honestly representing goods and services. Informing customers about all rules and regulations, interest rates, credit policies, and fees. Cooperating with established credit reporting agencies. Establishing and adhering to sound lending and credit policies. Using reasonable methods of contacting customers who fail to meet their obligations and assisting in solving credit problems.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 8 Chapter 18 Protecting Yourself from Credit Card Fraud Credit card fraud costs businesses and consumers millions of dollars each year. Common types of fraud Illegal use of a lost or stolen credit card Illegal use of credit card information intercepted online While the credit card holder’s liability is limited to $50, the merchant is not protected from loss. Merchants often raise their overall prices to cover such losses. Video

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 9 Chapter 18 Safeguarding Your Cards Sign and activate cards immediately. Carry only cards you need. Keep a list of cards and information about them in a safe place. Notify creditors if a card is lost or stolen. Watch card during transactions. Tear up old receipts.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 10 Chapter 18 Safeguarding Your Cards Do not lend cards or leave them lying around. Destroy expired cards. Do not give credit card information by phone or online to people or businesses you don’t know. Keep receipts and verify charges on statements. (continued)

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 11 Chapter 18 Protecting Your Accounts Online Deal with companies you know and trust. Look for secure site symbol. Encryption is a code that protects your account name, number, and other information. When information is encrypted, it is made unreadable to others trying to read it. Review privacy policy.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 12 Chapter 18 Protecting Your Accounts Online Look for the seal of a non-profit watchdog group. Initiate all transactions yourself at sites you trust. Phishing is a scam that uses online pop-up messages or e- mail to deceive you into disclosing personal information. “Phishers” send messages that appear to be from a business that you normally deal with, such as your bank or Internet service provider (ISP). Video (continued)

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 13 Chapter 18 Avoiding Unnecessary Credit Costs Accept only the amount of credit that you need. Unused credit is the remaining credit available to you on current accounts. Make more than the minimum payment. Do not increase spending as income increases. Keep your credit accounts to a minimum. Pay cash for small purchases.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 14 Chapter 18 Avoiding Unnecessary Credit Costs Understand the cost of credit. Shop for loans. Take advantage of credit incentive programs. With a rewards program, you will receive a payback in the form of points that can be redeemed for merchandise or airline tickets. With a rebate plan, you get back a portion of what you spent in credit purchases over the year. (continued)

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 15 Chapter 18 Lesson 18.2 Costs of Credit GOALS Explain why credit costs vary. Compute and explain simple interest and APR. Compare methods of computing finance charges on revolving credit.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 16 Chapter 18 Why Credit Costs Vary Source of credit Amount financed and length of time Ability to repay debt Collateral Interest rates The prime rate is the interest rate that banks offer to their best business customers, such as large corporations. Individuals pay higher rates because the risk is greater to the lender.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 17 Chapter 18 Why Credit Costs Vary Economic conditions Type of credit or loan Fixed-rate loans are loans for which the interest rate does not change over the life of the loan. With variable-rate loans, the interest rate goes up and down with inflation and other economic indicators. The business’s costs of providing credit. (continued)

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 18 Chapter 18 Computing the Cost of Credit Simple interest formula Annual percentage rate formula Credit card billing methods

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 19 Chapter 18 Simple Interest Formula Simple interest is interest computed only on the amount borrowed (or saved), without compounding. The simple interest method of calculating interest assumes one payment at the end of the loan period.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 20 Chapter 18 Simple Interest Formula The formula for simple interest is: (continued) Interest (I) = Principal (P) × Rate (R) × Time (T) I = P × R × T

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 21 Chapter 18 Annual Percentage Rate Formula APR  2  n  f P (N  1) Where: n=number of payment periods in one year f=finance charge P=principal or amount borrowed N=total number of payments (continued)

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning Calculate APR SLIDE 22 Chapter 18 The Jones family bought a new sofa. The cash price is $900. They decide to pay for it with an installment loan rather than with cash. They put $200 down and borrow $700. They will pay off the loan in 12 monthly payments of $65 each. Calculate APR Total Price Paid = (12 payments x $60+ $200 down payment = $980 Finance Charge = $980 - $900 cash price = $80 APR = 2 x n x f / P (N+1) 2 x 12 payments x $80 finance charge $700 principal (12 payments + 1) 21% APR

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning SLIDE 23 Chapter 18 Credit Card Billing Methods Adjusted balance method – finance charge only applied to the amount owed after you’ve paid bill each month. Previous balance method – finance charge on entire amount owed from the previous month. Average daily balance method – charges figured on the average balance, including deductions for payments. Two-cycle billing – using the average daily balance on the last 2 months, not 1.