Book Review: The Skinny on Credit Cards

Written by author Jim Randel, The Skinny on Credit Cards was the straight-to-the-point type of book that I had expected. It acted very much like the CliffNotes guides that we used to skip out on reading the entire novel.

Throw in a short storyline and some stick figure illustrations with the bare bone facts on credit cards and Randel presents us with a nice one-hour read to set readers straight.

Here are some things that Randel does nicely:

• Unmasks the disguises of a credit card. He puts it in your face. When you use a credit card, you are making loans and you are borrowing money. It’s design was purposely created to make it easy and mindless.
• Adds a story to make a point. Situational examples provide something that readers can relate to. That helps drive home the point that is trying to be made. When it comes to credit card debt, it becomes an influential way to motivate change.
• Provides updates from the Credit CARD Act. With the new financial regulations in full motion, much of the information in books and on the Internet need to be updated as some information may no longer apply.

Overview
The Skinny on Credit Cards is a ideal for anyone in beginning stages of getting or having a credit card and it’s even better for those who are already in a struggle with consumer debt.

Randel tries hard to include strict facts and distinct points (which he does very well) but credit cards just encompass so much that the content may be overwhelming to anyone unfamiliar with the terms. As a personal finance blogger, I was already familiar with about 95% of the content but his story/stick figure format kept me flipping the pages.

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