choose
Parents of college-bound students have a decision to make as offers stream in for their soon
Passage
depart teenagers. Should theysend their freshmen off to campus armed with a debit
记,借入 or credit card to learn how to handle money? Or is it better to keep firm
through the Bank of Mom and Dad? The"correct"answer will vary by family and personal
The Credit Card Act that took effect several years ago made it much harder for anyone
younger than 21 to get a card. Gone are the days of card issuers handing out free T-shirts
or reward points for spring break on campus. But under-21s can still obtain a credit card
if they have a qualified co-signer or proof of sufficient income to repay the debt. And card
issuers still market aggresively to college students, targeting them with pre-screened(ig tite
选的) mail offers.
That makes parents, as the likeliest co-signers, more involved in the card-or-no-card decision
Robyn Kahn Federman of Rochester, New York, says theres"no way "shell let either of h
two daughters have a credit card at such a financially tender age. "I dont think anything
related to debt belongs in the hands of a college kid, "says Federman. "The vast majority ar
not experienced enough with money or aware enough of the risks
Some students, though, have shown theyre disciplined enough to have their own cards on
campus. Scott Gamm, a junior at New York University, used his income from freelance(H
由职业的) work and blogging to obtain a Visa card and then an American Express card
recently He charges $200 or $300 on them monthly and pays every bill in full. But he has
friend who obained thre or four cards within a year and now have big debts to show for
their"status symbol
"The more credit you have access to, especially at th at young age, the higher the probabilit
you'll use that card to finance fancyclothes, restaurants and entertainment, " says Gamm. 20
A credit card can be very helpful in building your credit but it can also be an instrument in
your financial self-destruction
1 What decision do parents need to make according to the first paragraph?
A To entitle their children to manage money or not
B To control the spending of their children or no
C To pay for their children's tuition fees or not
D To give their children the bank account or not
2 What changes have taken nl
