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The holiday season was a heck of a party for retailers, but consumers are nursing a shopping hangover that'll keep them out of stores for a few months. "Now that those credit card bills are hitting mailboxes, shoppers will cut back in a very significant way," said Britt Beemer of America's Research Group.

Credit cards are making a comeback. At the end of 2008, more consumers were using debit cards than credit cards but now that trend has reversed. It's hard for some consumers to resist: Banks have been ramping up solicitations and boosting incentives for credit cards over the past year in an effort to get them to choose credit over debit. But have the big banks changed their ways?

Americans' economic health appears to be edging closer to code red: The Consumer Distress Index fell sharply in the third quarter, indicating that more of us are falling behind financially.

It can happen anytime after you get your first credit card. One day you look at the bill, and even the minimum payment is almost out of reach. Years of purchases spell out what seems to be a lifetime of repayments and a fortune in interest. Don't despair. You can climb out. Here's how.

When you get deep into credit card debt, it can feel like you've been through a financial storm. That's the story for a social worker named Heather, who has $30,000 in credit card debt. DailyFinance's Laura Rowley looks at key steps to clear the debris from her path to a brighter financial future.

While rolling your credit card debt onto a new card that offers 0% interest for a period of time is usually a smart money move, there are some people who shouldn't do it. This reader is one of them. DailyFinance's Laura Rowley explains why.

We're all know about work-life balance -- the idea of hitting that sweet spot where one's home life is rich and full, and doesn't collide with one's career. But how about money-life balance, when you can enjoy your earnings without racking up uncomfortable debt? Too few of us have that: Here are some tips on how to get it.

Although the Senate has blocked action on Obama's $447 billion jobs bill, parts of it may yet get enacted, including an extension and expansion of a payroll tax cut that would put hundreds of dollars more a year in the pockets of ordinary American workers. Here are three smart ways for you to earmark that cash for your future.

Credit card debt is tough to avoid -- and tougher to escape. We received an email from a reader who owes $20,000 on her cards, and spends a third of her income on those payments. Credit expert John Ulzheimer offers a legitimate method for her to reduce monthly costs and get out of the red.

Jessica Chastain, Hollywood's latest "It Girl," still recalls the wise financial advice she received from veteran actress Cherry Jones back at Juilliard. And now she's trying to follow it, too. But for years, her financial plan involved roller coaster rides of credit card debt.