Have you ever been confused when your financial institution offered you a line of credit and not a credit card? When I was first introduced to financial products, the product I was very familiar with was credit cards since many people had them. But when I was offered a line of credit from my credit union, my immediate response was “Huh? I thought my credit card was a line of credit?!” I knew I could use my credit card to pay for things as I need them, withdraw funds from my card if needed, and was earning cool rewards and other perks with the card, so I didn’t understand the benefits (or the difference) of a line of credit. The first time I understood how a line of credit worked was when it came in handy at my cousin's wedding nearly six years ago. The venue cost $21,000 and credit cards were not accepted as a form of payment. Luckily, my aunt had a line of credit account with her bank and she was able to write a nice check for the full amount. Go, Aunt Viv! In the example with my aunt Viv, the huge difference between a line of credit account and a credit card is that lines of credit accounts often give you access to a larger credit limit than credit cards and gave her immediate access to the cash without the vendor worrying about her card getting declined. In this article, I’ll cover more differences and similarities, so you have a better idea of which kind of loan would work best for you. Ready?

Selecting a credit card isn’t always easy. There are plenty of cards out there provided by tons of different lenders, so it’s easy to ask yourself “Which credit card is right for me?!” Before you make that decision, it’s important to understand credit cards fall into 2 different buckets - secured and unsecured. Between unsecured and secured credit cards, one has higher approval odds even if you have a low credit score, and the other offers lower interest rates with great reward perks. Can you tell which one offers which? Luckily, you won’t have to guess! Since I’ve had my fair share of experience with credit cards, and I’ll share the key differences between the two and what to prepare for so you can determine which card is right for you.

Having a financial cushion in place to cover expensive purchases and sudden emergencies is what a credit card is great for. But having a credit card or multiple credit cards with a hefty balance or a super-duper high-interest rate on top can be too much to bear.

When you have more than enough funds in your checking account, you stay ahead of any maintenance or overdraft fees.

Hold the phone… Are you coming up on your last car payment or recently made your last one?? Congratulations! I know you're ready to say “I officially own my vehicle!”

In your search for cars and considering auto loans, you may be asking, “What are all the costs included in buying a car? How much should I have saved up before financing? What goes into my monthly car payment?”

If you have a credit card or a line of credit (like a Home Equity Loan), chances are you’ve heard the term “Revolving Credit.” But, what the heck is it?! Revolving credit is a type of loan borrowers can repeatedly use to finance purchases and emergencies if needed. Borrowers must repay the amount they used to finance that purchase but they get to reuse that amount again. Hence the term revolving!

Have you ever received a credit card statement and weren’t quite sure what you were looking at? I get it!

It’s easy to see a credit card as “free money” and spending more than your means. But if you're not careful, you could wind up paying a lot in fees and interest, hurt your credit score, and really hurt your wallet.