The term “financial literacy” has gone from irrelevant to a buzzword peppering the national discourse in only a matter of years, and for good reason. The United States sank into the worst financial downturn since the Great Depression during that time, largely as a result of the risky lending practices and widespread overleveraging of a populace that had and continues to have very little confidence in its own financial acumen.

The Financial Literacy Landscape in America

The average credit card interest rate is 18.89% for new offers and 14.56% for existing accounts, according to WalletHub’s Credit Card Landscape Report. It is best to avoid carrying a balance from month to month with a credit card if the APR is anywhere close to the current average.

Much like there are many different types of credit cards, there are lots more average credit card APRs worth considering, too. The average secured credit card’s APR is currently 18.3%, for example, while credit cards for people with excellent credit charge 13.1%. The rate you get depends in part on your credit score.

Understanding the credit card climate is important for two reasons. First, credit card offers change regularly, based on the health of the economy and issuers’ business objectives. So being able to see the bigger picture – averages, trends, etc. – gives you a baseline against which to compare offers. And that will help you find the best credit card deals as well as ultimately save more money.

Monitoring the credit card landscape can also tell you a lot about the health of the U.S. consumer. For example, 0% introductory APRs and initial rewards bonuses dried up during the Great Recession. And the decline in consumer credit quality during that period was a big reason why.

While Fourth of July celebrations were limited during the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s events should be able to proceed fairly normally thanks to our vaccination efforts. Americans are already gearing up for this major holiday, too. The National Retail Federation projects that American households this year will spend a collective $7.7 billion just on food for Fourth of July celebrations.

In order to help Americans find the best and cheapest places to celebrate this star-spangled occasion, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities based on how well they balance holiday cost and fun. Our data set of 21 key metrics ranges from average beer and wine prices to duration of fireworks shows to the Fourth of July weather forecast.

The WalletHub Economic Index increased by roughly 6% between December 2020 and June 2022. This means consumers are significantly more confident about their financial outlook now than they were at the end of 2020.

The WalletHub Economic Index is a monthly survey that evaluates economic prospects based on 10 components of consumer sentiment. These components revolve around how people feel about their finances, purchasing plans and employment opportunities.

As the U.S. continues its efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and new variants, staying safe is one of Americans’ top concerns. Safety is also essential for getting the economy back on track, as the lower COVID-19 transmission and deaths are in a state, the fewer restrictions there will be and the more confidence people will have to shop in person. While the country has dropped most restrictions and the number of new COVID-19 cases has significantly dropped since the beginning of the year, increasing the percentage of people who have been vaccinated and received booster doses is still key to getting back to life as normal. The good news is that around 67% of the population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of June 21 .

Some states are already safer than others, though, based on how well they have kept the pandemic under control and how much they are vaccinating. In order to find out the safest states during the COVID-19 pandemic, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five key metrics. Our data set includes the level of COVID-19 community transmission, the rates of positive testing, hospitalizations and death, as well as the share of the eligible population getting vaccinated.

You can’t get an accurate sense of the consumer debt situation without considering credit card delinquency and charge-off rates. These metrics speak to the sustainability of consumer spending habits, indicating the ability of credit card users to stay current on their bills. For example, high delinquency rates may foreshadow a rash of defaults as well as the potential for a downturn in the economy, while a downward trend in default rates could indicate economic or habitual improvement.

Furthermore, consumers continue to owe charged-off debt for years, which means ignoring such sums will paint a misleading picture of the debt landscape.

The four major credit card networks – Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover – dictate where credit cards and debit cards can be used. They are not created equal, however. Visa and Mastercard boast a significant advantage in terms of worldwide acceptance, while Amex and Discover supplement their payment facilitation business by issuing cards directly to consumers. Card network rental car insurance, extended warranty, and fraud liability policies vary widely as well.

The card network market share statistics listed below will give you a sense of the hierarchy that exists in the card network space. Networks are compared based on credit card market share, debit card market share, purchase volume, cards in circulation, and monthly spending.

Summer is the perfect time to hit the open road: School’s out, the weather’s warm, and the possibilities are endless. While many people avoided travel in the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, states have released most restrictions now thanks to the distributions of vaccines. As a result, this summer, nearly 80% of American adults plan to take some sort of road trip.

Deciding to take a trip is the easy part, though. Picking a destination and affording everything you want to pack into your itinerary is harder. Gas prices might be one thing to worry about, for example. They’ve been growing this year, with the national average at over $4 per gallon now. On top of that, you’ll need to consider accommodations, activities and dining. All of these certainly contribute to the more than $751 billion we spend on leisure travel each year.

Wells Fargo Reflect Review Summary

The Wells Fargo Reflect℠ Card is a good credit card for people with good credit or better who want 0% introductory interest rates for purchases and balance transfers. Wells Fargo Reflect is worthwhile because it has a $0 annual fee and allows cardholders to avoid interest for up to 21 months from account opening. That could easily save you hundreds of dollars.