Erin El Issa

speaker

52 appearances 1 recordings 1 series first heard Jan 2026 last heard 15 Jan

Erin El Issa’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 1 in all, peaking in Jan 2026 with 1.

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NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast · Insurance in 2026: Best Auto, Home, Life, and Pet Insurance Picks—Plus a Wake-Up Call on Credit Card Debt · 15 Jan 2026 podcast

However, housing and transportation, which are two big necessary costs for most Americans, have increased more than median household income growth during that time.

It's also important to note, though, that plenty of Americans' income simply hasn't kept up with the increasing costs, particularly over the past few years.

You asked about typical income, right?

But that's not a reflection of any single actual household.

The aggregate data can tell us things are looking good overall, while individual households can feel like they're drowning under rising costs and stagnant income.

So I understand why buy now, pay later has become a go-to.

There's often no fees or interest for those who make payments on time, and the cost of a purchase probably hurts less when you're just paying a fraction of it up front.

But when you start using it regularly for multiple purchases, it's easy to become overwhelmed with those payments every two weeks.

I think it's really easy to fall back into debt after clawing your way out of it.

I think a lot of people say never again, but it can creep up on you.

According to the survey, nearly a third of Americans who have revolving credit card debt say they opened credit cards with the intention of paying them off each month.

So I think credit cards can be a great tool, right?

There's rewards, there's purchase protections, great.

But only if they're working for you and not costing you an interest.

Personally, while I use credit cards for my bills, I don't use them for most of my variable spending because I know I can better keep my spending in check with the limitations of a debit card.

For those who are the same way, it might be a good idea to take a break from using credit cards.

Step back and see if they're working for you or just costing you.

And this is especially true for those who are currently trying to pay off credit card debt.

So this is possibly an unsatisfactory answer, but they're making more money or they're spending less money to allocate extra funds to paying off the debt.

I think we all want this like secret third way to get out of debt that's really painless.

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