Articles like these bring back not so fond memories of my wife and I learning financial lessons the hard way. All the while I wondered why personal finance wasn’t part of public education in the USA. Luckily, for my sons, Maine (the state we reside in) has made personal finance a part of the public school curriculum in every grade (Kindergarten through 12th grade).

My best advice, for anyone wanting to know how to handle credit as a beginner, would be to get a credit card with the lowest possible APR (Annual Percentage Rate).

Make a few purchases per month with this card and then pay off the balance at the end of each month. Over time this will build up your consumer credit rating.