bluntmoney.com

There’s a quote by Pete Seeger that goes, “Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don’t.”

Well, I got an experience recently that I’m rather unhappy about. (Related to a web site.) I won’t go into details here, because I don’t want to rant, but let me just say that it’s important to read the fine print when you sign up for things. Even though your eyes glaze over and you think you’ve read the same thing before, slog on through it again.

Many sites won’t tell you that they’ve changed their terms of service. Instead, they just present it to you and ask you to confirm that you’ve read it. When this happens, it’s a signal to read it again and make sure you still agree with the terms. They aren’t just presenting it to you randomly, although it may seem that way. They’re presenting it to you because something has changed, and that something may not be in your favor.

This is especially important for things that affect your money. Credit card companies will send out updated pamphlets that detail their terms in tiny type. Since that tiny type directly affects how much of your money they will receive, and how often, it’s important to read it. Especially if you have never had a credit card before or if your credit card company is one of the ones that are known for changing their terms unfavorably.

Get an education, not an experience.

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