VOA慢速英语 Studying in the US: A Lesson in Personal Finance, Part 2

　　Studying in the US: A Lesson in Personal Finance, Part 2

　　This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

　　We continue now with our discussion of personal finance for students.

　　A study in the United States found that eighty-four percent of undergraduates last year had at least one credit card. Half had four or more. Borrowers who do not pay their card debt in full each month have to pay interest on whatever balance remains.

　　Student loan company Sallie Mae did the study. In a time of economic downturn, it says, college students are depending on credit cards more than ever. It says many seem to use them to live beyond their means -- to spend more than they have.

　　More than three-fourths had to pay finance charges last year because they carried a balance. The average balance was more than three thousand dollars.

　　Last Friday, President Obama signed into law a credit card reform bill. It includes protections for people under the age of twenty-one. To get a credit card, they will need a parent or other adult over twenty-one to accept joint responsibility. Or they will need to show they can repay their debts independently.

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