Learning Accounting: Debit and Credit Basics

When learning accounting for the first time, the terms 'debit' and 'credit' can be a bit confusing. Why? Because when you go to the bank and deposit money, the teller will tell you, "I am crediting your account X amount of dollars," but if you are taking money our of your account, the teller will tell you, "I am debiting your account X amount of dollars." Also, with debit machines all over the place, and credit cards in everyone's pocket, the two accounting terms take on a whole new meaning.

However, what we've learned about these two words so important in the accounting world, debit and credit, have to be unlearned quickly. Why? Because in accounting, the term debit is used to describe a bank account and that money owed are actually credit accounts - the exact opposite of what we've been taught elsewhere.

In accounting terms, neither credits nor debits are 'bad', but they need to equal each other in order to balance themselves out in the end. Every itemized transaction, no matter if it's a deposit or a bill to be paid has both a debit and credit posted in the accounting world. This is what is called 'double-entry accounting' - so when you go to the bank, and the teller says, "I am crediting your account X amount of dollars," she is also debiting an entry of a similar amount without telling you this. The same goes for when the teller tells you, "I am debiting your account X amount of dollars," - the accounting will show that a credit of the same amount is being made elsewhere at the same time.

The easiest way to figure out debits and credits in accounting terms is to figure out the following: what did you receive, and where did it come from. The debit is what you received, and the credit is where you received it from, in accounting terms. So for demonstration sake, let's say you bought a CD with your credit card. The CD is what you got, so it will be a debit in the accounting world, and the credit will be applied to the liability you carry on your credit card for the exact same amount.

The bank can easily confuse people learning about credits and debits in the accounting sense of the words, especially when discussing liability. For instance, when you put money in the bank, the bank's liability to you increases, and since liabilities are credits, they are crediting your account (in accounting terms). And when the bank lowers their liability to us (by us taking money out of the bank) the banks are debiting the liability account, from an accounting perspective.

Basically it comes down to being able to figure out what you got and where exactly it came from; if you can figure these out for every transaction, then you've got the accounting terms of credit and debit down pat.


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Bad Credit Loans: Be Careful!

If you've gotten yourself over your head in debt, and suddenly have a need for cash right away, it is possible to get a loan for bad credit. Loans for bad credit will not give you a worse rating if you require a non-bad credit loan later down the road, and they will get you some money very quickly - perhaps too quickly.

But how could a loan for bad credit be too quick? Well, if you decide to get a bad credit loan, apply, and then suddenly - WOW - you have the money the next day, have you really thought out this bad credit loan adequately? Have you researched all of the other bad credit loan options, or did you just pick the first one that struck your fancy? Did you ask around, surf the Internet, and talk to your banking institution before applying for that bad credit loan? Did you do some reading at the library, crunch some numbers, and talk to your family about this bad credit loan, first?

If you think about it for a bit, there will be an interest rate with your bad credit loan - probably more than with any other loan you carry. It's a risk for a lender to extend credit to someone with bad financial history, so they overcompensate with higher interest rates. Rates as high as 15 point over prime, at times. Do you really need to go into more debt asking for a bad credit loan, just to pay off another bill? Isn't there another way?

This can all become a huge problem if you eventually need more money because of your bad credit - which means another loan. And then another, and another. you get the drift. Your interest on a $3000 loan could be as high as $500, not including the actual bad credit loan repayment itself. Can you afford this? All for a bad credit loan debt.

This cycle may only become a problem if you manage your bad credit loans poorly, or borrow more money than you can afford to pay off. To avoid these types of bad credit loan issues, ONLY borrow what you can afford - just because the process is super quick, doesn't mean you need to come to a decision just as quickly. Take your time. Research everything well. Talk it over with friends and family. Make sure your payments won't be over your head, especially with all of your other debts. A bad credit loan is a serious thing - don't enter into it lightly.

Perhaps talk to some friends or family first, instead of adding to your debt and asking for a bad credit loan. Maybe if you take this choice, or perhaps try and find extra income instead, you can avoid the whole bad credit loan trap, forever. And with less bad credit comes a lesser need for a loan - and the cycle stops.


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