Credit Cards Online Information

An odd pairing of surveys have crossed my desk in the last few months.

One is fairly frivolous, and the other is pretty scary.

We'll start with the fun one, which asks the question, "When it comes to filing, are you a piler, filer or tosser?"

A survey conducted by organizational products company Pendaflex, based in Melville, N.Y., found that those three categories define how most U.S. employees deal with the mountains of paperwork that descend upon them every day.

The survey, based on a poll of office workers ages 18 and older, says it shows that the organizational technique you use reveals not only how clean your desk will be, but also details regarding your character.

"Pilers" were the most common office organizers, making up 48 percent of those polled, Pendaflex said in a press release.

"Apparently, the office isn't the only place they let clutter accumulate, as 59 percent describe their house as 'somewhat messy,' " the release said. "They are 'workaholics' and 'sophisticated,' but loosen up by watching their favorite sport, baseball."

Hmmm. All three reporters who work with me on the Deseret Morning News business desk fall into this category. And the one who usually has the biggest piles, Brice Wallace, happens to be a hard-working person who loves baseball. Maybe there is something to this survey.

The Pendaflex report says 38 percent of those polled are "filers." These people are described as both "conservative" and "easygoing," and they often have office management titles. "Tossers" make up the remaining 14 percent, and they have the highest probability of describing their living areas as "perfect," according to Pendaflex.

"Besides throwing around papers, 'tossers' toss hoops, with 37 percent hailing basketball as their favorite sport," the release said.

I think I'm a hybrid of the categories described here. While I do have a few small piles of stuff on my desk and around my office, I also have extensive files, and I'm always tossing items that I know I won't need. I guess that explains why I'm a workaholic who is conservative and has a management title but also likes basketball.

But enough frivolity. It's time to move on to the scary survey.

The recently released 2006 Interprise Poll on Teens and Personal Finance conducted by JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement) and The Allstate Foundation found that 10.3 percent of teens said they own credit cards. And if that isn't frightening enough, consider that the number is higher the older teens get, according to the survey of 1,474 students from 120 JA locations across the country.

"Among teens ages 13-14 only 5 percent reported owning credit cards," said a press release from JA. "Yet at age 17, the percentage of ownership climbs to 9.8 percent and then doubles again to 19.6 percent for teens 18 or older. And alarmingly, 15.7 percent of teens who own credit cards make only the minimum payment due."

Why is this scary? Well, I've got an 8-year-old daughter who is quite interested in money and how it works, but I can't imagine that she will be ready to manage a credit card in nine years, and certainly not in five.

In fact, considering Utah ranked third in the nation for bankruptcy filings last year, I would argue that many adults in this area struggle when it comes to managing credit-card debt. I know it's something that my wife and I sometimes find challenging.

Either way, I'd like to know what you think about teens and credit cards, or about the office filing habits of you and your colleagues.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:09 AM