Personal finance tips: Beware of cards bearing gifts, and more

Three top pieces of financial advice — from rules for smart renters to choosing disability insurance

Credit cards
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Beware of cards bearing gifts

If you've been receiving a flood of credit-card offers, you aren't alone, said Kara McGuire at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Credit experts say card offers "are hitting the mailbox at rates not seen in a long while." Since fewer Americans carry a credit-card balance these days, lenders are trying to make up lost profits by netting new customers and encouraging existing ones to use their cards more often. The offers are often tempting, including 0 percent balance transfers, waived annual fees, and thousands of free frequent-flier miles. "But there's usually a catch." If you get an offer that seems too good to pass up, read "every last bit of fine print." Take stock of your financial situation, too, and make sure you aren't "missing any terms or conditions that would cost" you in the long run.

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Sergio Hernandez is business editor of The Week's print edition. He has previously worked for The DailyProPublica, the Village Voice, and Gawker.