What's In My Wallet?

I'm a huge advocate of avoiding debt if at all possible. That doesn't mean that I'm anti-credit card. I just think it's important to pay off the entire balance every month. That being the case, it literally pays to find a card that will work to your advantage.

After a couple of weeks of research, I chose the Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards card.

Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards

Reasons I chose this card:
1. No annual fee
2. Citi has some great identity theft solutions
3. 5,000 free bonus points after your first purchase
4. 5 points for every $1 spent on purchases at supermarkets, drugstores, and gas stations
5. 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases
6. Trade points for merchandise, restaurants, travel, etc.

No annual fee is number one. With so many options, there's really no need to pay for the privilege of using a credit card. The ability to choose my own rewards was also a huge plus. Baby might need a new pair of shoes, but daddy might want a fancy, new digital camera or a home theater system!

I think it's important to reiterate that paying off your balance every month is one of the keys to financial security. If you aren't in a position to do that right now, then that is a worthy goal for 2006.