Short Takes: Credit Card Rules and Inflation for Retirees

1. New credit card rules are on the way in the U.S. My Dollar Plan outlined the expected changes. The most interesting new rule to me is the one requiring cardholders under 21 to have a co-signer unless they can prove that they can make payments on their own. This is an attack on the practice of extending credit to young people with the expectation that they will get themselves into debt trouble and get bailed out by their parents.

2. Canadian Financial DIY reports on a study showing that inflation is higher for retired people than it is for the general population due to rising health care costs.

3. The Big Cajun Man reports that while inflation overall hasn’t begun rising significantly, the price of food has been rising.

4. Preet observes that when markets are volatile and flat, leveraged ETFs tend to perform poorly making them attractive to short. Of course, the trick is to anticipate whether markets will remain flat and volatile.