When you hear the word "deadbeat", what kind of person do you think of? I think of someone who doesn't meet their obligations, probably lazy or just plain negligent.

Even though we mostly hear it used to reference parents who don't provide financial support for their kids, you can use the word "deadbeat" to describe many different types of people who just don't do what they're supposed to do - employees, renters, and even credit cardholders. Yes, you can be a credit card deadbeat.

Unlike other deadbeats, credit card deadbeats actually meet their financial obligations. That's right. A credit card deadbeat makes his (or her) payments on time. As a matter of fact, he pays his balance in full every month. So why's he called a deadbeat? Read With Credit Cards, Being a Deadbeat is a Good Thing to find out.

It's pretty common knowledge that bad credit scores can make life difficult. Try getting a credit card or loan with a bad credit score. If you manage to get approved, you'll probably have an interest rate so high your minimum payments may not even cover the finance charges.

You'll pay another high price for a bad credit score - a higher insurance rate. Until they get an unexpected rate increase, not many people realize insurance companies check credit scores. They argue that people with lower scores tend to file more claims and are therefore more expensive for the company. These companies haven't shown us the statistics to back up this claim, so we'll just have to take their word for it - for now.

What do you think? Does a low credit score mean you're a bad driver and deserve a higher insurance rate? Should insurance companies use credit scores to set premiums?

Take a look at Bad Credit, Bad Driver to learn more about how insurance companies use credit scores.

This may sound a little harsh, but it's not the credit card's fault you went over your credit limit. It's your own.

"But they let me go over," you argue. Your car will "let" you go over the speed limit, but do you blame the manufacturer for your speeding ticket?

When you exceed your credit limit - the maximum amount you can charge on your card without penalty - there is a string of consequences, some you may not be aware of. First, you'll get charged an over-the-limit fee. Not only that, your interest rate might increase to the default rate. Due to universal default, your other interest rates might go up too. Finally, depending on the balances of your other credit cards, you might see a credit score drop.

Some consumers argue that credit cards should be declined rather than letting you go over your credit limit. I say it's your responsibility to know your limit and stay far enough below it so that you don't get assessed fees.

There are cases where cardholders mistakenly exceed their credit limits because they've recently been lowered. The current credit crunch has many lenders dropping credit limits, even for timely-paying customers with good credit scores. If anyone has an excuse for going over their credit limits, it's these cardholders.

Ideally, a creditor would have to notify the cardholder in advance of a credit limit decrease to give them the opportunity to lower their balance and avoid any penalties. Of course, this would mean the credit card companies earned less money, so I don't see them volunteering this practice.

If you're a credit card user, 5 Ways to Avoid Over the Limit Fees will help you avoid those $39 limit fees and interest rate increases.

• Common Credit Card Fees and How to Avoid Them
• 5 Principles of Making Credit Card Payments
• How a Late Payment Affects Your Credit

Soon students all over the country will be headed to campus. So will credit card companies.

Today, I asked a friend of mine, a senior in college, about her experience with credit cards. Her parents only advice regarding credit cards - stay away from them. Fortunately, she managed to do so, even though companies are often on the college's campus, offering free subs and drinks in exchange for a completed application.

Lucky for her, she works for a bank's call center, so she hears first-hand how consumers get trapped with credit card fees and high interest rates. It steered her away from credit cards until she knew she could afford one. Now, at 21, she has 2 credit cards (only actively uses one of them) and makes sure to pay the balance in full each month. She's definitely a rarity.

The college student is one of credit card companies' favorite type of customer. Students are on their own for the first time and finally get to have one of those pieces of plastic they've been enamored with for so many years. The credit card companies couldn't be happier.

In College Students Are a Credit Card Company's Dream Come True, I talk about how credit card companies market to college students and advise students on the right way to choose a credit card. It's a must read for students and parents of students heading off to college this fall.