Natalie Campisi is a senior journalist who covers personal finance, balancing timely news with in-depth enterprise reporting. Her mission is to make complex financial issues clear and accessible for ...

A charge-off is a debt that has gone unpaid for a sufficient amount of time and is deemed uncollectible by the creditor. Charge-offs do not erase your debt, and you are still responsible for paying it ...

When money's tight, as it is for many people amid today's mix of rising inflation, growing debt problems and elevated borrowing rates, it's easy for your credit card balances to spiral out of control.