Book Description: When it鈥檚 time to leave home and start paying for real life expenses on your own, you鈥檝e got two choices: paper or plastic. This guide covers everything you need to know to open your first checking account, apply for your first credit cards, and handle both so that there鈥檚 still some money left in your wallet at the end of the month. The Real U Guide to Bank Accounts and Credit Cards starts with the basics鈥揷redit cards, debit cards, monthly statements, interest rates鈥揳nd spells out all the options in an easy-to-understand style that is the trademark of award-winning journalist Ilyce Glink. From there, Glink delves into the finer points of Money Management 101, including such topics as:路 How to make the most of personal finance software路 How to pay your bills online路 Credit unions: Are they better than banks?路 How to bounce back from bad checks路 Six steps to a great credit rating路 How to lower your credit card interest ratesFilled with 4-color photographs, magazine-style layouts, and a quiz which asks: 鈥淐an You Be Trusted With a Checkbook?鈥 The answer will be 鈥測es鈥 by the time you鈥檝e finished reading this guide.