LINDA (not her real name) is only 22, yet she is already drowning in debt. The young girl, who moved to Kuala Lumpur for her studies several years ago, is a fresh graduate who has been working for eight months in a major corporation. Since she left her parents’ home in Perak, she has been spending beyond her means.

The former straight-As student who was active in school activities and sports never thought her life would take such a violent twist, and in such a short time. Due to her extravagant lifestyle, she has accumulated debts amounting to almost RM8,000, which is growing, with interest.

Apart from this, she purchased a RM50,000 car last year and has a student loan of RM9,000 from her university days which she has yet to pay off.

She earns about RM2,300 monthly, which is not a bad amount for a fresh graduate. However, each month, she must pay RM600 for her car, RM300 for rent of a room she shares with another girl, an estimated RM200 for petrol and RM200 for a study loan.

“After paying off the necessary, I’m left with RM1,000 to survive on. This goes for mostly food and necessities for the house,” says Linda.

Still, believe it or not, she manages to spend at least an extra RM1,000 a month on clothes, shoes, clubbing and meals in expensive restaurants.

Linda is just one of the many people falling into the trap of credit cards.

Perhaps it can be seen as misfortune that Linda happens to work with people who come from well-to-do families. Call it peer pressure, but you can’t really blame a young girl for wanting to keep up.

“I see these people every day,” she laments. “They come in with different clothes every week, talking about the great weekend they just had on the town, drinking, dancing and having fun. I get along with people well, so eventually I started hanging out with them.”

“At first I tried to be thrifty. I would meet up with them and pretend I had already eaten, and just have a drink. I couldn’t fool them for very long though. We started meeting for clubbing every week, and like everyone else, I was expected to put in money for our enjoyment.”

Linda believes her troubles really began when she got a credit card.

“It’s so easy. It’s money you don’t have, but you spend it anyway, telling yourself you will pay back,” she says. “Eventually I was maxing out the first card, and now I can’t keep up payments for the second one.”

Eventhough she was feeling the pinch, Linda was determined to maintain her current lifestyle and eventually resorted to digging into her lifetime savings. Within months, however, her account was drained.

“I’m still in denial, I guess,” she says with a nervous chuckle, surprising for someone in such deep trouble. “I really don’t want to give up my lifestyle, but every time I reach for my credit card I feel sick to my stomach. I have no idea how I’m going to repay everything.”

It may be easy to judge Linda and call her superficial and materialistic, but the fact of the matter is that her predicament is not at all uncommon.

Seventy-seven percent of the people who enrolled into Credit Counseling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK)’s debt management programme have credit card-related problems. While the “plastic money” has plenty of advantages, when used wisely that is, it is also the number one reason why many people run into debt. This is followed by poor financial planning and high medical expenses.

Many young people, even those who are not yet working and relying on supplementary cards from their parents, are tempted to own one due to the befenits such cards offer. The convenience, powerful advertising and the pursuit of instant gratification are not making it easier for youths and young adults to spend within their means.

The highest number of people in AKPK’s Debt Management Programme (DMP) are people in their 30s (45.7%) while the lowest are those in the 20s (13.9%).

“We found out that even though they come to us in their 30s, the spending habits started earlier, in their 20s,” AKPK’s CEO Mohamed Akwal Sultan says.

He adds that it is possible that those in their 20s relied on their parents to help pay the credit card bills while they were still studying or just starting out at work.

Once in their 30s, their parents may have retired and thus not be able to help bail them out anymore.

That is why besides providing financial counselling and running the DMP, financial education is one of AKPK’s core businesses, what Akwal calls “preventing fire”.

All services provided by AKPK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank Negara, are free of charge and confidential. Among others services, AKP organises talks in corporate settings, at National Service camps, and will be launching a book at the end of this month. The book will be used to teach financial prudence in at least eight public universities starting this year.

Although only two years into its operation, some 50,000 people have sought help from AKPK at its nine branches across Malaysia. Of these, 14,000 have enrolled in the DMP, which helps the clients with their budgeting and how to settle the debts.

The seemingly down side of it, however, is that all the banks will be notified of your enrolment into the programme. You have to reveal all your credit information to AKPK and will have to surrender all your credit cards.

On the other hand, the good thing is that AKPK now acts as the go-between between the client and the relevant financial institutions. All legal action will be stopped and the debt collectors will stop calling.

Akwal says that most people who sign up for DMP usually have to deal with seven institutions but now they only have to pay an amount they are comfortable to AKPK, which will then make the necessary payments to the banks. AKPK does not provide loans or financing.

Unlike other credit management organisations, the agency is able to stretch the usual six months repayment period up to 10 years. When your debt is settled, your debt information will be removed from Bank Negara’s Central Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS).

Those who need financial advice but do not want any records made or sign up for the DMP can still make appointment for counselling or check out the talks on AKPK services at its outlets held on weekdays.

A major pitfall for young people below the age of 30, Akwal says, is the way they use credit cards.

“Ask yourself, do you need or want the item? If you need it, fine. Then the second question is, can you afford it? You may need the item but you cannot afford it.

“Then the next question is, when the bill comes, can you pay in full? If you can’t, you’re treading on very dangerous waters,” Akwal cautions.

In efforts to encourage prudent spending, Bank Negara last week announced that those who do not settle the bills in full will not enjoy the 20-day interest free period for new retail transactions. While some banks have alerted their customers since a year ago by asking them to settle their bills promptly, consumer groups have criticised Bank Negara when the move was finally announced, saying that it will drive people into bigger debts.

It is expected to affect two thirds of the 2.7 million credit card holders in the country who only settle their bills at the minimum or partially. However, Akwal says the interest incurred will not make a big difference to those who make new retail purchases of small amounts.

With or without the new policy, though, the philosophy is simple. If you are already in debt, it’s time to stop using the credit cards.

“The first thing to do is lock your card at home. Stop using it.

“If the outstanding amount is quite large, you have to seriously change your lifestyle — make less trips to gourmet coffee outlets and clubs, for example. Strive to pay off as much as you can. There is no point paying off the minimum and keep on charging on your card,” Akwal adds.

So, the next time you see your friend driving a new flashy car, buying the latest gadget or wearing a gorgeous but really expensive dress, and you really want to get something similar, ask your self the three questions Akwal suggested earlier before you swipe your card.

“If you can afford it, fine. But don’t do it to impress your friends,” Akwal concludes.

CREDIT Counselling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK) chief executive officer Mohamed Akwal Sultan says that many Malaysians are not good with saving up for a rainy day.

“A lot of Malaysians rely on their EPF (for when they retire); that’s one of the biggest pitfalls. You should save at least 10% of your gross salary each month,” says Akwal.

Savings come in handy when unexpected situations arise, such as when your car window needs to be fixed, you have an illness that is not covered by the insurance, or during a family emergency.

Without savings, you may decide to max out your card, borrow from a friend or worse, turn to loansharks when in dire need. That is why it is very important to have a budget and follow it closely, unless you always have leftover money at the end of the month.

AKPK has some advice to help people like Linda, who admits to being in denial about her dire financial situation, to identify the signs that they need help: