I've got some good news for you. There are no sneaky terms and conditions that come with this course. We are NOT going to raise the price of the course for you after you've bought it and charge you horrendous fees if you fail to pay the difference. We're also not going to monitor your book-buying habits and penalize you if you start buying too many books—or don't buy enough. If for some reason, in the future, we decide that we just don't like you, we're not going to ruin your finances by burying you in outlandish interest charges and account fees. Finally, we won't wait until you are in the worst possible financial position (lost job, etc) and hit you with the highest fees that our industry has ever seen.

That's the good news. The bad news is that your credit card company isn't going to be as friendly. If you get nothing else from this chapter, get this: read the terms and conditions! If they don't provide them to you with an offer, demand that they do and complain to the BBB and anyone else you can think of about their failure to be forthcoming with the contents of their one-sided contract.

To close this chapter, I'm going to leave you with an excerpt from the "fine print" of a credit card offer I received recently. This is provided as a sample, and is current and relevant as of the time of this writing. If you have never read the terms and conditions on your credit card, then you really need to read this.

Italics and underlining have been added to bring attention to points of interest. Explanations of some points are included in [] brackets and are not part of the original quote—but are added here for clarification.

All of the terms of your account are subject to change by us. This means that your account rates, including any introductory or promotional rates offered, are not guaranteed; all account rates may be increased, fixed rates may change to variable rates, and variable rates may change to fixed rates. [For example, the default rate might be FIXED at 28%.] We may change your account terms (including rates) at any time for any reason. ["We can do whatever we want."]
We may also change your account terms (including rates) in any Events of Default under your account agreement occur, which include (without limitations) if we do not receive at least the minimum payment due on your account for any billing cycle by the date and time and in the manner shown on your billing statement, or if you exceed your account credit limit, or if you make a payment to us that is not honored by your bank, or if you fail to make a required payment when due or are otherwise in default on any other account you have with us or any other creditor, [see "Universal Default" above] or if you do not keep your credit rating in good standing, or if we determine that you present a risk of future non-payment, or the basis on which we determine your creditworthiness and eligibility for your account terms has changed. ["Right now you are the type of person we like. If we change our mind, you are going to be penalized."] In determining any changes to your account terms (including rates), we may consider the length of time your account has been opened; the extent, seriousness and timing of any Events of Default; and other factors relating to your account use and performance. All changes to your account terms (including rates) will be made in accordance with your account agreement. We allocate your payments and credits to pay account balances bearing lower interest rates (such as introductory and promotional rate balances) before balances bearing higher interest rates. [This is done to ensure maximum profits for the credit card company.]