Many young people seem to look at a credit card as a "free money" stream. They run up credit recklessly, not realizing or caring that the cash has to be paid back eventually. Left unchecked, this pattern of behavior can ruin a person's credit history before it even has a chance to get off the ground.

According to the College Board, the average student owes $17,500 after finishing college. However, what most students (and parents) don't know, is that moving your college debt to a student credit card can be a way of reducing the likelihood of financial problems that can stem from loans, such as higher-long term rates if the loans are consolidated.

If you're a student looking for the right credit card, you've no doubt heard the terms "student credit cards" and "secure credit cards". What are they? Is there any difference between the two? Which one is best for your budget and lifestyle? Here's a quick rundown...

Store credit cards often carry an unusually high interest rate. In fact, it's not uncommon for store credit cards to come with interest rates as high as 25%. It's ironic, because at that point, the "discount" you get from using the card gets effectively eaten by the higher rate.

Welcome to the age of instant gratification. We want what we want and we want it yesterday. Who has time for careful consideration and using our credit wisely when there are so many cool new toys out there?