Weight problems usually develop gradually, such as gaining 3 to 4 pounds a year due to increasingly sedentary lifestyles and larger food portion sizes.  According to U.S. Department of Agriculture surveys, the caloric intake of American adults has risen from 1,854 to 2,002 calories per day over the past 20 years.  This is a 148 calorie per day increase, which equals a weight gain of about 15 pounds per year.  Americans are simply consuming too many calories in relation to their level of physical activity.

Comparable financial examples are “perma-debt” (i.e., a permanent debt balance on credit cards) and increasingly higher interest and/or fees as outstanding balances rise.  Credit card issuers also routinely charge over-the-limit fees, often $29 to $39, for each billing period where a cardholder’s balance exceeds his or her maximum credit line. Another common practice today that exacerbates household debt is penalty annual percentage rates (APRs) that are charged when a “trigger” event occurs.  Common triggers include late payments, exceeding one’s maximum credit line, and evidence of financial difficulty, even with another creditor, in a cardholder’s credit report.  When a penalty APR is triggered, relatively small credit problems can mushroom very quickly.

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