Statistics state that at least 9 million consumers fall victim to identity theft each year. Approximately 10 percent of Americans have been victims of credit card theft alone. The staggering numbers indicate that consumers need to start taking immediate precautionary steps. The following are some steps that modern consumers can take to protect their credit.

Credit card use puts consumers at risk for identity theft and fraudulent charges. There are all types of unscrupulous individuals who make careers of stealing others' personal information and using it to make purchases from jewelry to automobiles. When an individual's account is breached, thieves can rack up thousands of dollars in charges, leaving the card holder broke and with bad credit. This is why some credit card issuers provide what is known as "zero liability." 

In recent years we have seen a boom in stock market growth, benefiting the richest people in the US greatly. Though good for those at the top of the income ladder, it has made it more difficult for those coming into wealth to join their upper echelons of wealth. Even the famous Forbes 400 has increased the base wealth of those considered in their listing of wealthy Americans to $1.55 billion, the highest it has ever been.