Lots of people were saying take the higher rate today and then refinance later if rates go down, but the same is true if you take the lower rate today and rates go down. You can refinance an ARM just like you can refinance a fixed.

Mortgage rates haven't been this high since the 80s. Nobody can predict the future, but I don't expect they're going to stay this high for the next 30 years.

Taking the fixed rate mortgage is a great decision when rates are low, but rates aren't low.

I'd take the guaranteed lower rate for the next 7 years.

Use a credit card because of the benefits, like cash back and fraud protection. If your credit card gives you 2% cash back, you could either use your charge card and pay $100 or you could use a credit card and effectively pay $98 for the same goods.

If you think you can get a credit card and spend $1,000 and you only have to pay $30 a month, you shouldn't get a credit card until you learn more about them. If you spend $1,000 on a credit card, you should be prepared to pay $1,000 within one month / 1 billing cycle.

You shouldn't carry any credit card debt long term unless your situation is dire, or there is some 0% financing promotion with your card.