The field of household finance seeks to understand how households use financial instruments.  Financial economists have long studied how corporations utilize financial instruments, yet relatively little is understood about how individual consumers and households utilize various credit alternatives in managing their consumption and savings objectives.  However, with the increasing interest in issues surrounding behavioral finance, research into household financial decision making processes is becoming increasingly important. In response to the growing interest in household finance, this book contains a collection of essays by leading researchers studying issues involving household and consumer use of credit instruments.  This collection, featuring a foreword by John Y. Campbell, will provide readers with a greater understanding of what is currently known about household credit utilization and suggest possible areas for future research.