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The Debt Free Lifestyle


Many people have been taught that you cannot get ahead without debt. We are also inundated with advertising telling us we can have anything we want. All we need to do is put it on our credit card.

We have become an impatient society, we want it right now. We have lost the ethic of working for what we want.

It is not how much money you make; it is what you do with it. By living without debt you can actually have a higher income since you are not paying out interest, you are actually getting paid interest on invested money.

All debt is not created equal. We will classify them as good debt and bad debt.

To simplify the classification we will say that good debt is a loan for something that you could sell at any time and repay the debt. This narrows down good debt to a home loan and possibly a home equity loan.

A bad debt, of course, is a loan on anything that will lose value.

Let's take a look at some debts that we would consider bad debt.

Home equity loans are in the gray area. They could be considered good debt if they are used to repair or improve your home, but you would be a lot better off to just save up the money for the project. Home equity loans become bad debt when used for purposes other than home improvement or maintenance. In other words a bad home equity loan is for anything that does not add to the value of your house. Do not jeopardize your home by taking out a home equity loan on unnecessary items.

One possible good use for a home equity loan is when the interest rates are low. You can use a home equity loan to refinance your mortgage. Home equity loans generally have lower costs than conventional home loans.

We consider school loans bad debt. If you finish school, get a good high paying job and then attack the loan like mad, a school loan may work out. The problem is that there are too many things that can go wrong. At best, even if you do graduate and get a good job there are always a lot of other expenses at this time in ones life. You are really behind financially when you start your working life in debt.

Auto loans are bad loans that have become common practice to us. We pay interest on a vehicle that will only be worth one half of its original purchase price in five years. Lately it has also been common for us to borrow more than a vehicle is worth. We can trade a car in that we still owe on, and roll that owed amount over into another vehicle. This gives us a loan amount that is higher than the value of the car that we drive away. We have lost our capacity to say NO.

Co-signing is a bad debt that usually and unfortunately involves family. If someone cannot qualify for a loan at a regular lending institution, they should not get a loan. The fact that they can't qualify for a loan elsewhere should tell you that they are a huge risk. Use this opportunity to teach them how they can get what they want by working harder for it and delaying the purchase.

If you want to get off of the debt treadmill, you must run as far away from debt as you can. You cannot use debt to get out of debt. Even if you do, you have not changed your habits; you must change your lifestyle.

John Cook is family oriented and likes to help people get off and stay off the debt treadmill and secure the financial future of their family. You can read more about securing your families finances at his website http://www.financeforfamilies.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

USA TODAY

Greece makes deal with banks, cuts wages to get debt relief
USA TODAY
By Tim Mullaney, USA TODAY The Greek government announced a deal with private creditors that may help it make a 14 billion euro payment due next month, heading off a default that threatened to cascade into a run on debt issued by nations such as Spain ...
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New Twist in Democrats' Push for Mortgage Debt Relief
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By Alan Zibel A former Fannie Mae employee has told congressional staff members that executives at the mortgage-finance company canceled the launch of a pilot program to cut loan balances for troubled homeowners due to “philosophical” disagreements in ...

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SpringCoin Unveils First Automated Debt Relief Coach
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SpringCoin, the leading online debt relief and financial education service, today announced the first automated debt relief coach with human expertise. The new SpringCoin (formerly known as its beta version, DebtEye) delivers the most personalized ...

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New debt relief commission for fishermen
IBNLive.com
KOCHI: In what could be a huge relief for thousands of debt-ridden fishermen in the state, the state government has decided to form a new Debt Relief Commission for them with a three-year term. The Fishermen's Debt Relief Commission's term ended on ...



CBC.ca

Eurozone finance ministers to discuss Greek bailout, debt relief deal on Thursday
Cape Breton Post
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — A top eurozone official says that the currency bloc's 17 finance ministers will meet in Brussels Thursday evening to discuss a second massive bailout for Greece. Jean-Claude Juncker, who heads the finance minister meetings and ...
Greece strikes painful deal to avoid defaultChicago Sun-Times

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ABC News

Greece: European Central Bank, other central banks must be part of debt relief ...
Washington Post
ATHENS, Greece — The European Central Bank and national central banks should be part of a debt relief deal with near-bankrupt Greece's private sector creditors ahead of a pressing deadline early next week, the Greek Finance Minister said Thursday.
Greek FinMin: ECB Must Be Part of Debt ReliefABC News
Greece: ECB must be part of debt reliefSeattle Post Intelligencer
Greece's Finance Minister says ECB, central banks must be part of debt relief dealNewser

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ABC News

Debt-relief talks restart in Greece, amid pressure to lower interest rate
Washington Post
ATHENS, Greece — Greece's prime minister resumed talks late Thursday with top bank negotiators to try and overcome obstacles to a major debt-relief deal needed to avoid bankruptcy. Premier Lucas Papademos held a two-hour meeting with Charles Dallara, ...
Debt-Relief Talks Restart in GreeceABC News
Greek debt relief talks grind onBlueRidgeNow.com

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Russian billionaire offers CEDC debt relief for bigger stake
Reuters
* Alliance with CEDC comprises two separate transactions * Russian Standard says alliance would help CEDC with 2013 debt * Shares jump as much as 28 pct By Abhishek Takle Feb 2 (Reuters) - Central European Distribution Corp's largest shareholder ...

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Kuwait Times

Race to fix Greek debt relief gathers pace
AFP
BRUSSELS — Officials took the first steps Tuesday in a high-pressure bid to wrap up a massive debt relief deal for Greece within a week. Needed to save the country from financial collapse, pressure to accelerate action and reach a deal has also risen ...
Europe races to secure Greek debt reliefKuwait Times
Europe races to secure Greek debt relief as EU leaders set weekend bailout ...Economic Times
Greek debt relief talks at 'crucial' stageCBC.ca
CBS News
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ABC News

Greece sees debt relief deal 'very soon,' but eurozone members press for lower ...
Washington Post
ATHENS, Greece — Greek officials Friday said they were confident a debt relief deal can be reached “very soon,” amid hours-long negotiations in Athens with private creditors, but several eurozone members maintained pressure to lower interest rates on ...
Greece Hopes for Debt Relief Deal 'Very Soon'ABC News
World markets cautious as Greece seeks debt relief dealTrinidad Guardian
Greece hopes for debt relief deal `very soon'MiamiHerald.com

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