It is better to pay off debt, and the reason is simple. The interest rates on debt are far higher than any interest return you might get from keeping money in a savings account. If you have enough money to pay off your debts, particularly credit card debt, then go for it.
Financial Freedom: Without debt, you have more control over your finances and can allocate your income toward savings, investments, and personal goals. Lower Stress: Debt can be a significant source of stress. Living without it can lead to greater peace of mind.
Better savings potential: losing your monthly debt repayments gives you more money in your pocket. Interest paid on debts is often higher than interest earned on savings, so clearing your debts first boosts your savings potential and gives you extra cash for your financial goals.
Improved Savings and Investment: Without debt payments, you can allocate more funds toward savings and investments, which can help build wealth over time. Better Credit Score: A debt-free lifestyle can lead to a better credit score, as you won't have high balances or missed payments impacting your credit history.
Debt and Happiness
Those who reported feeling happier in retirement had one big reason why: No debt. About 62 percent of retirees who said they were “much happier” in retirement also said they had paid off all of their debt before retiring.
Debt is simply money that you bought, and the price of the money is the interest or whatever other fees you're paying to buy the money. That's all it is. And one of the things I say about debt is that paying off debt doesn't make you rich. Meaning that once you pay off the debt, you don't start making money from it.
Too much debt can turn good debt into bad debt.
You can borrow too much for important goals like college, a home, or a car. Too much debt, even if it is at a low interest rate, can become bad debt. Carrying debt without a good plan to pay it off can lead to an unsustainable lifestyle.
"Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary has said the ideal age to be debt-free is 45, especially if you want to retire by age 60. Being debt-free — including paying off your mortgage — by your mid-40s puts you on the early path toward success, O'Leary argued.
A nation saddled with debt will have less to invest in its own future. Rising debt means fewer economic opportunities for Americans. Rising debt reduces business investment and slows economic growth. It also increases expectations of higher rates of inflation and erosion of confidence in the U.S. dollar.
The average FICO credit score in the US is 717, according to the latest FICO data. The average VantageScore is 701 as of January 2024.
A life without debt gives your budget some wiggle room so that if things go awry, you have a safety net to fall back on that is not tied to debt payments. Being debt free also means that you don't have to worry about late payment fees, or in a more drastic scenario, losing your car or home.
Those will become part of your budget. The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.
They stay away from debt.
Car payments, student loans, same-as-cash financing plans—these just aren't part of their vocabulary. That's why they win with money. They don't owe anything to the bank, so every dollar they earn stays with them to spend, save and give! Debt is the biggest obstacle to building wealth.
Being debt-free is a financial milestone we often hear about people striving for. Without debt, you can focus on building more savings, investing those extra funds and just simply having more peace of mind about your finances.
Wealthy family borrows against its assets' growing value and uses the newly available cash to live off or invest in other assets, like rental properties. The family does NOT owe taxes on its asset-leveraged loans because the government doesn't tax borrowed money.
Key takeaways. Debt-to-income ratio is your monthly debt obligations compared to your gross monthly income (before taxes), expressed as a percentage. A good debt-to-income ratio is less than or equal to 36%. Any debt-to-income ratio above 43% is considered to be too much debt.
While the answer varies for each individual, it often pays to strike a balance between the two. Building up a savings account helps ensure you'll be able to afford emergency expenses without going further into debt.
It's possible that you could see your credit scores drop after fulfilling your payment obligations on a loan or credit card debt. Paying off debt might lower your credit scores if removing the debt affects certain factors like your credit mix, the length of your credit history or your credit utilization ratio.
The Bottom Line
It may go against conventional wisdom because debt is seen as a downward pull on an individual's finances, but if used correctly and managed appropriately, debt can allow individuals to make purchases they wouldn't otherwise be able to, enhancing their returns significantly.
High-interest loans -- which could include payday loans or unsecured personal loans -- can be considered bad debt, as the high interest payments can be difficult for the borrower to pay back, often putting them in a worse financial situation.
Key Takeaways. Credit cards make it all too easy to overspend. Buying on credit can also make your purchases more expensive, considering the interest you may pay on them. Getting into too much debt can not only hurt your credit score but also strain relationships with family and friends.
Bad debt refers to loans or outstanding balances owed that are no longer deemed recoverable and must be written off.