Читать книгу The Value of Debt in Building Wealth - Thomas J. Anderson - Страница 10

Whether or not debt is bad or debt is good depends on your resources relative to your needs. If you can afford to pay cash for something, then paying cash might be a great idea. But whether or not you can afford it is just one part of a much bigger picture: If you want to retire, you owe a debt to your future self.

If you are 100 percent confident that retirement isn't an issue for you, then you have a lot of flexibility and could consider the potential benefits of paying cash for everything. However, most of us have to work and save in order to retire. I, for one, do not have enough money to retire tomorrow with the lifestyle I would like to live. For those of us in this situation, we have a dual mandate – we need to reduce our debt and save for retirement.

If you are like me, you want to enjoy the journey along the way, too. I want to see the world and live in a house big enough to host parties. I'm happiest by a campfire and I don't need anything extravagant, but I like doing some crazy things from time to time. If we want to also enjoy life, it's actually a tri-mandate!

Around most kitchen tables, a conversation begins whenever extra money comes in (perhaps a bonus or a raise). Should we pay down debt? Should we buy that thing we've had our eye on? Should we save toward retirement? Should that savings be in our retirement plan or in our investment account? And if we invest it, what should it be invested in? Maybe we should get that new house after all.

I've studied finance my entire life. There are about a million articles telling me how to invest my money, predicting the future (and generally being wrong), and feeding me financial news 24/7. Why do I feel like we are always guessing on these important decisions? What about my debt? How much should I have, and how should it be structured? Why does everybody tell me to get rid of it? I only have so much money; if debt is bad how do I handle my tri-mandate of saving, enjoying life, and paying down debt?

So how can I be responsible, have the things I want, enjoy life, yet save toward the future, be on track to retire, reduce anxiety, and increase flexibility? I value flexibility and hate being trapped; I want freedom. Will being debt free give me freedom? Or is there another way?