Types of Debt

Before we continue this discussion, let’s talk about different kinds of debt. Some forms of debt, such as student loans and mortgages, are considered “good debt.” This is because with these kind of debt, you are gaining something more than the interest on the loan costs you. For example, with student loans the college degree that you hopefully gain when acquiring them will increase your future earnings potential, hopefully over the cost of the loan. In the case of a mortgage, you are getting a place to live and hopefully some appreciation in the value of your home. Whether these types of debt are really “good” depends upon your point of view, but these are the debts that most people worry about.

The types of debt that are most worrying are so-called “consumer debts”. This term applies to things like credit card debt, car loans, payday loans, and pretty much any other type of borrowing that isn’t a mortgage or student loans. Since most people use this type of debt to buy goods that will lose their value, this debt is very bad indeed because you will be paying for these purchases well into the future without getting any extra value from it. This is the kind of debt that we will focus on removing.

Getting Into Debt

Let’s talk a bit about how people get into debt in the first place. While it is hard to generalize about a phenomenon so broad as debt, there are a few big trends we can observe. For those living in the United States, medical related debt and expenses can often pose a heavy burden. If you are uninsured, and face major medical expenses, the resulting debt can be crippling. Indeed many bankruptcies are caused by this very factor. In order to prevent this, do the best you can to acquire medical insurance. This might not be easy, and it will certainly be expensive, but it is the best way to protect yourself from unexpected medical debt. Even if you have to get a high deductible plan in order to be able to afford coverage, this is much better than having nothing.

A less legitimate reason that puts many people into debt is simply buying things that they cannot afford. If you are doing this, please stop now. While it may seem hard to get by without having all the things that you want, the freedom you lose by going into debt to purchase them is not worth the pleasure that the items might bring. Most credit card spending falls into this category.

How To Get Out Of Debt

Cutting this sort of spending is the first step to getting yourself out of debt. If you’re having trouble affording your monthly expenses without resorting to credit cards, take a good hard look at these expenses and see which ones you can cut. It may require making some sacrifices, however you cannot continue spending more than you earn without leaving some serious debt. Look at all of your reoccurring subscriptions, and see which ones you might be able to cancel or at least cut back on. If you’re eating out a lot, see if you can save money by eating more home-cooked meals. There many websites devoted to becoming frugal, and these will have many tips to help you cut the expenses out. As you might expect, stopping the spending in the first step of getting out of debt.

The next step for becoming debt-free is to start saving money. You need to have a reserve of cash stored up for emergency situations so that you are not forced to go back into debt if something happens. Of course, the savings will require you to have access cash every month. Creating this excess cash can be done by either earning more money, or saving more. As I said above, this will take hard work and sacrifice. However, if you want to get out of debt, this is essential. Try to save up at least three months worth of living expenses. This will be hard, but it will help you stay debt free into the future. You’ll find that once you have this one saved up, your peace of mind will increase greatly since you will no longer have to worry about paying for any little emergency that comes up.

While you are saving up your cash fund, you have been making minimum payments on your debt. Once you have your cash fund saved up, it’s time to start increasing payments and getting out of debt. Take any extra money you can find, and start applying it to the debt with the highest interest rate. Paying off the debt with the highest interest rate will help save you money in the long run since the higher the interest rate, the more money you pay overtime. Once you’ve paid off your highest interest debts, you can go down to the next highest interest one, and so on. If you’re accumulating no new debt, have an emergency fund to cover immediate cash needs, and are making regular extra payments on your debt, you are now on the path to becoming debt-free. Continue doing this until everything is paid off.

Conclusion

As you might imagine, this is all much easier said than done. Becoming debt-free is a process that takes time, patience, and the ability to work hard and find extra money. You may have to make sacrifices in your spending that you are unwilling to make initially. You may have to take on an extra job, or start a side business in order to get the extra money. Whatever it takes, though, getting out of debt is the best things you can do for yourself and is certainly worth whatever it takes. Best of luck on your journey to financial freedom.

There is no magic formula for “how to get rich”. There is also no one career to make you rich. Becoming a doctor can help you be rich. You also have a very large chance of never landing a job after spending all of those years studying to become a doctor. Add to that the debt load t hat you acquire in medical school and you have a disaster before you get out of the starting gate at graduation. If you want to know how to get rich, you must know how to be successful financially. There is no one career that will get that accomplished. Instead, you have to make it happen. It is not simple. It is however possible to do if you know how to do it.

First you have to avoid getting those loans in college. Do whatever it takes to avoid taking out school loans while in college. You want to start your new career as a free person. Otherwise you are a prisoner to a job. Remember that you will have to repay that debt. Say that to yourself every time you feel tempted to indulge and lighten your financial situation in college. Remember the saying: “just say no”? You must do that. Repeat it over and over to yourself. Just say no to debt.

Also know that graduation is just the beginning. Your first job will not be the first job you do in life. Becoming stagnant is not “how to become rich”. Once employed after college remember to keep adding to your resume’. You want to constantly improve yourself. Always be on the look for that better job. That is how you become rich through any job or career that you have. When you choose your first job remember to look at the benefits package that the company offers. You don’t want to loose money through a lousy benefits package. If you watched the Roger Moore movie about life in the USA verses life in Europe you may have noticed that health benefits are a huge savings over in France and England. He wasn’t kidding people. You can loose millions over the course of year in your job through a bad benefits package. Always remember that every penny you save and make is a penny that you can multiply. When you multiply a lot of those pennies over the course of your life, you become rich. So count those pennies.

Finally, take note of the pay increases that come form the potential company. If they have a cap on pay raises you will loose money. You want to ask important questions when you interview for a job. One of those questions is how they structure their pay scale. Take note and compare it to the next place.

What Kind of Credentials Should I Achieve in Order to Get Rich ?

When you are in school you will get a basic bachelors. In most cases this is the best thing to get first. While you are in school you can look at what you are really tented in. that will become your specialty in your Graduate degree. Oh, and make sure that you get a Masters degree. That is essential. Yes, it really is.

What some people do is get their bachelors first. Then they get a job in a field that they like. After that they get a job. While working in their new job, they get their Masters degree. Often the new job will pay for the expense of this. That is one benefit to really watch for in the job interview process. You get a degree for free. It is a very good thing. Remember the idea of saving those pennies. Just do it. You will be very glad that you did. Watch for that when interviewing. Ask about it as a way to show that you are detail oriented. Any company in their right mind wants a self-motivated leader. Show that potential company that you do your homework and are precise in the details. They will like this. You will get a better pay level when you start if they think that you are an asset to the company.

Remember these things and you will have the exact credentials that you need to succeed and become rich.

How Do I Complete the Plan to Get Rich Once I Am Employed ?

When you have that perfect job you need to know how to complete the investments that will allow you to become rich. If you do this right, you can become rich and leave the job. Then you just live off of that money when you leave the job later. Just don’t tell the boss that you are planning on that. It is probably not in your best interest. Also note that most companies today will eventually get rid of the older employees. They hire new ones like you that they can pay a lower wage to. It is really sad to note, but it is very true nonetheless. So don’t feel too bad about it all. They just don’t want to hear about it from you.

Now take all of those pennies earned and invest them. Start small by placing them in a C.D. Roll that over into another investment. Repeat that process until you have money coming in that grows monthly. You can then live off of the interest. It works. I have seen it happen. You have to first get the degree with as near to a zero debt load as possible. Land the job that will offer you a sweet benefits package. Also try to get a job that pays for the post graduate work. Save and watch those pennies. Finally invest those pennies until you have become rich. That is how you become rich. If you have that plan in place and follow it, you will get rich before you know what happened. Now all you have to do is figure out where to retire. But that is for another day.