finance

Types of debt and why they matter

03/02/2025 by Roy Sutton

If you’re just starting your financial education, then a good starting point would be to understand the different types of debt and why they matter.

I categorize debt as either good debt or bad debt.

Understanding the difference between the two is essential if you don’t want to remain poor all your life.

Do you carry some debt, dear reader? If you do, you’re not alone.

Now you may think that debt is just part of life, and you may even believe that debt can’t be avoided.

Debt is certainly very hard to avoid; that much is true.

However, don’t forget that personal debt is a burden on us because it has to be serviced and eventually repaid.

Yes, it may be a burden you can’t avoid, but it’s no less stressful potentially for that technicality.

For emphasis, let me repeat, in my opinion, there’s good debt and then there’s bad debt.

The obvious question is: when is a debt considered bad debt? To put it another way, when is debt a bad idea?

Let’s consider some examples of debt.

1. Secured Debt:

Buying a house is an example of secured debt.

When buying a house, most people need a mortgage, which is of course debt.

However, as long as you don’t overstretch yourself, mortgage debt is usually manageable for most people. And a lender will rarely allow you to overextend yourself these days.

With a mortgage, the debt is secured against your property, so the risk for the lender is small.

If you fail to repay the mortgage loan, a lender simply repossesses the property and sells it to recover their money.

So because the associated risk to the lender is low, interest rates on secured debt are low too.

Coupled with long repayment periods, typically around 25 years, the monthly repayments on a mortgage are not significantly different from what you might pay if you rent a property.

So, borrowing to purchase a property is good debt because eventually you’ll repay the debt and own the property, assuming you repay in full.

It’s good debt because it results in the long-term acquisition of a valuable asset.

You need a roof over your head, of course, so buying with a mortgage makes good financial sense because at least you’ll own the property in the future.

And with luck, you’ll enjoy some capital appreciation on the value of the property too. That’s not guaranteed, of course, but historically, that’s been the trend for those holding property assets for an extended period, certainly in the United Kingdom.

In summary, secured debt bears the lowest interest rates and leads to the acquisition of a valuable asset. So in my opinion, that makes it a good form of debt.

2. Unsecured debt:

When is debt a bad idea? The simple answer is that when it’s an unsecured debt.

And what’s unsecured debt?

It’s a debt against which nothing valuable has been put up as security.

If the borrower fails to repay, the lender has nothing it can repossess to sell on to recover the balance outstanding. So for the lender, that represents increased risk.

And because unsecured debt has no form of security to compensate, the interest rate charged by the lender will be high, and sometimes very high.

The interest rate charged reflects the risk to the lender. The higher the risk, the higher the interest rate applied.

Lenders recognize that there’s a risk that a proportion of their clients will fail to repay unsecured loans, so those who do make the repayment in full have also paid a premium to protect the lender from any losses they might have incurred due to non-payment by others.

There will be occasions when unsecured debt is unavoidable.

For instance, young people just starting out might need some basic items of furniture for their homes. A bed would be a good example. You must have one, and if you can’t afford it, then you might need to use a hire purchase arrangement. Handled with care, then this shouldn’t be a huge problem. But care is essential.

3. When is debt a bad idea?

So when is unsecured debt a bad idea?

Put simply, when you start buying with unsecured credit that which you could live without. That gadget you couldn’t resist or those shoes that looked nice in the store. Non-essentials you could have lived without until you had saved the money to pay for them.

You know the experience, I’m sure. You see something you can’t resist, out pops your flexible friend, and an impulse purchase is made before you’ve thought about whether it was a good idea or not.

The reckless use of credit cards, store cards, and payday loans can be a disaster because this type of debt is not secured against anything, so naturally, the associated interest rates applied are very high.

Credit card or store card debt can bear interest rates of around 30% or more.

In the UK, payday lenders have been known to charge interest rates equivalent to 3000%, 4000%, or even 5000%.

I find it hard to believe people fall for these loans, but they do. I guess if people are desperate sometimes, perhaps they feel they have little choice.

4. The magic of compounding:

Why does this matter? The simple answer is the magic of compound interest.

The compounding effect of high rates of interest will quickly turn small sums borrowed into enormous sums owed.

For instance, if you borrow $1,000 at 3% interest, after five years you’ll owe $1,159, assuming nothing was repaid.

However, if you borrow $1,000 at 35% interest, then after five years you’ll owe $4,484, again that’s assuming nothing was repaid.

The difference is a massive $3,325. And more importantly, the value of your debt has also quadrupled.

So when interest rates are high, even if you make minimum payments, your debt can grow rapidly if you’re not careful.

And that’s when you can become enslaved by your debts.

And that’s why it matters. Ultimately, this burden can become very stressful.

5. Manage your money:

Far too many people borrow money in the form of unsecured debt to purchase discretionary items. That’s items they could live without if push came to shove.

Wasting money in this way is a bad move. Not just bad; it’s seriously stupid.

I recommend that you follow this simple rule:

If you can live without it, never use debt to buy it.

Yes, of course, it’s nice to have the latest smartphone or the latest television or whatever but is it worth the pressure of unnecessary debt?

When high rates of interest start pushing up the sum outstanding significantly, you have to ask yourself, will the burden of this unnecessary debt still seem worth it? I doubt it.

Wouldn’t it be better to wait until you’ve saved up the money to make the purchase instead?

Wouldn’t it also be cheaper in the long term to save up and buy the product when you have the money? You’ll appreciate the item so much more too.

The message is simple:

Manage your money or your money will manage you:

6. Debt is a form of slavery:

Being indebted is just a form of slavery. It’s as simple as that. And, once again, that’s why it matters.

For as long as you owe money, you can never be truly free.

If you’re debt-free, then you’re stress-free too. Wouldn’t you prefer to be debt-free and stress-free?

Good debt will help you, but bad debt will make your life a misery.

7. Conclusion:

Put simply, there are two types of debt, good and bad.

Debt is either secured or unsecured.

Interest rates on the former will be relatively low, whereas interest rates on the latter can be very high.

Interest rates matter because of the compounding effect.

Unsecured debt can be the road to the poor house, particularly if you use it to buy the stuff you could live without with credit that bears interest rates that are very high.

The type of debt that’s bad will enslave you, and it’ll become increasingly stressful.

If you only take one message away from this article, it is to avoid bad debt.

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Top wealth creation strategies for financial success

01/05/2025 by Roy Sutton

If you aim to learn about wealth creation strategies, you might find this blog post useful.

Essentially, it’s a video from Brian Tracy with some advice on what he sees as the top wealth-creation strategies for financial success. This video is useful, I think.

Brian Tracy is one of the best motivational speakers I know, and I can recommend his audio programs highly.

His messages are always so simple yet so very effective.

I recommend you give this video a few minutes of your time because Brian Tracy is always worth a listen. You won’t be disappointed.

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Wealth Creation:

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Did you find this video on wealth creation strategies interesting? I hope so. Brian Tracy is always inspirational.

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Steve Jobs’ Top 10 Rules For Success to inspire you

12/16/2024 by Roy Sutton

If you’re looking for the Top 10 Rules for Success, many people will give you a list.

However, no two lists will ever be the same. And few people have real experience of success anyway. Surely the only people worth listening to are those who’ve been there and done it? People who are genuinely successful by any measure.

And so to today’s underlying message.

My point is that if you want success, then you’d be wise to look for successful people and copy what they do.

If it worked for them, then the chances are it can work for you too.

The late Steve Jobs is not only an icon, but he was also a great role model to use as your template for achieving real success.

This is the man who made Apple what it is. So, he’s worth listening to.

In the embedded video, Steve Jobs offers his Top 10 Rules for Success. I recommend that you watch this video; it is inspirational and well worth a few minutes of your time.

Top 10 Rules for Success

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The 4 steps to financial freedom

09/29/2024 by Roy Sutton

Financial peace isn’t the acquisition of stuff. It’s learning to live on less than you make, so you can give money back and have money to invest. You can’t win until you do this. ~Dave Ramsey

Many people are searching for the steps to financial freedom. Search the internet and there will be references to seven, eight, nine, and even ten steps but I think only four steps matter.

However before I discuss those steps, let us first think about the biggest cause of people remaining poor, namely the debt burden.

Statistics suggest that most people these days are heavily in debt. And debt is a burden that enslaves us. Knowing we have debts can be stressful.

What is the underlying cause of such debt? That’s simple. Mostly it’s the overuse of credit cards with little or no thought to how this will affect our financial well-being.

Unsecured debt built up through the excessive use of credit cards is expensive. Very, very expensive!

That means even a small sum outstanding on a credit card can quickly become a large debt due to the effect of compound interest if you only make the minimum payment each month.

Are you affected by debt, dear reader? Are your finances out of control? Would you like to achieve financial freedom?

Steps to Financial Freedom:

People often say, “If only I could increase my income, I could pay off my debts.”

Those same people, if they did increase their income, would probably just spend more. And financial freedom would remain a distant dream.

If financial freedom is your aim, then you must take control of your finances. The steps to financial freedom are as follows:-

1. Spend less than you earn:

It all starts with spending less than you earn. If you spend less than you earn, you can work on becoming debt-free and then start to build capital.

2. Pay yourself first:

You must always pay yourself first. What does that mean? It means that as soon as you get paid each month, you take a minimum of 10% of what you earn and put it away somewhere safe immediately.

Never, ever wait until the end of the month to see what you’ve got left.

If you do that, you’ll never save anything.

If you take 10% upfront, it will just be another debit on your income like taxes and pension contributions. You’ll quickly get used to having only the remaining 90% to live on.

And what do you do with the 10% or whatever you’ve put away?

3. Eliminate credit card debt:

Initially, if you have a credit card debt burden, then it makes sense to use that money to deal with paying off your debt first because the interest you’ll pay on the debt is always greater than any interest you’ll get on savings.

To pay off your credit card debt, you must find a way to eliminate the interest element each month so that any payments you then make go against the outstanding balance.

And how is that done?

Well, when you take out a new credit card account, it often comes with a period of zero interest, usually six months. These accounts also usually allow you to transfer in outstanding debt from another credit card account.

So by moving from one card provider to another and transferring the debt across to the new account, you then have a period of six months to make payments against the outstanding balance without accumulating interest on the old debt.

Never, ever use this card to increase your debt. Use it only to reduce your debt.

At the end of the period of zero interest on your new card, repeat the process if necessary. Once again, you move to another card account offering you a zero-interest period. By focusing only on the outstanding balance, it will be paid off sooner.

Eliminating the burden of debt is the first step on the road to financial freedom.

Freedom from debt will give you peace of mind. And that peace of mind is a good reason for spending less than you earn.

Once the debt is cleared, what next with the money you’ve paid yourself first?

4. Build capital:

Initially, put your money into a savings account. Then, as that builds into a larger sum, you can start thinking about other forms of investment like stocks, bonds, and property.

Once you develop the habit of putting some of your money away each month, it’s amazing how quickly it accumulates into a decent capital sum, and you’ll be on the road to achieving financial freedom.

Conclusion:

Learn to live within your means.

If you live modestly and spend your money wisely, you can ensure that you have enough money when you need it.

You can also build that nest egg for your retirement and give a little back to those less fortunate than yourself. And you’ll feel so much better about yourself too.

Conversely, gathering too much clutter through excessive spending on things you don’t need can become stressful, as well as wasteful. The choice is yours.

Financial freedom is achievable, and it will give you peace of mind.

You will sleep better knowing you’re debt-free.

The steps to financial freedom are quite simple. Spend less than you earn; pay yourself first; eliminate expensive credit card debt; and start building capital.

Do this, and one day your older self will be grateful you made the effort, I can assure you.

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Creating a Life Plan: 17 ways the rich think differently

03/10/2024 by Roy Sutton

Have you ever thought about creating a life plan, dear reader? If you’re young and have your life ahead of you, certainly, it’s a good idea. You can always let life happen to you, of course, but it’s better if you go out and make life happen the way you’d prefer it to be. And to have a good life, having money certainly helps. So money is at the heart of life planning.

Now, why is it that some people are wealthy and others are not?

You might argue that the rich inherit money, and therefore they’re just lucky. For a few people, that may be true. However, it’s not a universal truth.

Having wealthy parents helps, no doubt but there are plenty of examples of self-made millionaires and billionaires. And there are plenty of examples of people who lost all their wealth and then just created another fortune.

There are also plenty of examples of poor people who enjoyed good fortune winning a lottery only to squander their millions within a few short years.

This would suggest that the rich and poor have a different philosophy concerning creating a life plan and money as a resource.

17 ways the rich and poor think differently:

The video embedded here explores 17 ways in which rich people and poor people think differently. It’s an interesting video and it makes some really useful points that will help you in your life planning. It’s informative and well worth a few minutes of your time, in my opinion.

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Warren Buffett’s Top 10 Rules for Success to Inspire You

12/09/2023 by Roy Sutton

Today I offer you Warren Buffett’s Top 10 Rules for Success, dear reader.

If you want success, then it would be wise to listen to people who have already achieved some success.

Identify what they did to achieve their success and copy it.

If it worked for them, then it will probably work for you.

Now, there are few people more successful in their chosen field than Warren Buffett.

He offers you his ‘Top 10 Rules for Success’ in the video embedded here, and it’s worth your time to listen to him.

They are his top tips and I recommend them to you.

Warren Buffett’s Top 10 Rules For Success:

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15 Things Poor People Do That The Rich Don’t

08/20/2023 by Roy Sutton

Can we learn from the habits of poor people when it comes to money?

Certainly, when considering what the rich would not do.

It’s a fact that the choices people make will affect the life they experience. That goes for money, as well as for every other aspect of their lives.

Quite simply our lives are dictated by the choices we make, whether we like it or not.

The video in this post makes some interesting observations about the choices made by people destined to remain poor relative to those who enjoy greater prosperity and the finer things in life.

Now you might feel that some of the observations made here are a little harsh on the less fortunate but actually, in my experience, the points being made are ‘bang on the money‘, if you’ll excuse the fashionable terminology dear reader.

I think you’d be wise to listen carefully and think about the underlying messages in the video and be honest with yourself.

Just think about it for a minute and I’m sure you’ll agree.

We enhance our value by increasing our knowledge and skills, rather than making sure we know who the latest fashionable celebrity is dating. Why would that matter to anyone?

Listen, learn, and make changes as necessary.

You don’t have to be poor but, if you are right now, then you need to start making some changes.

Nothing will change unless you do. Keep doing the same thing and you’ll keep getting the same result. Do what successful people do and you can be successful too.

Things Poor People Do That The Rich Don’t:

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Work and Money: Which is more important?

04/28/2023 by Roy Sutton

It was never, ever about the money. ~Guy Ritchie

How often are we tempted to do something just for the money?

Certainly, I’ve done things for money alone and perhaps you have too dear reader.

In my experience, it’s always proved to be a mistake because no amount of money compensates you for the drudgery of doing something you hate.

And more importantly, if you hate what you’re doing then you’re unlikely to do it very well, are you? It’s hard to feel motivated to do something you hate, surely?

Work and money:

My message today then is very simple really. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you won’t do it well. And if you don’t do it well then eventually you’ll come unstuck. And so it’s all going to end in tears, very probably.

Conversely, if you actually enjoy doing what you’re doing then it will hardly seem like work at all and you’ll be motivated to do it well and produce the best results possible.

Do it well and people will notice and, once people start to notice, your career will start moving onward and upward. Every hiring manager wants someone with a track record for delivering exceptional results.

So never do anything for money alone. Money is nice to have, of course, and none of us can get by these days without it. However, life’s too short to spend your time doing something you hate.

Find a job that’s right for you first and then work hard to master your trade. Get better at it, become more valuable and then get as much as you can in terms of income.

When you’re producing exceptional results, never forget to ensure you’re getting paid what you’re worth.

It should never be about the money but that doesn’t mean you should ignore your value and sell yourself short. It’s about work and the value you can add first and then it’s about making sure you’re suitably rewarded for the value you’re delivering.

Be a dedicated professional, of course, but don’t be a mug. Just because it’s not about the money doesn’t mean you should ignore the money.

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Turn your yearly income into your monthly income

04/23/2023 by Roy Sutton

Are you one of those people who feel you should be earning more than you do?

Would you like to know how to turn your yearly income into your monthly income?

To have enough money to enjoy the lifestyle you’d love?

You’d like a greater income but you don’t know how?

Perhaps you feel that big money never flows to people like you.

A natural assumption perhaps, but it’s wrong.

With the right approach, you too can have a lot more money than you have right now. Yes, you can become truly wealthy.

The question is where do you begin?

Well, you can start by understanding the Law of Compensation. In the video included here the self-help guru, Bob Proctor explains that income is earned according to the Law of Compensation.

The Law of Compensation:

Bob explains that the Law of Compensation states that the amount of money you earn will always be in exact ratio to the following three points, namely:-

The NEED for what you do.
Your ABILITY to do it.
The DIFFICULTY there would be in REPLACING YOU.

Now you have no control over points 1 and 3, so you must concentrate on point number 2.

You must constantly hone your skills and become a master of whatever you do.

That said, becoming a master of what you do is only part of the solution.

To earn more you must decide on your strategy for earning money. In the video, Bob Proctor explains that there are in fact only three strategies for earning money.

The Strategies for Earning Money:

So what are the three income-earning strategies? Bob Proctor describes these are M1; M2; and M3. In more detail that means:-

M1: Trading your time for money:

Essentially this is paid employment and it is the way that 96% of people earn an income.

The problem is that, unless you’re a Wall Street banker, you’re unlikely to get rich this way. In fact, it probably explains why you’re not rich right now.

M2: Invest Money to Earn Money:

Assuming you’re working for the man as a salaried employee, you can start saving, and gradually as your savings grow you can invest your money in stocks, bonds and property and over time your investments will start generating an income of their own.

That’s great but you need to know what you’re doing and, if you have nothing now, it will take some time before you can start generating anything approaching a useful extra income.

Of course, should you have a large sum of money right now then this might be a solution but for most people, it’s not really, which is why only around 3% of people make an income this way.

M3: Multiply your time with multiple sources of income:

Establishing multiple income streams is where you can start making serious money.

Even fewer people make an income this way, around 1%, but that has more to do with the fact that most people fail to recognize its potential.

Now let me make one thing clear, having multiple income streams does not mean working multiple jobs.

It means having income streams that will earn money for you even whilst you’re sleeping.

M3 is the income strategy that will help you earn far more than you earn now. Certainly, it will if you do it right.

Bob Proctor offers the example of Network Marketing (also known as Multi-Level Marketing) whereby not only do you sell products but you also create your own network of sellers which means when they sell you get a part of the commission generated on those sales.

The best network marketers have made a lot of money this way but it’s not the only answer to generate multiple streams of income.

The internet offers multiple ways of getting rich online nowadays.

For instance, you can use Amazon as a marketplace and sell products with fulfilment (delivery to the customer) handled by Amazon.

You can also generate commissions through affiliate marketing with Amazon, as well as others like Clickbank and Commission Junction (CJ). These can be great ways to make money whilst you sleep.

Blogging and Vlogging are other ways of producing income streams too.

There are numerous ways for the ambitious and determined. In fact, it’s never been easier for people prepared to put in the effort.

So listen to what Bob Proctor has to say and be inspired to take action now.

The Game of Money-Making:

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5 questions that’ll help your buying decision process

05/15/2022 by Roy Sutton Leave a Comment

How can you be expected to save money when you don’t earn enough to make ends meet as it is? I’m guessing you may have asked yourself that question at least once dear reader? If you have, you’re not alone. It’s a common cry.

However, whilst some people may struggle financially, it’s also true that far too many people squander their money buying items they don’t need and probably will never use, often in an attempt to impress people they don’t even like.

For such people, their buying decision process is usually limited to whether they still have enough credit left on their credit cards.

Well, the mantra “Have Plastic; Will Purchase” is not a good one if saving money is one of your goals.

You can earn a decent income and yet a lack of money management skills and a poor buying decision process will result in you never achieving financial freedom. In fact, poor money management skills will condemn you to a life of being poor.

So it’s essential that you learn to manage your money properly if you want to avoid long-term poverty.

Avoid the ‘I’ve got to have it’ approach:

Now be honest with yourself, how often do you buy things you didn’t really need?

Stuff that you weren’t even looking for but it was there and it looked nice and you thought I’ve got to have it. Out pops your ‘flexible friend‘ and the item is yours. A brief period of gratification follows and then the item is largely forgotten.

How often do you buy things you never use?

Take a look at your wardrobe. I’ll bet there are a few items in there which still have the store tags on them? Never used and they’ve probably been there for quite some time I suspect? Would I be right?

‘I’ve got to have it‘ is a great way to waste all your money. With this approach, you’ll enrich other people at your own expense. Now how could that possibly make sense?

Credit cards: Weapons of mass wealth destruction

How often do you buy things you can’t afford with money you haven’t got?

It’s true, credit cards can be a convenient means for making payments of course but they can also be weapons of mass wealth destruction. That’s a fact dear reader.

When it comes to the buying decision process most of us are driven more by a desire for gratification than any sensible approach to managing our money carefully.

Most of us are guilty of buying more than we need. Many of us are guilty of buying items we seldom use, if at all.

If you’re like this dear reader then you’re not alone I can assure you. However, that’s not a good thing.

The disciplined approach:

However, with a bit more discipline you could hang on to more of your own money and then build capital which, eventually, will start generating an income all of its own through interest payments on deposits and bonds and dividend payments and capital growth on stocks and shares.

Still, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

The underlying message I offer you today dear reader is that you should establish for yourself a buying decision process that will allow you to control your expenditure.

Essentially before you buy anything you need to ask yourself a series of tough questions to gauge whether the purchase really does make good sense.

And what are those questions?

The questions to ask before making any purchase:

There are in fact five questions you should ask yourself before making any purchase, as follows:-

1. Do I really need it? Honestly?
2. Will I really use it? Honestly?
3. Can I really afford it? Honestly?
4. If I didn’t have it would it really matter?
5. Does it represent good value for money?

If you answer ‘No’ to the first four questions, the fifth question is irrelevant. A negative on all or even most of the first four questions means, don’t buy the item. Simple!

And even if you do think you need it, never buy anything if you do not have the money to pay for the item right now. Never, ever incur debt for a discretionary purchase.

It’s better to do without than to run up debt on a credit card to pay for discretionary purchases.

The compounding effect of high credit card interest rates can quickly turn a small debt into a large one.

The ‘value for money’ question is only relevant when you can answer every other question in the affirmative.

Nevertheless, you should never buy something that’s not also good value for money. That is, you should never overpay for anything. Overpaying means the price is inconsistent with the value on offer.

Let the answers to the questions guide you:

To ensure your buying decision process is sound you must always ask these questions.

Let them be your purchasing guide and you’ll be in a better position to start saving money and watch it grow. Once it starts growing you’ll be on your way to building your own personal wealth.

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1. Secured Debt:

2. Unsecured debt:

3. When is debt a bad idea?

4. The magic of compounding:

5. Manage your money:

6. Debt is a form of slavery:

7. Conclusion:

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Wealth Creation:

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Top 10 Rules for Success

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Steps to Financial Freedom:

1. Spend less than you earn:

2. Pay yourself first:

3. Eliminate credit card debt:

4. Build capital:

Conclusion:

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17 ways the rich and poor think differently:

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Warren Buffett’s Top 10 Rules For Success:

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You might like to try these free games too:

Things Poor People Do That The Rich Don’t:

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Work and money:

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The Law of Compensation:

The Strategies for Earning Money:

M1: Trading your time for money:

M2: Invest Money to Earn Money:

The Game of Money-Making:

Further Reading:

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Avoid the ‘I’ve got to have it’ approach:

Credit cards: Weapons of mass wealth destruction

The disciplined approach:

The questions to ask before making any purchase:

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