Hello friends and thanks for joining me this week. My name is Laura Adams and I'm a personal

finance and small business expert, author and educator who's been hosting the Money

Girl Podcast since 2008. My mission here is to help you get the knowledge and motivation

to prioritize your finances, build wealth and have more security and less stress. I create

every show to give you actionable strategies and practical advice and tips that you can

use right away to take your financial life to the next level. Be sure to subscribe to

the show and participate by sending me your questions. I'd love to know what your comments

or what's on your mind. I want this show to address what's concerning you because what's

concerning you is probably concerning many people who are listening to the show.

One way to reach out is to leave a message 24-7 on our voicemail line. You can do that

by calling 302-364-0308. You can also email me using my contact page at LaraDatoms.com.

If you want to read a companion blog post for this or any of the shows, they're published

every week in the Money Girl section at Quick and DirtyTips.com. Today's episode is number

673, called How Much Dead Is Too Much, Eight Warning Signs.

Dent is one of the most important aspects of your personal finances to master. It's an

incredibly powerful tool that can boost your success or it can cause your financial life

to crash and burn. It's very polarizing and I think the trick to using debt wisely is

knowing the difference between good and bad debt and the right amounts to have based

on your income and goals. I can tell you from personal experience that many of the debts

that I've taken on in my life have been very good. They've helped me make money. They've

helped me move my financial life ahead and certainly there are debts that I've taken

on that have taken me backwards. I think that you really have to weigh the pros and cons

...