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Discussion of personal finance, particularly indebtedness, may be the last American taboo. Most of us shrink from it as we would from something obscene. Yet personal debt is epidemic in America: Twenty million Americans are overwhelmed by it at this very moment, many only a paycheck or two ahead of catastrophe, and millions more are living in daily stress. and discomfort because of it.
Consumer debt soared to a staggering 72 percent of personal income in 1985. Personal bankruptcy rose by 35 percent in 1986. Trouble with debt cuts across all social strata—from doctors and lawyers to carpenters ad teachers, from psychologists and executives to house painters and firemen, from consultants and secretaries to stock clerks and stockbrokers.

You are not alone in this. Some of As are earning more than $100,000 a year, others are on unemployment. Some owe tens of thousands of dollars, others no more than $500 or $1,000. But debt is debt, no matter how much we earn or how much we owe . And sooner or later it can, and frequently does, poison our lives.

Eventually, we begin to juggle our money week to week and month to month, frying to stay on top of bills and responsibilities. We walk a tightrope and live in apprehension of impending disaster, in fear that we’re going to run out, that we won‘t have enough , that we'll be caught in a squeeze, that we’ll be hauled into court.

This fear exerts ever more pressure on us. It begins to disrupt our lives and personal relationships. It Sucks the joy and pleasure out of our days. The emotional and physical toll becomes enormous. In time, it exhausts us. We come to feel defeated and hopeless. We grow depressed. We live in anxiety and despair. We experience pain and perhaps even impulses toward suicide.

Being in debt, regardless of the level of discomfort, is an unpleasant condition for anyone. It is also wholly unnecessary.

 
 

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