What debt is and why it matters

Why Debt Matters

Tips for using debt safely

Borrowing Sensibly

How to get on top of your finances

Debt Busting

The steps to save your finances

What To Do In A Debt Crisis

There’s no real roadmap for navigating this kind of banking crisis. So Russell takes a look at the road ahead and where you might find opportunities now.

The Two Big Risks Ahead For US Banks, And What It All Means For Your Portfolio

With all this volatility, you may want to write that useful old adage down.

Remember: It’s About Time In The Market (Not Timing The Market)

JPMorgan’s leading the charge to save First Republic Bank – but not out of pure generosity

JPMorgan To The Banking Rescue

Big Tech kept downsizing, with Amazon nixing another 9,000 jobs

Amazon’s Cutting Down On More Workers

JPMorgan’s leading the charge to save First Republic Bank, while Big Tech kept downsizing with Amazon nixing another 9,000 jobs

Your Daily Brief For March 22nd

Learn how to use debt sensibly – and avoid disaster with this guide.

How to deal with debt

Achieve financial freedom

How To Deal With Debt And Manage Your Personal Finances

Dealing With Debt

It’s the offer dreams are made of: $1,000 instant cash, sign up here! But take a closer look at the T&Cs and you’ll see those dreaded words: “1300% APR”. You never get money for nothing, sadly: there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and the cash will cost you by way of debt. Debt *can* be useful, although it’s also one of the easiest ways to fall into financial trouble. But fear not – in this Pack, we’ll teach you how to conquer any debt mountain.

**What** ***is*** **debt?**Debt is simply when you owe money. If you borrowed $10 from your friend last night for McDonald’s, you’re technically in debt to them. But in this Pack, we’ll be mostly talking about money owed to *institutions*. That could be an overdraft at the bank (when you go into a negative account balance), an unpaid credit card bill, or a mortgage on your home.

A mortgage is an example of where debt’s not just useful, but essential – most people would never be able to afford a house without a loan. And professional investors *love* debt: it lets them buy more things with less money up front, so they can rack up a bigger portfolio and (hopefully) bigger gains. But if used irresponsibly, debt can be devastating 😳

**How?** When you take out a loan, you have to pay interest for the privilege. That interest is a percentage of the loan, and is normally quoted annually. A 1300% APR (annual percentage rate) on a $1,000 loan means that you’ll have to pay a whopping $13,000 in interest each year – *as well as* eventually paying back the original $1,000 you borrowed. If you let your debts accumulate, it’s easy for payments to quickly become overwhelming.

**Why does debt matter?** Banks aren’t charities, and they won’t be happy if you don’t repay your debts. The consequences of missing payments can be *very* severe. If you don’t pay your mortgage, your home could be forcibly repossessed by the lender – leaving you out on the street. And even “unsecured” debt like credit card bills or overdrafts could land you in a courtroom, with bailiffs seizing your stuff to pay off the loan. Say bye-bye to your iPhone… ☹️

There are long-term consequences too. Big debts can hurt your credit score, making it harder for you to get credit again – including taking out a mortgage or getting approved to rent an apartment. And if things get *really* bad and you have to declare bankruptcy, that can prevent you from getting certain jobs.

But keep calm and don’t panic. In this Pack, we’ll show you how to avoid getting into a debt dilemma – and if you’re already in one, we’ll show you how to tackle it. You’ve taken the most important step by looking for help and information – knowledge is the ultimate debt-busting power 🧠



Pack

chapterId

encryptedEmail

ContentPieceChapterQuery

viewer

query ContentPieceChapterQuery(
  $chapterId: String!
  $encryptedEmail: String
) {
  viewer {
    authorization {
      roles {
        isAnonymous
      }
      ...SingleContentPieceChapter_authorization
    }
    content(encryptedEmail: $encryptedEmail) {
      ...SingleContentPieceChapter_content
      contentPieceChapter(chapterId: $chapterId) {
        __typename
        ...SingleContentPieceChapter_contentPieceChapter
        id
      }
    }
    id
  }
}

fragment AudioOnlyBanner_contentPiece on ContentPieceInterface {
  __isContentPieceInterface: __typename
  headerImage {
    ...ServerImage_image
  }
  title
}

fragment Avatar_image on URLImage {
  original
}

fragment Block_block on ContentPieceBlock {
  __isContentPieceBlock: __typename
  __typename
  ... on TextBlock {
    id
    ...TextBlock_block
  }
  ... on ImageBlock {
    id
    ...ImageBlock_block
  }
  ... on QuoteBlock {
    id
    ...QuoteBlock_block
  }
}

fragment ChapterSelector_contentPieceChapter on ContentPieceChapterInterface {
  __isContentPieceChapterInterface: __typename
  contentPiece {
    __typename
    title
    chapters {
      __typename
      title
      subtitle
      id
      slug
    }
    id
  }
}

fragment ContentHeader_contentPiece on ContentPieceInterface {
  __isContentPieceInterface: __typename
  ...DefaultContentHeader_contentPiece
  ...EvergreenContentHeader_contentPiece
  contentPieceType {
    isEvergreen
  }
}

fragment ContentMetadata_contentPiece on ContentPieceInterface {
  __isContentPieceInterface: __typename
  byline
  consumptionTime
  dateUpdatedDisplay
  contentPieceType {
    name
  }
}

fragment ContentPieceChapterSEO_contentPieceChapter on ContentPieceChapterInterface {
  __isContentPieceChapterInterface: __typename
  title
  contentPiece {
    __typename
    byline
    imageForSeo: headerImage {
      url: full
    }
    id
    title
    seoTitle
    searchDescription
  }
  subtitle
  firstPublishedAt
  id
  ... on PublicContentPieceChapter {
    globalContentPieceChapterId
  }
}

fragment ContentPieceExploreMore_content_4goxN4 on Content {
  moreContentPiecesOfSameType: contentPieces(first: 5) {
    edges {
      node {
        title
        id
        slug
        subtitle
        canonicalLink
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment ContentPieceSponsor_contentPiece on ContentPieceInterface {
  __isContentPieceInterface: __typename
  sponsoringCompany {
    id
    name
    link
    logo {
      ...ServerImage_image
    }
  }
}

fragment DefaultContentHeader_contentPiece on ContentPieceInterface {
  __isContentPieceInterface: __typename
  ...ContentMetadata_contentPiece
  ...ListenButton_contentPiece
  ...AudioOnlyBanner_contentPiece
  ...KeyInsights_contentPiece
  id
  deepLink
  canonicalLink
  title
  author {
    id
    byline
    profilePicture {
      ...Avatar_image
    }
  }
  headerImage {
    ...ServerImage_image
  }
}

fragment EvergreenContentHeader_contentPiece on ContentPieceInterface {
  __isContentPieceInterface: __typename
  ...ContentMetadata_contentPiece
  ...ListenButton_contentPiece
  ...ContentPieceSponsor_contentPiece
  canonicalLink
  id
  deepLink
  title
  hasAudio
  headerImage {
    ...ServerImage_image
  }
}

fragment ImageBlock_block on ImageBlock {
  image {
    ...ServerImage_image
  }
  alt
  caption
}

fragment KeyInsightsBlock_contentPiece on ContentPieceInterface {
  __isContentPieceInterface: __typename
  keyInsightsBlocks {
    id
    textMarkdown
  }
}

fragment KeyInsightsCarousel_contentPiece on ContentPieceInterface {
  __isContentPieceInterface: __typename
  keyInsightsBlocks {
    id
    textMarkdown
  }
}

fragment KeyInsights_contentPiece on ContentPieceInterface {
  __isContentPieceInterface: __typename
  ...KeyInsightsCarousel_contentPiece
  ...KeyInsightsBlock_contentPiece
  keyInsightsBlocks {
    id
    textMarkdown
  }
}

fragment ListenButton_contentPiece on ContentPieceInterface {
  __isContentPieceInterface: __typename
  id
  title
  trackingTitle
  subtitle
  readingTime
  isPremium
  hasBlocks
  hasChapters
  hasAudio
  contentPieceType {
    name
    trackingName
  }
  ...AudioOnlyBanner_contentPiece
}

fragment MainContentChapterSection_contentPieceChapter on ContentPieceChapterInterface {
  __isContentPieceChapterInterface: __typename
  globalContentPieceChapterId
  title
  trackingTitle
  isFirstChapter
  subtitle
  readingTime
  hasBlocks
  hasAudio
  id
  deepLink
  blocks {
    __typename
    ...Block_block
    ... on Node {
      __isNode: __typename
      id
    }
  }
  siblingChapters {
    id
  }
  contentPiece {
    __typename
    ...ContentHeader_contentPiece
    id
  }
  ...ChapterSelector_contentPieceChapter
  ...NextPreviousChapter_contentPieceChapter
  ...ContentPieceChapterSEO_contentPieceChapter
}

fragment MoreContentSection_content on Content {
  ...ContentPieceExploreMore_content_4goxN4
  mostRecentBrief: contentPieces(first: 1, contentType: "DAILY_BRIEF") {
    edges {
      node {
        id
        ...SingleContentLarge_contentPiece
      }
    }
  }
  mostRecentInsight: contentPieces(first: 1, contentType: "INSIGHT") {
    edges {
      node {
        id
        ...SingleContentLarge_contentPiece
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment NextPreviousChapter_contentPieceChapter on ContentPieceChapterInterface {
  __isContentPieceChapterInterface: __typename
  globalContentPieceChapterId
  siblingChapters {
    title
    subtitle
    globalContentPieceChapterId
    slug
    id
  }
}

fragment QuoteBlock_block on QuoteBlock {
  quote
  caption
}

fragment ServerImage_image on URLImage {
  full
}

fragment SingleContentLarge_contentPiece on ContentPieceInterface {
  __isContentPieceInterface: __typename
  title
  byline
  consumptionTime
  headerImage {
    ...ServerImage_image
  }
  hasChapters
  chapters {
    __typename
    id
    slug
  }
  id
  slug
  canonicalLink
}

fragment SingleContentPieceChapter_authorization on Authorization {
  roles {
    hasPremiumSubscription
    isPreviewing
    isAnonymous
    isPreviewingContentAllowance
  }
}

fragment SingleContentPieceChapter_content on Content {
  ...MoreContentSection_content
  anonymousUserHasPremium
}

fragment SingleContentPieceChapter_contentPieceChapter on ContentPieceChapterInterface {
  __isContentPieceChapterInterface: __typename
  ...MainContentChapterSection_contentPieceChapter
  hasAudio
  globalContentPieceChapterId
  hasBlocks
  isPremium
  trackingTitle
  contentPiece {
    __typename
    ...AudioOnlyBanner_contentPiece
    globalContentPieceId
    trackingTitle
    isPremium
    contentPieceType {
      name
      trackingName
    }
    id
  }
}

fragment TextBlock_block on TextBlock {
  textMarkdown
}
