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Homes "unaffordable" in 99% of nation for average American
(www.cbsnews.com)
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this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2023
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Yeah I was raised to understand debt is for three things: education (as an investment and treated as such), mortgages, and cars (though I avoid car loans where I can).
I'd take education and cars off that list. With the price of college where it's at, if you can't afford it on your own, I think you should look for alternatives like community college or online courses. It's better to get education in things you're not passionate about than to attend college and get saddled in crippling student debt that not even bankruptcy can save you from.
I'm also against paying interest on cars because a reliable used one is still cheap enough for most people to pay cash. Brand new cars should be seen as luxury items.
Idk my engineering degree is paying off as is my sister’s.
Cars can be bought on debt but shouldn’t stupidly be bought on debt. You buy a practical car with a strong down payment and a manageable interest rate. I don’t do that myself when I can help it, but as I see it I took a loan from my savings to buy my car because nobody offered a better interest rate.
Also I could buy heating aids on credit in this line of thought, but I once again choose to pay cash when possible.
Engineering is a degree with a practical application.
Those getting degrees in philosophy or art history aren't practical.
Also people shouldn't dismiss getting into the trades. Especially women. Right now there's a shortage of good contractors. There's good money to be made. You don't need college for that.
That’s generally pretty true and also irrelevant to my point of it being worth it to go into debt to invest in education.
Additionally degrees in things like philosophy and art history can be valuable if you go in with a clear headed career path from them.
Trades absolutely shouldn’t be discarded. But the toll on the body should be weighed alongside it. You can make great money as a plumber while you’re still physically able. But if your knees hurt as an 18 year old, don’t try.