Monday, 18 April 2011

Debt is Not the Tool to Prosperity

By Mondo Humboldt


Terms like, "you have to spend money in order to make money" and statements like, "debt is just a tool to prosperity" are just myths that get people into serious financial trouble. Before the recession hit, people wouldn't even think about using a prepaid debit card, especially when they could get so much more with their credit card. If we glance back on the nation's reliance on credit cards we will be able to see how we ended up with a struggling economy.

It begins with the strategic marketing plans of businesses who made people believe that if they purchased more things then they would find happiness. This developed into convincing people that they would be happier if they had more status, and the only way to get to a higher status was to have more things. Other marketing plots were constructed to make people believe a certain product would bring so much pleasure and enjoyment to one's life that they should do anything they could to pay for it, no matter how big the price tag was.

Then we can take a look at the big banks that spent billions of dollars each year trying to convince us that we all need to borrow more money. The marketing tactics from banks helped us to believe that we could have whatever we wanted now and pay for it "later." So, in a nut shell, we the consumers became accustomed to the idea that it was fine to spend money we don't have, on stuff we don't need, and the idea of paying for it "later" was just a concept we pushed to the back of our minds.

Being in a constant state of debt meant people never understood the distinction between wants and needs. When "later" finally came it was time to pay up and our debt became a reality, but where was the money? It wasn't there because we never had it in the first place! So what was the solution? For many, it was to spend our way out of debt. Unfortunately, lenders were willing to let their customers continue to fall deeply into debt. But where were the banks getting all this money from? When banks ran out of money, and everything came to a screeching halt. That's when the country felt the crushing impact of government bailout. This sent our country into a tailspin of recession that the government is still trying to spend its way out of.

Those who fell victim to these marketing tactics lost their homes, cars, credit, jobs, and their lives as they knew them. If only there was a better solution. How about not spending money you don't have in the first place? It's a simple solution. Methods like Ready debit, prepaid debit cards provide a way for anyone to get back on their feet and regain control of their financial situation.

In the economy today the risks of debt offset any of it's possible advantages. With corportations trying to make us believe if we spend more money we will be happy, we've forgotten that we might be happier with the peace of mind of being debt free. Getting in the habit not spending money you don't have by methods like using prepaid cards, and is a much safer way to spend. After you get into the habit of not spending money you don't have you won't be able to put a price on the peace of mind it will bring you to be debt free!




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