Debt. Everyone dreads the debilitating feeling of having to slave away day after day at their jobs to pay off their DEBT. Personal finance blogs typically preach about how to get out of debt fast and encourage paying off debt over many other financial goals like home ownership and retirement planning. What if I told you that debt is GOOD and can allow you to make progress toward all of your financial goals? You heard me, right? Having debt is not the end of the world and SHOULD NOT keep you from achieving your financial goals!

Like most middle-class millennials, I grew up in a family where debt was always talked about in a hushed voice, like if you said the word out loud, it would come find you and ruin your life. I was taught that if you don’t have money for something, you shouldn’t buy it. Loans and credit cards should only be used as a last ditch effort, and if you happen to find yourself with any type of debt, forget about doing anything fun for a while and get it paid off as quickly as possible!

If these lessons resonate with you, don’t be too quick to blame your parents. They were only trying to protect you from having the same bad experience with debt that they faced. However, the harm in treating debt as a four-letter word is that when you’re inevitably faced with student loans, credit card debt, car loans, or maybe even a mortgage, it causes feelings of hopelessness and anxiety as you struggle to figure out how you’re going to pay it all off and still enjoy life. At some point, you start to believe that debt is just part of life so you quit trying to avoid it, and money slowly begins taking control of your thoughts and life.

If you’re sick of living in a constant cycle of debt and want to learn how to take control of your money, you’ve come to the right place. It’s time to ditch the “debt is bad” mantra and start taking control of your financial future.

There are ways to control your debt and use it as a financial advantage instead of a burden. I will show you how you can control your debt and still live your life enjoyably and comfortably without having the constant fear of financial hopelessness due to debt that we were indirectly taught.