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Can debt be a wealth-building tool—or is it always a trap? In this episode, Jim Leboeuf breaks down good debt vs. bad debt in plain English: when borrowing destroys your cash flow (liability/consumer debt) and when it can build net worth (asset/cash-flowing debt like rentals or a profitable business). We also cover gray areas (primary homes, student loans, car notes), credit-building tools (secured cards & credit-builder loans), and the classic dilemma: pay off debt or invest?

If you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck, this is your roadmap to stop the bleed, kill high-interest balances, and use debt intentionally—only when it puts money back in your pocket.

What you’ll learn
 • The simple test to label any debt: asset debt vs liability debt
 • Real-world examples: rentals, small business loans, Turo/Uber, primary residences
 • When to use secured cards/credit-builder loans to repair your score
 • Why consolidations fail without behavior change (and how to fix that)
 • Pay-off vs. invest: how to compare interest rates to expected returns
 • A step-by-step action plan: budget → list debts → choose snowball/avalanche → automate → review

Timestamps/Chapters
00:00 Intro & the big question
01:15 Good debt vs. bad debt (the pocket-test)
03:40 Real estate & cash flow explained
06:25 Gray areas: primary home, student loans, car notes (Turo/Uber)
10:10 Using debt intentionally vs. funding a lifestyle
12:45 Credit-building 101: secured card & credit-builder loan
16:20 Common mistakes: zero-% transfers & no behavior change
19:05 Pay off debt or invest? A quick decision framework
22:10 Your next steps & wrap-up

If this helped, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who’s wrestling with debt. Got questions or a hot take? Drop a comment—we might feature it in a future episode.

#PersonalFinance #DebtFreeJourney #FinancialLiteracy #BuildWealth #Budgeting #CreditScore #InvestingBasics