• Linkerbaan@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    edit-2
    8 months ago

    Debt comes with interest. If you don’t have to pay interest it’s free money.

    • johannesvanderwhales@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      edit-2
      8 months ago

      It’s only free money if you invest it in a way that allows you to make a return on it. If someone hands you an interest free loan and you blow it on an expensive car that actually goes down in value the second you take it off the lot, you’re losing money. That said in the right circumstances debt is an extremely useful tool. But he’s probably mostly talking to the people who don’t know how to use it that way.

      • aesthelete@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        8 months ago

        An interest free loan is something you take 10 out of 10 times…the reason is simple: even in the worst of times you can accrue more than 0% interest on money.

        Right now, with current interest rates, if you could get an interest-free million dollar loan, you’d essentially be able to make $50k a year out of it by just sticking it in an online savings account.

        Even if they demanded that you pay all of the money back in a month, you should still take it, because you’d be netted the interest you could get out of the money in the month, and then return all of the money back to them.

        Anyone saying they wouldn’t take an interest-free million dollar loan is a complete moron.

        • johannesvanderwhales@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          8 months ago

          I’m well aware that that’s true if you’re financially responsible and educated in investment. I don’t think his advice is aimed at that group of people. Also in the real world people don’t hand out 0% interest loans without strings very often?

          • aesthelete@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            8 months ago

            I’m well aware that that’s true if you’re financially responsible and educated in investment.

            Educated in investment? Even a regular savings account will net you some return on a million dollars.

            You can also be financially irresponsible in every other aspect of your life and just plunk the million dollars into a savings account and take the free money.

            Also in the real world people don’t hand out 0% interest loans without strings very often?

            Of course, it’s a hypothetical which is why it makes his answer as stupid as it is. He’s too absolute on debt and that makes him a clown, and that’s coming from someone like myself who paid off a mortgage with a ~4% interest rate in 3 years.

          • popcap200@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            8 months ago

            They used to for cars, but obviously that’s a depreciating asset or w/e so it’s not really the same thing.

            • johannesvanderwhales@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              8 months ago

              Yeah that’s the definition of strings attached. If they’re giving you a 0% interest loan on a car, you can assume the profit margin on the sale is large enough to cover the interest, especially since car companies often own the finance companies.

    • EatATaco@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      8 months ago

      It’s not free money. It’s still debt, as you have to pay it back.

      • Dultas@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        8 months ago

        Then put it in TBills or a high yield savings account. The money will still be there when you need to pay and you’ll have made interest on it the whole time.