Crushing Debt: Why Canadians Should Drop Everything and Pay Off Debt

DEBT is everyone's problem.

If you're an average Canadian, you've got about $24,000 worth of consumer debt, making only minimum payments is the norm and you consistently spend more than you make. You probably don't even know how poorly you're really doing. And yet you're still being offered more easy credit. Even if you think you're doing alright, there's more to debt than just the personal cost. Debt is stressful. It can be embarrassing. And the consequences can be devastating.

Canadians are intrinsically linked to their financial institutions. Banks make a lot of money based on people's debt, and the longer personal debt lasts, the more money banks make. But if too many people get in too deep and default on their debts, the banks will default on their obligations as well. And if the banks default, it becomes the deeply-indebted government's problem to bail out the institutions. And that means it's a problem for everyone. What currently exists is a storm cloud of debt that will be hanging over future Canadians for generations, and we, as individuals and as a nation, need to take control immediately and start living within our means.

In Crushing Debt, author and educator David Trahair guides readers through the problems with debt, how different kinds of debt relate to each other, the traps many people fall into, and how to identify and solve any personal debt problems. With the world's economy in such a mess, getting debt-free is the best defensive strategy you can use. Taking care of your finances now by getting rid of your debt will allow you to protect what you have and build for the future.

Is debt scary? Undeniably. But it's time for Canadians to face their fears and crush their debts.