1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 This episode is about the freedom that comes from getting out of debt. We live in a time when being in debt is the norm in our society.&amp;nbsp;The basis of the debt culture lies in government policies (such as inflating the money supply and artificially lowering interest rates) that actively incentivise individuals to get into debt.&amp;nbsp;These government policies filter through into opportunities for debt everywhere that are encouraged by mainstream culture. For example: student loans for college, credit for&amp;nbsp;consumer goods,&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;the mainstream&amp;nbsp;ideal of home ownership and the&amp;nbsp;mortgage debt that goes with it.&amp;nbsp;Debt becomes a way of life for most people, which can lead to rationalising it and being over-optimistic about it's impact. Ultimately debt always reduces your financial freedom. It is always restricting the freedom of action of &amp;nbsp;your future self.&amp;nbsp;Jake talks about his experience of being in debt and getting out of debt. The podcast goes on to focus on the benefits of being debt free: The main benefit is in increasing your freedom of action when you are out of debt When debt is cleared it removes a constant source of worry Deciding on how to use your money can be a pleasure again and an aspect of freedom Removing debt is an aspect of self-care: it is financial self-care This podcast and blog summary contains only my personal opinions, it does not constitute financial advice and I am not a financial advisor. The Voluntary Life http://www.thevoluntarylife.com/ <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5533905/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/87A93A/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/content/20235381