> Pay down any debts greater than 7% per year (7% is the average yearly return for the stock market) Don't even think about investing until you do this, not bei

> Pay down any debts greater than 7% per year (7% is the average yearly return for the stock market) Don't even think about investing until you do this, not being charged 15% a year in interest and penalties on credit card debt gives you a 2x higher return than the average investor I feel like this should include inflation. Granted, low rates have become the standard, but I think people should be aware of how higher rates can really change things. If the inflation rate is at 10%, and you can get 7-8% from a Cd, then that debt isn't looking so bad. When comparing interest rates to market returns, I think the fact that markets have returned net negatives for some ~5-10 year periods, and have returned net nothing for I believe some ~15+ year periods, should be included. Only compare interest to debts to the market over multi-decade time periods, and keep in mind that some long tail events may still not be captured.