In high school I breathed the "gospel" of Dave Ramsey. I was essentially a religiously-bent FIRE [0] advocate. What I have come to realize is that Dave is like

In high school I breathed the "gospel" of Dave Ramsey. I was essentially a religiously-bent FIRE [0] advocate. What I have come to realize is that Dave is like an AA leader. His advice makes a lot of sense if you are in a situation where you need to curtail excessive spending, and (benefit of the doubt, I agree with you that the increased tithe is gross) I could see how Dave is trying to help people find a reason to spend less on themselves. Just as I wouldn't tell a recovering alcoholic the goal is to drink moderately, I wouldn't tell a person considering bankruptcy that some debt is good. For people who can control their budgets, though -- Dave's advice may limit your options. Debt when managed right is a great tool for boosting liquidity when you need it. That's why even though Dave (and high school Past-me) would shake their heads at this, I have a small loan for a used car and I have a credit card. [0]: "Financial Independence, Retire Early." Still not a bad idea overall, minus the dogma (see https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/ https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/)