Share

Get clued up on debt

accreditation
Share your Subscriber Article
You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend!
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
loading...
Loading, please wait...

SPONSORED:

Cape Town - A large percentage of the South African population is currently in debt and what is not always fully understood is that debt is not just debt; there are in fact different types of debt.

The two types of debt that you may find yourself in are: good debt, and bad debt.

It is exceptionally important to be able to identify what kind of debt you are getting yourself into when you are purchasing on credit, getting a loan, or planning monthly repayments, as the two different types of debt each have their own benefits or downfalls.

Let’s take a look at the different types of debts and examples of each:

Bad debt is generally a negative form of debt as it is detrimental to your long-term wealth. This is the case due to the nature of the purchased items not generating a long-term income and having a depreciating value.

Bad debt is incurred when you continue to purchase non-essential luxury items on your credit card, even though you are already struggling to make your monthly repayments. Examples of non-essential luxury items may include extravagant buys on smart TVs, gaming consoles, and even taking out pay day cash loans.

The general rule to avoid bad debt is: “If you can’t afford it, and you don’t need it. Don’t buy it.”

Now that you have a better understanding of bad debt, let’s take a look at good debt:

Read this for free
South Africans need to be in the know if we want to create a prosperous future. News24 has kept the country informed for 25 years, and we're about to enter a new chapter of fearless journalism. Join our free subscription trial to unlock this story and a world of news aimed to inform, empower, and inspire.
Try our free 14-day trial
Already a subscriber? Sign in
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.88
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.37
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.3%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.3%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders