Debt. It’s a four-letter word and certainly not ideal under any circumstances. Being debt-free is always better than being in debt. But not all debt is created equal. Generally, debt comes in two flavors: secured and unsecured.
Secured debts are collateralized. That means the borrower pledges something of value to the lender that acts like a security deposit. If the borrower defaults, the lender gets ownership of that valuable asset. A home mortgage is probably the best example of reasonably safe, secured debt. In a mortgage, the property becomes the collateral. The lender can take it if the borrower doesn’t perform as required.
