Women and men are not so terribly different when it comes to the things they want out of life: love, comfort, food on the table and a roof over their heads.  But when it comes to spending money, the sexes seem to have vastly different ideas about how it should be spent.  This is not to say that one gender is more responsible than another, it’s just that they diverge on the point of what is worthy of spending disposable income on. 

Debt, while not desirable, is a fact of life for many of us. Because of things like new business loans, lines of credit, mortgages, student loans, credit cards, and personal and family loans, some of us are carrying debt -- in some cases crushing debt. This become a major problem when a setback starts to eat into your savings -- death, divorce, getting laid off, and medical issues are some of the most common ways that people begin to have challenges with their debt load.

If you are in the United States, I invite you to annually check in for a free credit report through https://www.annualcreditreport.com.

Note that this is a free service from the three major credit reporting bureaus. You may receive a copy of your credit report every 12 months--- use this service and not the many fake, paid versions.

Keep note of the kinds of debt you are holding. "Good" debt is considered something like a student loan, that has a relatively low interest rate and pays off in additional opportunities once you exit college or graduate school. "Bad" debt is considered credit cards.