You Are Debt Free, Can You Remain Debt Free?

Have you looked at your health insurance documents lately? If not, you might want to do so. Your health coverage could end your debt-free adventure at any time.

I have an Aetna policy with a $5,250 in-network deductible. So far this year (fortunately) SMB and I haven’t had to visit a doctor or hospital. But if either of us gets sick, we have to shell out money from our pocket up to this maximum. (I am not discussing the ways to choose a health plan, so don’t get distracted.) The point here is, whatever your out-of-pocket maximum may be, are you prepared to pay it off? Do you have that money?

You have worked very hard and now you are debt free; a big congrats! Now the next big hurdle is to remain debt free and continue to build wealth till you become financially independent or till you die, as simple as that! Pundits will suggest don’t use credit card and you will remain debt free, what if you are on low income and can not cough up emergency cash without borrowing money?

An illness is just one of the ways your debt-free life can be cut short. There are thousand of other ways you can find yourself in debt again. You will be fortunate if you get some time to build wealth before any of the following happens.

1. Natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, or landslides can destroy your wealth if not you aren’t prepared.

2. A financial disaster like a stock market collapse, housing collapse, or basically any kind of collapse can be just as harmful as a natural disaster, if you haven’t planned for it.

3. Not having adequate insurance coverage (any kind) could force you to pay for whatever is not covered.

4. A theft or fire at your home or business.

5. Your financial stupidity and buying what you don’t need

6. Job loss

You can come up with many more but, If anything like this happens to you and you don’t have capital to compensate for the loss, you will likely incur debt.

I recently read a CNN Money article that says 64% of Americans do not have even $1,000 in emergency cash!

Dear reader, ask yourself honestly, do you have the cash required to compensate for an emergency like those listed above? Next time you brag about your debt-free situation to your friends and family, stop bragging and ask yourself this important question! You better be concentrating on building wealth and increasing that emergency fund cushion.

Since you are debt free, it can be assumed that you know basic money principles, or at least most of them. I don’t need to tell you how to use credit cards or the benefits of setting automatic deductions from your checking account.

The fact that you are debt free but don’t have enough emergency saving leads to only one scenario – you have a limited income. Remaining debt free on a smaller income is a big challenge probably greater than the challenge you faced to become debt free. If you lose your job and suffer from an illness at the same time, what will you do?

I will suggest you act now and be prepared for this scenario. A cushion of 3-6 months of expenses in your savings account is not the most appropriate solution. In order to remain debt free, come what may, you need to be prepared for hardship. Going by human psychology, facing hardship willingly is probably 100 times easier than facing hardship forcefully.

Imagine yourself in hardship now. Imagine what comforts and luxuries you may have to give up if disaster strikes. If you could give them up in case of emergency, you could give them up now!

Cut your internet costs (access the net from the library, work, or a friend’s place), phone (either cell or home), cut TV (other options are there), completely stop eating out (cook your own food), downsize your home, sell clothes and furniture, stop buying things other than food and other life essentials.

Basically, take all the steps you would otherwise need to take in our imaginary disastrous situation. Maintain this almost minimalist lifestyle for 6 months to 1 year (or 2). I can tell you for sure that at the end of it, you and your family will have sufficient savings at hand even if you are living on a paltry income. You can go back to your usual spending habits after this self-imposed hardship period is over and thank me that day, for you read it the first time on this blog.

Financial implication on Self imposed hardship vs forced hardship