I get that I am older than most, maybe, but I have watched this swing many times over my life time and I would say when things slow as they inevitably do, the people with the most freedom are the people who have been careful about debt. I watched many ward members and business associates get caught when things went south as recently as in 2008 and many lost homes, businesses and sadly family members when the slow down happened and they were crushed under their debt load. It seems easy to manage money and debt when things are booming but being debt free is comforting when things are not.