"A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining and wants it back the minute it begins to rain." -- Mark Twain
See General Financial Independence FAQ.
Personally, I don't like those forms of leverage that involve getting into debt. They tend to magnify the potential downside if you make mistakes. I don't even consider buying anything except with cash. Instead of regular credit cards I use debit cards (or secured credit cards) where the maximum I can spend is based on money I have advanced to the cards.
Few Americans appreciate the extent to which their wealth is drained by paying interest on debt. The typical American spends about $1,000,000 on interest during his lifetime... and then dies nearly broke.
If you have debts to institutions that operate fraudulently, you may be able to get those debts cancelled. See:
Although I don't recommend it because of moral implications, anyone who considers certain lending institutions as "fair game" because of the way they operate, could follow a strategy of building up his or her unsecured debts as high as possible, and then legally cancelling the debt.
