Debt plays an important part in our society, but it’s a double-edged sword for those who don’t wield the sword carefully. It can help us jumpstart our lives, or it can financially cripple us for years. If the latter happens, there are two popular methods to help get our finances back on track: the debt snowball method and the debt avalanche method. But which is better?

Student loan debt shouldn’t keep you from pursuing your financial independence dreams. There’s a lot that you can do to ensure you’re getting yourself out of debt as quickly as possible and paying off those student loans fast.

Debt can feel like a huge hurdle to clear at the beginning. But you may be able to find help in an unlikely place: with a personal loan. We give you the rundown on how personal loans work, when to use them, and when to avoid them.