# Why Paying off Debt Can Make You Poorer

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/creating-richer-lives-7024275/why-paying-off-debt-can-make-you-poorer
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/creating-richer-lives-7024275/why-paying-off-debt-can-make-you-poorer.md
Podcast: [Creating Richer Lives](https://stenobird.com/podcast/creating-richer-lives-7024275)
Published: 2026-01-17T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://keggerss.libsyn.com/why-paying-off-debt-can-make-you-poorer
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/keggerss/Creating_Richer_Lives_20260117_FINAL.mp3?dest-id=18215
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/creating-richer-lives-7024275/episodes/why-paying-off-debt-can-make-you-poorer
Duration seconds: 1244

## Resource

This week's episode breaks down why paying off debt isn't always the smartest financial move—especially if the money comes from savings, investments, or retirement accounts. While wiping out debt feels good, the wrong payoff strategy can actually shrink your long‑term wealth and increase financial risk. We highlight common situations where debt payoff backfires and share smarter ways to decide when paying debt off truly makes sense. Show Topics Why paying off debt can sometimes reduce long‑term wealth How using retirement funds or savings to pay debt can backfire The hidden opportunity costs of aggressive debt payoff When paying off debt does make financial sense A simple framework for smarter debt decisions

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## Transcript

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