Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

> It's a rule of thumb that your total debt should not exceed 1/3 of your income.

Unless tax deductions work very different in the US than they do in Denmark, that is pretty bad advice.

Here, sitting on a 60% mortgage loan that is many times higher than your annual income is genuinely a good idea for most people because of tax law. It’s not until you have assets that are worth more than your house that it becomes a good idea to pay off the entire loan.

Meanwhile having even a small “quickloan” that is 0.1% of your annual income is a very stupid idea.

I mean, if you don’t know finance at all then maybe it’s a good rule of thumb as you’ll never bury yourself in debt, but loans aren’t just loans.



I'm pretty sure in the UK and Germany that you can't claim tax relief on mortgage interest of your own home.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: