I do however think consumption debt, for goods such as clothes or the next iphone, is harmful.
They're not investments, like an education or a car.
It's a tax on people who don't have money in the bank to buy such things up front.
Usually such loan "services" are marketed in a way that hides the effective cost of the loan to the customer. Especially problematic for young people less experienced handling money.
> But you can't prevent good things for 95% society because a 5% of the society abuses it
Sounds like you thought I suggested prohibiting debt in general. That's a misunderstanding. It's definitely possible to prohibit predatory lending strategies.
I rather travel the world, eat great food, take tennis lessons, dance into the night when I'm in 20's and 30's where I get the most enjoyment rather than in my 60s where my body is not in good physical shape to do any of those things.
The fact that I travelled the world in my 20s may also enhance my own future productivity.
I would even further claim that not enough people go into debt. There are plenty of young people (70% or more) in developing countries who can get into travel, education, iPhone/Samsung, great food debt and their country (and the rest of the world) will benefit immensely from it in the long run.
You can't loan for consumption in your 20-30s, planning to pay it back in your 40s and 50s. Klarna does not even offer loans beyond 36 months, and month 1 to 36 you have 20% interest rate! If you skip a payment there are steep fees.
Klarna is for short term loans. Like, half a month.
Klarna is definitely not offering their service to poor people in developing nations. Even if they did, how would a 20% interest loan for an Iphone help anyone escape poverty?
I do however think consumption debt, for goods such as clothes or the next iphone, is harmful.
They're not investments, like an education or a car.
It's a tax on people who don't have money in the bank to buy such things up front.
Usually such loan "services" are marketed in a way that hides the effective cost of the loan to the customer. Especially problematic for young people less experienced handling money.
> But you can't prevent good things for 95% society because a 5% of the society abuses it
Sounds like you thought I suggested prohibiting debt in general. That's a misunderstanding. It's definitely possible to prohibit predatory lending strategies.