Good Debt vs. Bad Debt: What’s the Difference?

A few years ago, you could walk into any bank and get a loan or go to any car dealer and get a preferred rate. Then the stock market went limp, the real estate market burst and instead of standing in line for a brand name coffee, you were in line for unemployment benefits.

Good people have fallen on hard times in every neighborhood of every town around the country. Some had to tap retirement funds and live on credit cards just to keep their heads above water. Now that things are starting to tu...