Many people find themselves struggling with debt every year. Hundreds of people are bankrupted each day. Even as you read this article, someone is being made insolvent.

Understanding money no longer means understanding the currency itself, since actual physical money is now less than one tenth of all currency. ‘Money’ is now credit cards, travellers’ cheques, shares and electronic funds transfers, all of which require proficient knowledge of today’s complex financial world.

Debt is a scary place to be. Everyday our mailboxes are flooded with advertisements, catalogues, and “pre-approved” credit card offers hoping to deplete our savings and draw us deeper into debt. It can

be emotionally as well as financially threatening, putting a strain on families and relationships which in turn can potentially increase the chain of financial difficulties.