Debt

The math says kill the debt. The math ignores that emergencies refill it. The version that actually survives contact with reality.

A real product with one very predictable failure mode: the cards refill. How to know which side you’re on.

Day 1, day 30, day 90, day 180 — the timeline of a missed payment, and the deadline that actually matters.

The math favors avalanche. Completion rates favor snowball. The gap is smaller than the internet arguing suggests.