On the surface, managing money seems like a pretty simple thing. You earn money, whether through a job, inheritance or lottery winnings; and you spend it on the things you need (or think you need). It sounds so simple, until you introduce debt into the picture. If you fail to live within your means and your expenses exceed your earnings, you’ll quickly find that there are ways to borrow money to make up for this disparity.

Debt is really a simple concept – when you borrow money from another for whatever reason, you are in debt. And unless you’re borrowing from a very generous friend, you’ll be required to pay back that debt at some point in time. Banks, credit card companies and other credit providers are unlikely to be as lenient. When you take on a debt, you’ll find that it comes with terms and conditions that govern its repayment, including the deadlines for making payments and details on your interest rate.

Understanding interest rates can get tricky with all the financial jargon of APR rates, compounding interest and so on. But on a simple level, interest is what the creditor charges to let you have access to all that money. After all, banks and credit companies aren’t just friendly businesses there to help you out – their for-profit enterprises. In exchange for loaning you money, they expect to be paid back a certain percentage (your interest rate) on top of the original loan amount (called your principal). That’s why it’s so important to shop around to get the best interest rate possible – a small percentage of a big debt can be a lot of money!

One of the most common instruments of debt comes in the form of a loan. A loan can either be secured to unsecured. If you have any assets, such as a house or a car, you may pledge these items as “collateral” to get a loan, meaning that you’ll turn over these assets to the credit issuer if you can’t pay back your loan for any reason. This is referred to as a secured loan, since the creditor has a measure of security that they’ll get their investment back. A loan is considered unsecured when the debtor does not pledge specific assets to the creditor as collateral.

Clearly, a secured loan is a safer choice for credit issuers. Often times, debtors who are able to secure their loans find better terms and interest rates, since the creditor has a means of collecting on any defaulted loan. However, having an unsecured loan doesn't mean that the debtor can renege on his or her debts. If a debtor fails to pay back the loans, the creditor can still file a case in court, requiring the debtor who has no cash to sell some of his assets to pay back the outstanding loan.

While debt can sound scary, there’s nothing to worry about if you use it wisely. Building good credit from an early age by using debt responsibly can make a huge difference in the long run. But the temptation is always there to purchase more than you can afford to. It’s easy to get in over your head – so take the time to learn more about your finances and be smart about your money!