Joseph's "Just My Thoughts"

Wealth can only be accumulated when ownership is secured by humans. Debt is a relative concept that stems from ownership and establishes the idea that others’ property must be returned to the original owner. Debts are useful when managed properly, but they also come with the burden of repayment. The obligation to return others’ property is rooted in human morality , which is ultimately linked to the foundation of economic activity . Living with good people is a crucial factor in achieving wealth. Therefore, people come before money. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Being in debt means using up the future in the present. Essentially, it’s about how we manage our time. Therefore, the most valuable resource for debtors is time, and it depends on which side time favors. Paying off debt is like repaying borrowed future time early. When the ability to generate wealth over time decreases, the future time becomes a burden, and the debtor faces the pain of bankruptcy . Taking on debt is costly. It may seem like borrowed money is repaid with money, but the irreplaceable resource of time is also returned along with interest. With the rise of postpaid credit cards as a common payment method, we’ve become less sensitive to the associated pain and cost. There are two ways to spend money: using present time or future time. The costs and pain are much higher when the future is spent as if it were the present. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

When I take out a loan from the bank, the bank lends me money, and when I repay the loan, I owe that money back to the bank, plus interest , on the repayment date. However, when I sell my used car, a debt arises in which the buyer must pay me cash equivalent to the price of the used car, and I incur a performance debt in which I have to hand over the used car to the buyer. When these two different debts are exchanged, a transaction is completed. The goal of business is to make debt well and pay it back well over and over again. A transaction must create debt without exception, but a transaction that generates debt on only one side is an absolutely unfavorable contract for someone. That’s the essence of a loan agreement . There are good debts and bad debts depending on the type of debt I have to pay (or fulfill). If you do not make this distinction clearly, you are more likely to fall behind in the social system. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

A ‘ transaction ’ is an act of debt between parties. The seller owes goods to the buyer ( performance debt ), and the buyer owes money to the seller ( monetary debt ). A transaction is considered complete when the debt is settled and the promise to owe each other is called a ‘ contract .’ Thus, a good trader or businessman excels at making and repaying debts. When it comes to debt, the type of debt matters. Anyone who misjudges this should not engage in business. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

‘ Capital ’ means ‘ Principal .’ What does ‘Principal’ mean in business ? The ultimate goal of any business is to create wealth. Wealth serves as the foundation for creating value, and that value must be generated solely through production. To produce, the cost must be invested first; the source of that cost is referred to as ‘Principal.’ In other words, the result of a transaction through trading is ‘ revenues ,’ and if costs and expenses are subtracted from sales, what remains is ‘ profit .’ If costs and expenses exceed revenues, it results in a losing trade; if they are lower, it results in a profitable trade. Therefore, principal serves as the benchmark for profitability ; in other words, it is referred to as capital. Whether a business is good or bad is determined by its profitability. If the principal is insufficient, borrowing capital becomes necessary, which is termed “ debt .” Just as the number of principals capable of producing tankers differs from those that can create ...

Debt inevitably incurs costs: the interest and the usage fee . Borrowing means using someone else’s property as if it were my own. When the purpose of borrowing is achieved, or when the agreed time to return it arrives, it is returned to another person’s possession, and the borrowing cost is no longer incurred. Costs also serve as the basis for production and are the consideration for almost all debts, regardless of the borrowing purpose. The frightening aspect of debt is that it incurs costs and requires repayment of the principal. Originally, the principal was not mine. Thus, spending with other people’s money exposes you to significant risks, especially when you spend on perishable consumption that disappears after use. If you spend someone else’s money without differentiating between production costs and costs for extinction , you are on the fastest path to destruction. Therefore, luxury can ruin even the rich. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

To be in debt is to draw the future into the present and consume it. Thus, living in debt leads to an empty future. The future becomes bright only by filling that void. However, some individuals sell time to people by pulling the future into the present. Starbucks Korea does this. The company requires customers to pay in advance for coffee they have not yet purchased through the membership program . Korean customers pay for coffee today, trusting that Starbucks will serve it in the future. Without this trust, no customer would pay in advance. Therefore, credit holds significant importance in economic principles and serves as the foundation on which the economy operates. After understanding the attribution and essence of the counter-presentations ( the object of transaction and consideration ) linked to debt, the wealthy utilize debt to their advantage. Starbucks Korea becomes a debtor to customers who pay for coffee in advance; however, even though it must provide coffee in the fu...

To be in debt means using future time in advance. If you go into debt to avoid a difficult situation right now without awareness because you think, “I can pay it back later,” you will experience the cruelty of life against the fairness of time. Assuming that income does not change and the present is maintained, the future spent in advance will again be insufficient when the future that has been drawn up in the coming time becomes the present. In the end, this means you have to continue incurring debt. Not only do you have to repay a debt, but you also have to pay interest as compounded interest . Therefore, the present that has spent the future ahead of the past is poorer. Moreover, prices are higher than in the past. Most people in this world do not understand why debt is a burden due to compound interest. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Debt is not inherently bad; it belongs to someone else. The goodness or badness of debt depends on the circumstances, terms, and conditions of borrowing, and it is not necessarily negative. Debt should be acquired when I have a stable income or additional profits to invest, rather than for consumption . However, you should avoid using it for highly volatile investments, such as cryptocurrencies or stocks . You need to control the debt; it is considered good when you can manage it under conditions that allow you to repay both the principal and interest . The advantage of debt is that it provides the opportunity to grow faster than others in a competitive environment. Debt belongs to someone else. This is the key. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

For entrepreneurs, making money is the most crucial aspect, but as the business grows, the nature of the money itself and accounting principles often determine its survival. Numbers represent money, but there is an invisible attribute accompanying it. Even with the same one million dollars, one million dollars in capital and one million dollars in debt represent fundamentally different attributes of money. Money has an invisible label attached to it, and understanding this can enable you to grow your business even further. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Money is largely divided into two categories: Standard Currency and Fiat Currency. Standard Currency’s value is tied to real goods, while Fiat Currency relies on legal enforcement for its value exchange. Standard Currency is termed convertible gold if it can be exchanged for gold and convertible silver if it can be exchanged for silver. However, for any currency to be created and circulated in the market, bonds must exist first. When the government issues Fiat Currency and distributes it, the central bank lends money to commercial banks; this process is effectively a loan. A loan is legally recognized as a bond and represents a debt that must be repaid. Without debt existing in the world, money cannot circulate. The government manages the economy by adjusting the money supply in the market, either by collecting or lending more of these loans. Many people aspire to make money, but few truly understand what money is. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

A bank trades collateral by holding debt called savings and selling bonds known as loans. Customer deposits are not bank money and must be returned to the customer as the bank’s debts. These debts lure customers; the bank lends money to them to recreate bonds with the customers’ debts. At this point, there is “collateral (mortgage)” to prevent the risk of bankruptcy between bonds and debts. In other words, banks do not possess the collateral; they merely govern it. The primary instrument of control is their bonds. In a way, banks tend not to be places where they make money with their own possessions, but rather conduct business as if it were their own with others’ collateral. Therefore, because banks need to know the value of secured collateral, the most accurate investigation of real estate and valuable gem information is key to banking. This is the similarity between a bank and a library that accumulates information. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Extending a loan is buying time with money. However, banks turn time into money. Purchase time with cash makes you poor, but changing time with money makes you rich. To pay off your debt, you have to change your time into cash and buy money (debt) with that money. All economic activity is an attempt to turn time into money. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

The key concept in creating wealth is the accumulation of assets. "Asset" means all the resources, that can be used for production activities. If assets don't increase, it's not a business. To create value, you have to produce something. The labor, materials, and facilities for production all come from assets. Insufficient assets are borrowed from others, it is called debt. The value added belongs back to the asset. Assets are a source of wealth and a measure of wealth. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”