<prompt> Human: Hey everyone,Im a 24-year-old student from Finland, looking for opinions regarding debt. Currently Ive managed to live my life without taking any debt since the government supports my studies and the university has only a small tuition fee of 70 a year. Actually Ive managed to save 5000 euros just by doing internships in the summertime. I must say that I have been enjoying a debt-free life so far and I would very much like to keep this up as long as possible.In my long-term plans is buying an apartment of my own, however I would like to pay up any debt I will have to get from the bank as soon as possible. Even though the usual plan is to pay the debt over-time within 20-35 years or so, I dont want to wait that long. Optimally I would like to be debt-free within 5 years of getting the loan. This means that a big part of our wage me the gfs would go to the loan initially. I think that for us it is possible to pull off since currently all of our expenses come down to mere 800 euros a month per person which is on the high-end for me personally, and I dont see a need to raise our living standard any more. Im perfectly happy where I am as far as my quality of life is concerned.Either way, currently I am confident that the 5-year plan is possible to pull off if we can get jobs that leave us with 4000 euros per month combined which I consider to be a realistic assumption. My parents are advising me to not live debt-free though, as they think that having some amount of debt at all times is the optimal situation to be in. I dont take their advice lightly since my mother works as a manager in a bank so she should be an expert on the subject. However I value my financial freedom and stress-free life so much that I dont know if the potential gains of being always in debt are worth it for me. The times have changed since my parents were young, there is a lot more uncertainty nowadays regarding the job market and such things. Thats why Id rather just get the debt out of the way asap and start accumulating equity for the rainy days. What are your opinions on my plan and debt? I would love to hear your advice if you have any to offer.EDIT: I actually have another question to ask. If having mortgage debt at all times is a good idea, would it make sense for me to finance my own apartment first, then make a loan for another apartment and rent that apartment to somebody else? To me that sounds like I could possibly allow myself to have a financial freedom while having a mortgage at all times. The tenant pays me the rent and I pay the bank. If something happens I lose my job etc. I would be financially secured. Assistant: How about taxes? can you deduct the fees from loans from taxes?Human: Now that you mention it, I can deduct 70 of the interest going to the mortgage from taxes. That is an obvious perk, but does that mean I am better off having to pay a mortgage in the long run?  <response>: Not necessarily, but it does make your effective interest rate lower, giving you a better chance to beat that rate while investing elsewhere. 