<prompt> Human: Considering fleeing the country to avoid paying old debts USA NetherlandsCAN, or simply never paying them back - convince me theres a better optionIncome- Total: 128kyrMonthly expenses estimated to be about 2.2k foodgas after move, though I wouldnt be surprised if it was a bit higher than that. Assuming about 6.9k net pay, that leaves me with 4.7k minus foodgas to saveinvest. I might be super retarded and wrong about some of these numbers, let me know.---Debts- 8.5k in dumb personal items now closed line of creditunpaid comcast and phone billsnow closed secured credit cardsodds and ends- 52k in federal student loans- 10-40k in assumed private student loans had a hard time finding anything concrete, but I know they exist- Total: 70-100k---PhilosophySince I wont be mortgaging, leasing, borrowing anything it makes more sense to my own retarded self to build a tangible savings, liquid assets, rather than throwing everything I have at this large debt just to avoid the stigma of bad credit. If one of these debtors do go through the entire process to sue me in another country, Ill just pay that one and move on. Remote work options and high-demand skill-set means that Ill have employment opportunities, and valid reason for work visa.With dual income, thrifty lifestyle, and future business potential Id probably be able to afford a modest home in the US with cash, should I return in a few years.I am eager to live abroad, and dont see it as a consequence, but as an opportunity.Rather than living beholden to these institutions for the foreseeable rest of my life, I can just live the life I want. I dont care if my tombstone says Here lie a man with a credit score of 530, so long as I fulfill my own modest desires and goals. Im a weird guy, ok?---HesitationsConcerns- If I get sued in another country, any kind of severe escalation of what I owe ending up paying way more than I would have to begin with- Debt will always be there should I suffer some kind of brain damage and wish to mortgagelease in the future.- Will drag down my partners credit should we marry and they also suffer brain damage.- Prevents me from realistically owning a decent credit cardnew car if brain damage occurs.- While its a nightmaresuicide inducing amount of repayment, it would indeed be possible to repay it over a long duration.- Should I move, suffer brain damage, and move back I may be angry at myself for not acting sooner.- That dirty feeling of interest accruing in my subconscious.- Im super ignorant re: finance, methods 401kRothetc, and probably dont understand some of the big-picture stuff.---Feel free to downvote if it makes you feel good about yourselfsuperior. I fully acknowledge the poor morals of what Im asking, and accept that I am ultimately to blame for the horrendously stupid choices I have made. Nobody around me was ever very good with money, and I greatly underestimated the impact of my decisions in the past.I know what Im saying and asking here goes against the grain of this sub, and lots of basic financial sense. I would deeply appreciate answers which address both the financial and humanist aspects of the equation, rather than just focusing on numbers and parroted, one-size-fits-all advice.Thanks for your time!Assistant: This is nonsense. You could pay off all those loans in two years with your free cash flow. You cant default on your student loans and then expect to have no impact, and you dont need to, you borrowed this money, you got a valuable skillset, just pay the loans off and then do whatever you want. The federal government has a good memory and they will garnish your US wages to get the money back, even if you live remotely. Or, you know, just make regular payments of 6k annually, or whatever it is.Running away from these wont get you where you want to go, and theres no need to do so at that income.Human: Thanks for your thoughtful advice. I guess my main issue is that Im deeply opposed to the idea of credit in general, after getting myself into this situation and seeing it ruin so many people. Even if I had it, I wouldnt want to use it. Outside of the credit score, are there really any advantages to paying off debts rather than just letting them garnish me? Avoiding the burden of paying them off now is very appealing since I dont have any savings just yet. I certainly respect the higher-road, but Im trying to figure out if its really applicable to me, or if Id just be doing it for the sake of doing the right thing at that point.Assistant: deeply opposed to the idea of credit in generalBut not so deeply opposed to it as to not take student loans.Although you seem focused on the practical advantages or disadvantages of not paying back what you borrowed, it pretty much boils down to a moral question, much as you want to avoid that.Rather than living beholden to these institutions for the foreseeable rest of my life, I can just live the life I want...What part of that agrees with your adjective humanist?Human: I want to avoid that because for the most part I feel 0 sympathy for huge banks, and the predatory student loan providers - considering that they dont even skip a beat as they ruin lives for their own financial gains. That being said theres certainly a few debts that dont sit right with me, and I take your point. At the time I felt a stupid amount of pressure to take the max amount of student loans everyone I knew was doing this, and had a very naive view of the consequences and eventual realities of those decisions.  <response>: There are no predatory banks on federal loans. Just FYI. 