Time Magazine International Edition

LETTING GO OF MY DEBT SHAME

I’m generally not ashamed to talk about personal matters. In fact, I’m known for oversharing. At parties, I’m always good for a few cringey anecdotes plucked from my lackluster dating life. As a writer, I’ve never shied away from sharing the vulnerable, sometimes ugly, side of my evolving relationship with self-worth. Even my earliest report cards mention my garrulous nature: “Jamie Feldman: Talks too much.”

But there’s one topic that I’ve kept quiet for as long as I could remember: money—or in recent years, the lack of it.

I’ve maintained a fluctuating level of credit-card debt for over a decade. At its highest, it hovered around $18,000. From that first moment

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