Lenders love CRNAs. That's not a compliment.

High income, stable license, low default risk — you're one of the easiest approvals in healthcare. It's a business model.

Hi there,

Last issue we talked about the remainder — the slice of your income that's left after taxes and living, the only fuel you have for building wealth. Debt is the thing that claims your remainder years in advance. Sign for a payment today and you've spent part of every paycheck between now and 2032.

But debt gets treated as one thing, and it isn't. Some debt buys an asset that pays you back. Some buys something losing value from the day you sign. A CRNA salary makes both kinds very easy to get, which is exactly why the difference matters.

01The dividing line

Does it produce income — or does it only cost money?

One question sorts almost everything.

A new vehicle drops roughly 20% in value in year one while you pay full price. Cards charging interest average about 22% right now — enough to nearly double what a carried balance cost you.

One caveat before you screenshot that: good debt is a category, not a guarantee. A rental where the tenant doesn't cover the note is bad debt in a good-debt costume. The category tells you to look. The numbers decide.

02The in-betweens

This is where most of your money actually lives.

Your house. It doesn't pay you anything while you live in it, so it isn't good debt by the test above. But it locks in your housing cost and forces savings. Call it what it is: a place to live with a savings feature, not an investment.

And be careful with "CRNA mortgage" and physician loan products — 0% down, no PMI, generous limits. That's not a perk. That's the lender knowing your income can carry a bigger note than you should probably sign.

Student loans. $150K to $200K sits in between too. The degree produces the income, so the question was never whether it was a mistake — it's the rate and the timeline. Rough rule of thumb: loans in the 7%-plus range are worth attacking hard; low-rate loans can take minimum payments while the difference goes into assets. Your situation may differ — this is a frame, not advice.

03Who the easy credit actually benefits

Lenders offer CRNAs generous terms because your income makes you a safe bet for them. The person writing the loan wins whether the thing you bought ever earns a dollar or not.

Make sure you're not the only one at the table who didn't run the numbers.

04The test before you borrow

Will this put money back in my pocket while I owe on it?

If yes, look hard at the numbers. If no, it's a cost, not an investment. Buy it if you want it — but call it what it is.

— Edwin Edwin Valverde, CRNA · Off the Clock

05Keep the conversation going

There's a growing group of CRNAs working through this same stuff — comparing notes on what they keep, not just what they earn. If that sounds useful, come sit in.