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What is Disposable Income?
This concept is most easily illustrated with a paycheck, money you get for doing a regular job. Let's say that you earn $50 a week and that your tax rate is 20 percent. The $50 minus 20 percent is $40, since 20 percent of 50 is 10 and 50 minus 10 is 40. So your disposable income for the week is $40.
The term disposable income comes from the idea that you have money left over to dispose of, or spend, as you wish. In general, the more money you make, the more disposable income you will have (although you are also taxed at a higher rate). A person or family can make a budget for the month based on disposable income and know exactly how much money they will have that month to spend on things like rent or mortgage, food, insurance, car payments, and entertainment. One thing that person or family shouldn't forget, however, is savings.
One common thing that people do when they don't have money right away to pay for something is to use a credit card or otherwise borrow money. These loans always have interest attached to them; and the longer you take to pay back the loan, the more money you'll pay in the end. This is because you'll be paying not only the money that you borrowed but also the interest on that money that you borrowed.
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