One of the most underrated threats to building wealth? Credit card debt. The legendary investor has consistently hammered home this message: most people's biggest financial mistake isn't what they fail to earn, but what they carelessly borrow.

His core thesis is brutally simple—don't carry credit card balances. Period. The math is unforgiving. When interest rates compound month after month, even modest balances spiral into wealth destroyers. Someone might earn 10% annually from investments, yet simultaneously lose 15-25% to credit card interest. It's financial suicide in slow motion.

What makes this warning so relevant? People often underestimate the psychological and mathematical damage. A $5,000 balance at 20% interest isn't just "temporary debt"—it's a permanent anchor dragging down your net worth. The smartest move for most people isn't sophisticated investing strategies or complex financial engineering. It's the unglamorous discipline of avoiding the debt trap entirely.