Buying expensive purchases in installments sounds tempting at first – very few can afford to buy an apartment or house ad hoc. There is often no getting around the credit. However, there has also been a recent trend towards installment payments for consumer goods. Is temporary debt a good idea to finance summer vacations? How do you even know if you can afford a loan? And on the basis of what information do banks decide whether to get a loan? We discuss these questions in the 18th episode of “Is it worth it?” with Marietta Babos. She is a macroeconomist and investment advisor and founded the financial platform “Frauensache”. (red, 2/8/2023)