Thank HN: 127 days since I asked for your advice.
Awesome story and congrats.  I second pgbovine's point that maybe the diplomas that grant instant kinship to fellow alums is worth quite a bit.  I wonder if we can hack the kinship part without the tuition part?<p>Another question.  Paying down your debt at $6K/month is fantastic (implying you are above and beyond you and your spouse's living expenses and the interest on the debt).  However, based on your last post that debt was $70K credit card and $30K IOU to co-founder.<p>Now that you are back on your feet, have you considered declaring bankruptcy or defaulting on the credit cards?  It'll ruin your credit and stress you out, but saving $70K while building a $6K a month nest-egg seems worth considering.<p>I hate suggesting that people walk away from their debt, but 7 years of bad credit vs. $70K today is the trade.  Bankruptcy / consumer credit laws exist to help the little guys; the ABS traders and investors who package and buy your debt price in a certain delinquency / default rate in all their credit card deals.  That comes from my own experience working on a hedge fund ABS desk.  You'll probably miss the $70K a lot more than the people who have an unsecured claim on it.<p>Edit: OP responded with a firm "NO" to defaulting on the debt.  Congrats again, much respect!