SEATTLE, WA-We are surrounded by the trappings of luxury: expensive cars, big houses, plasma TVs, and fashionable clothes. In reality, the cars are leased, the big homes come with big mortgages, and the TVs and designer clothes are purchased with credit cards. Debt has become an accepted part of our everyday lives and millions of Americans are struggling to pay their bills.

It doesn't have to be this way, says Michael Mihalik, author of Debt is Slavery: and 9 Other Things I Wish My Dad Had Taught Me About Money. "People don't realize that borrowing money subjects them to financial servitude-a form of slavery-in which their bills determine when and how much they work, often at jobs they don't enjoy," comments Mihalik. "We no longer learn basic lessons about money and we are paying the price."

According to Mihalik, the reason behind this explosion of debt is that our view of money has changed. He points out that in the past, Americans were taught to avoid debt, whereas today, we have been persuaded and conditioned to embrace it.

Mihalik struggled with debt for years before discovering that he had to change the way he thought about money before he could change his actions. "I came up with 10 basic ideas and rules about money that allowed me to gain control of my finances and pay off my debt," Mihalik explains. "They literally transformed my life."

Debt is Slavery takes a unique approach to personal finance by focusing on changing the way people think about money.  The book uses Mihalik's personal triumph over debt to illustrate 10 lessons that will teach readers how to become financially secure and debt-free themselves.

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