Lots of people say you shouldn’t spend money to make money. Those same people will tell you not to go into debt to help get yourself out. The truth, however, is rarely so simple. Sometimes you may find yourself in a position where the only way to get the money you need to bail yourself out of a jam is to borrow it. Big banks and large companies do it all the time, and they seem to be doing pretty well. Why shouldn’t you make the system work for you too?

Now, the chances are that you don’t have the same assets as a bank or a corporation, but the good news is that you don’t need them. You don’t have to own tons of property or be sitting on powerful stock options to leverage some money your way. It’s as simple as owning a vehicle. Owning a vehicle allows you to take out a car title loan, where you temporarily give up the title to your vehicle in exchange for an amount of money agreed upon beforehand between you and an appraiser. With larger loan companies like Embassy Loans, this usually doesn’t take very long at all—in fact; you could be looking at the money in a matter of days. Then, once you pay back the loan on time, get your car title back again. At no point do you lose the use of your vehicle. Used intelligently, title loans help many people find financial security again during uncertain times in their lives when they really need extra cash.

Now, let’s get something straight here: title loans are not a credit card. You can’t just borrow against your vehicle indefinitely, because if you don’t pay back the loan in the time agreed upon, the loan company takes your car for keeps. The car is collateral, and is used to protect the loan company from abusing the agreement, but it’s not something you’ll have to worry about if you know when your next paycheck is due. Title loans can help you fill in the gaps between paydays. Keep that in mind, and you shouldn’t have any problems the next time you take one out. Ignore it, and you may very well find yourself without a way to travel, which could make finding a job difficult.

With the above in mind you should find that a car title loan is a safe and reliable way to line your pockets during times of scarcity. Borrowing to get ahead will only set you back if you don’t know what you’re doing.