Ask someone what the best financial decision they’ve ever made is. Most people will answer: saving, investing, or maybe buying property.
My answer might be different.
Taking on debt. Yes, you read that right.
Taking on debt was the best financial decision I’ve ever made.
Three years ago.
In three years, it will be our tenth wedding anniversary. I wanted to give my wife a memorable gift—something that would last a long time.
“Why not surprise her with a gold gift?” That’s what crossed my mind at the time.
At the time, I was interested in saving in gold and silver. I joined a gold and silver community to learn and find information about precious metals. Not because I wanted to get rich, but because gold and silver have proven to preserve the value of money.
It was Friday morning, and I was attending an office event at Renon Field. An MSME expo was taking place there. The aroma of street food vied with the scent of ayam betutu and babi guling wafting from the rows of food stalls (both are most famous traditional Balinese cuisines). I could hear the MC on the main stage chatting with the singer who was about to perform. At the food stalls, visitors were jostling and lining up to buy food. The fashion booths were just as crowded.
That day marked the celebration of the Bali Provincial Government’s anniversary.
My two coworkers and I were engrossed in conversation as we walked past the sponsor booths along the edge of the field.
“Sir, Ma’am, are you planning to buy precious metals?”
“We currently have a gold installment program with low interest rates.” A beautiful woman with a friendly smile approached us. She was wearing jeans and a white polo shirt with the logo of the Bali Regional Development Bank (BPD Bali).
She then explained the details of the loan and the monthly installment plan.
“The interest rate is lower than at the bank where I’m paying off my gold installments, man,” my friend Gita, who had already started paying off her gold installments, told me.
“It’s actually the lowest compared to the others,” she added.
My resolve to buy my wife gold as a wedding anniversary gift is growing stronger.
I’ve read the brochure over and over again. I’ve also reviewed the installment plan sent by the BPD Bali representative via WhatsApp.
My mental calculator kicked into gear.
Installment payments, family expenses, gas, electricity bills, internet costs, and so on were swirling through my head.
“If I take out this loan, will what’s left of my salary be enough to support my family for a month?”
“What if the price of gold doesn’t go up?”
“Or what if it actually goes down?”
Fears began to surface.
After much consideration and a battle with my own fears, I decided to go ahead with it right away. I didn’t tell my wife about my plan. I wanted to surprise her on our upcoming tenth wedding anniversary.
“All the necessary documents are complete, sir.” “All that’s left is your wife’s signature,” said the bank teller.
WTF, I’m trying to surprise my wife. Why does she have to sign the application form??
Finally, all the administrative procedures were completed. I then thick-skinnedly asked my wife to come to the bank to sign the form.
“Oh, look at you… trying to surprise me.” “But, honey!” my wife teased on the way home, laughing hysterically.
I stayed silent, my face turning red.
A month later, and for months after that, my salary was automatically debited to pay a gold installment of Rp 500,000.00, or about $28. The first few months felt like a struggle. As time went on, I forgot I was even making monthly payments.
August 2026
This month is the last time I’ll make a payment. This month, my debt is paid off. I don’t have the gold in my possession yet—it’s still in the bank’s vault. I’m waiting for the administrative process to be completed so I can pick it up.
I can’t wait to give this gift to my wife this October. It’s our tenth wedding anniversary.
Back when I applied for the gold loan, the price of gold was just over 1 million rupiah per gram (about $55/gram). Currently, the price of gold is 2,600,000.00 rupiah per gram (about $146/gram).
If I hadn’t decided to take out a loan three years ago, I probably wouldn’t be able to buy my wife the wedding anniversary gift I’ve been planning from the very beginning.
Three years ago, I thought I was borrowing money to buy fifteen grams of gold. Looking back now, I realize I was really buying certainty. I locked in a promise before life had the chance to get in the way. The gold became more valuable. But keeping that promise became priceless.
This post is my entry for 
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2nd image: Photo by Robert Lens on Pexels
