SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Spring is the time for do-it-yourself projects, but something you can truly do for yourself is get educated on your family’s budget during April for financial literacy month.

Brian Decker with Decker Retirement Planning has some advice for those looking to educate themselves about their money.

“Debt is like trying to swim the English Channel with bowling balls attached to your ankles — it really is tough,” he said.

How’s that for a visual? What drags down your plans for the future and threatens to drown you in debt is the interest.

But interest itself doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

“Compound interest can be your best friend when you’re saving and investing properly,” Decker said. “But compound interest can be your worst enemy at 15% credit card levels.”

So you have to use interest to your advantage to build wealth.

Decker also said a budget isn’t enough — it’s just a means to achieve real goals that a part of a larger financial plan.

Now the good news with the stimulus is that more people are saving money and paying off debt getting on surer financial footing.

Decker’s website offers a financial quiz and while it may not make you literate in the realm of dollars and cents, the five or so questions will let you know how prepared you are to craft a budget and a long-term plan complete with goals that will help you better prepare for the future.

The bottom line — if you don’t have your debt under control, you’re limiting your options for the short and the long term because those payments don’t go away and the interest doesn’t stop growing.