Volgens Charles Hugh Smith van de blog Off Two Minds wordt gratis geld verspild. 'Wanneer water gratis is, dan morst men er mee. Wanneer elektriciteit gratis, is er geen motivatie om het verstandig te gebruiken. Dat is net zo met gratis geld'.
'Money that can be borrowed for next to nothing is essentially "free" because the costs of interest are negligible. Money that can be borrowed in virtually unlimited quantities is also "free," as whatever funds are squandered or lost to malinvestment can be easily replaced with more borrowed money.'