Dear Dave,

I don’t like admitting this, but I absolutely hate my job. Last year, I almost cashed out part of my 401(k) to start my own business or open a franchise, and doing something like this is still on my mind.— Considering how I feel, do you think this would be a good idea?

— Kurt

Dear Kurt,

In your current state of mind, this entire idea is a trap. Don’t misunderstand, I love the idea of someone living their dream and owning their own business. But you just mentioned starting your own business in the same breath as opening some sort of franchise. That tells me you don’t really know what you want to do.

Have you ever heard someone say they’re “going all-in”? When you’re playing cards, that means you’re about to bet everything on a single hand. But here’s the deal, it’s never smart to go all-in when it comes to small business. That’s a good way to turn a dream into a nightmare.

I’m urging you to really think about this before you take action. You didn’t mention anything about your financial situation, other than you have a 401(k).

That’s a good thing, but if it’s all you have — and you don’t have any other savings set aside — you could be in real trouble. If you decided to leave your job, and your idea for your own business doesn’t pan out, you’ve lost a chunk of your retirement savings. It’s gone for good. Bankruptcy also becomes a real possibility. Opening a business just because you don’t like your current job, or you’re angry at “the man,” is a bad idea. You need to find something you truly love doing, because to have any chance of success, you’ll have to live and breathe that business day and night, seven days a week.

It’s not an either/or proposition, Kurt. You don’t have to risk it all to get away from a job you hate and into one you love!

— Dave

Dear Dave,

I feel truly blessed. Even with everything that is going on these days, I still have a steady job and a good income. I’m thinking about taking some money out of my savings account in order to completely pay off my credit card debt. How do you feel about this idea?

— Erin

Dear Erin,

It’s not a bad plan if you’ve come to a point where you understand a few things. The credit card and the debt aren’t the real problems. They’re symptoms of buying things you probably don’t need with money you don’t have.

You need to take a long look in the mirror, because the person who’s looking back at you is the real problem.

If you can accept this, and are committed to changing yourself and your financial habits, I’d say go for it. Just don’t wipe out your savings in the process. Leave plenty of cash in there, especially right now when so many things are uncertain. Also, make sure you cut up that credit card, close the account, and make a promise to yourself that you’ll never use those things again.

Once you do all this, and start living on a written, monthly budget, rebuild your savings as quickly as possible. Saving money is always a good thing. And everyone needs an emergency fund of three to six months of expenses for the unexpected stuff life throws at you!

— Dave

DAVE RAMSEY is a radio show host and author. His website is daveramsey.com.