The 7 Fastest Ways People Ruin Their Finances

Nobody grows up dreaming of carrying credit card debt or accidentally raiding their 401(k). But somehow it keeps happening -- to smart people, good earners, people who absolutely know better.

I've covered personal finance for years, and I keep seeing the same patterns pop up over and over again. The good news is that most of these are avoidable once you can spot them.

Here are the seven most common ones.

This post originally appeared at The Motley Fool.