I really genuinely don't want to appear confrontational on this one, but these post lie at the crux of the modular myth; "I know someone who says"... ie allegedly, and totally unquantifiable. When you sit down and take these people to task, the story usually changes. I remember being on the flight deck once where a captain was openly laughing at how much extra I had paid than him. We were on a night flight back from Spain, so had the time to examine it in detail. We worked out I was financially better off than him, even with me integrated and him modular and nearly 10 years before me!
And the "if you go integrated, factor in loan interest" argument- what about considering the salary differential between an FO position versus the "flippin' burgers" job that most hold down during modular traning. How much do FIs or dispatchers earn? Absolutley no direpect to either, I know great guys in both roles, but relative to a FO they earn peanuts. Maybe to the tune of 18K net per year (1.5k per month). Over 3 or 4 years that really adds up.