Being debt free doesn't mean you have no mortgage, bills, or car payment. It means you carry a manageable amount of debt, and are cognizant of your borrowing and DTI.
Mortgages. Mortgage debt historically has been considered one of the safest forms of good debt, since your monthly payments eventually build equity in your home.
While you should steer clear of high-interest credit card debt, it's OK to use debt intentionally, including taking on a mortgage, using loans to pay for school or financing a car to get you to and from work. As for the ideal age to debt-free, don't get too caught up in the comparison game, says Sanborn Lawrence.
Using one of these options to pay off your mortgage can give you a false sense of financial security. Unexpected expenses—such as medical costs, needed home repairs, or emergency travel—can destroy your financial standing if you don't have a cash reserve at the ready.
You should aim to have everything paid off, from student loans to credit card debt, by age 45, O'Leary says. “The reason I say 45 is the turning point, or in your 40s, is because think about a career: Most careers start in early 20s and end in the mid-60s,” O'Leary says.
While the real estate you own is considered an asset, your mortgage is considered a liability since it is a debt with incurred interest.
Because mortgages generally have much lower interest rates than credit cards, you could save significant money in interest. However, this repayment method also has a few considerable drawbacks. For example, you'll have less equity (or ownership) in your home than you had previously.
Keep in mind that when you determine your net worth, you must subtract your liabilities—including your mortgage. If your home is valued at $300,000 and you owe $200,000 on your mortgage, your home will effectively add $100,000 to your net worth ($300,000 - $200,000 = $100,000 equity).
Although the home loan is a liability, the home itself is generally considered an asset to the borrower. The lender maintains a lien on the property, but you are considered the owner of the home as long as you remain current on your mortgage and other obligations, like property taxes.
Remember, too, that your net worth is likely to increase as you age. We just learned that 30-somethings have a median net worth of $48,985. By comparison, that median is $7,987 for 20-somethings and $170,767 for 40-somethings.
Your net worth is what you own minus what you owe. It's the total value of all your assets—including your house, cars, investments and cash—minus your liabilities (things like credit card debt, student loans, and what you still owe on your mortgage).
Generally speaking, most mortgage lenders use a 43% DTI ratio as a maximum for borrowers. If you have a DTI ratio higher than 43%, you probably are carrying too much debt because you are less likely to qualify for a mortgage loan.
It's Best to Pay Your Credit Card Balance in Full Each Month
Leaving a balance will not help your credit scores—it will just cost you money in the form of interest. Carrying a high balance on your credit cards has a negative impact on scores because it increases your credit utilization ratio.
Anything over 30% credit utilization is considered high and will hurt your credit score — and that goes for your debt per card as well as your total debt overall. Lower credit utilization is more favorable.
Type of loan: Mortgages are installment loans, which means you pay them back in a set number of payments (installments) over an agreed-upon term (usually 15 or 30 years). They're also secured loans, meaning the home you bought with the mortgage serves as collateral for the debt.
Apart from providing shelter, people have been investing in homes as an asset class. Here's why... If financial goals were to be ranked on basis of importance, there's a good chance that owning a house would be the top three priorities of every investor.
Blueleaf's position: Your primary residence is an expense, not an asset. It's not as liquid as you think and many people hold onto their homes later or sell earlier than their plan dictates so they can try to time the real estate market.
It is not bad to have a lot of credit cards with zero balance because positive information will appear on your credit reports each month since all of the accounts are current. Having credit cards with zero balance also results in a low credit utilization ratio, which is good for your credit score, too.
Credit utilization — the portion of your credit limits that you are currently using — is a significant factor in credit scores. It is one reason your credit score could drop a little after you pay off debt, particularly if you close the account.
So if you max out a credit card, your balance will go up. That, in turn, can raise your minimum monthly payment. If you pay off your balance, you can avoid a higher minimum monthly payment. But if you make only the minimum payment each month, it can drag out the amount of time it takes to pay off the balance.
Many people would likely say $30,000 is a considerable amount of money. Paying off that much debt may feel overwhelming, but it is possible. With careful planning and calculated actions, you can slowly work toward paying off your debt.
And yet, over half of Americans surveyed (53%) say that debt reduction is a top priority—while nearly a quarter (23%) say they have no debt. And that percentage may rise.
In the U.S. overall, it takes a net worth of $2.2 million to be considered “wealthy” by other Americans — up from $1.9 million last year, according to financial services company Charles Schwab's annual Modern Wealth Survey.
Net Worth at Age 40
By age 40, your goal is to have a net worth of two times your annual salary. So, if your salary edges up to $80,000 in your 30s, then by age 40 you should strive for a net worth of $160,000. Additionally, it's not just contributing to retirement that helps you build your net worth.