A good goal is to be debt-free by retirement age, either 65 or earlier if you want. If you have other goals, such as taking a sabbatical or starting a business, you should make sure that your debt isn't going to hold you back.
Federal borrowers aged 25 to 34 owe an average debt of $33,570. Debt among 25- to 34-year-olds has increased 6.1% since 2017. 35- to 49-year-olds owe an average federal debt of $43,208.
A debt-free lifestyle can increase your financial security and means that you don't have to worry about debt hanging over you if the unexpected happens. Things like a sudden job loss, or unexpected medical issue are challenging in the best of circumstances.
Here's the average debt balances by age group: Gen Z (ages 18 to 23): $9,593. Millennials (ages 24 to 39): $78,396. Gen X (ages 40 to 55): $135,841.
35-to-49-year-old borrowers owed the most on average in terms of total debt, at $613 billion in Q2 '21, while the 62-and-older group, at $92.7 billion, owed the least during this same period. California had the highest student loan debt balances in total and across all age groups.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends you keep your debt-to-income ratio below 43%. Statistically speaking, people with debts exceeding 43 percent often have trouble making their monthly payments. The highest ratio you can have and still be able to obtain a qualified mortgage is also 43 percent.
Since they are now the country's largest generation—83.1 million people, according to the US Census Bureau—the millennial debt crisis is a national issue. Millennials are the most indebted generation in history. A quarter of all US citizens aged 18 to 34 owe more than $30,000.
Is being debt-free the new rich? Yes, as long as you have money and assets, in addition to no debts. Living loan-free is a fantastic way to stay financially secure, and it is possible for anyone.
“If you want to find financial freedom, you need to retire all debt — and yes that includes your mortgage,” the personal finance author and co-host of ABC's “Shark Tank” tells CNBC Make It. You should aim to have everything paid off, from student loans to credit card debt, by age 45, O'Leary says.
That means most American adults either carry a mortgage, owe on a car, face monthly student loan payments, roll over charges on their credit cards—or all of the above. 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.
Our recommendation is to prioritize paying down significant debt while making small contributions to your savings. Once you've paid off your debt, you can then more aggressively build your savings by contributing the full amount you were previously paying each month toward debt.
When you have maxed out your credit cards, your credit utilization ratio goes up. This makes a negative impact on your credit score. However, when you repay the debt, your credit utilization ratio goes down. This helps to increase your credit score.
New Experian data finds consumers in their 20s and 30s have up to $27,251 in credit card, auto loans and student loan debt. Debt is part of the average American's life, and you can start to accumulate it as young as your 20s.
Bottom line, if your credit card debt is only a little over $2,000, don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll get sick somewhere along the line and owing $2,000 will seem quaint.
Even though household net worth is on the rise in America (at $141 trillion in the summer of 2021)—so is debt. The total personal debt in the U.S. is at an all-time high of $14.96 trillion. The average American debt (per U.S. adult) is $58,604 and 77% of American households have at least some type of debt.
Gen X — Average debt: $140,643
With ages ranging from 41 to 56, Gen Xers have a wide range of life experiences, along with the highest average debt of any generation. Many members of Gen X are sending their kids to college for the first time, while still carrying an average student loan balance of just over $45,000.
35—49 year olds = $135,841
Primarily because of home mortgages, older millennials in this generation maintain a higher average debt, according to Experian. Credit card debt is the next main source of debt, followed by education and auto loans.
The average credit card holder in the U.S. had $5,668 in credit card debt in Q2 2021 — that's 1% higher than Q1 2021's $5,611 average. From the first Q1 2020 to Q2 2021, the average credit card debt per cardholder decreased by $766 or 12%. The average cardholder had $6,434 in Q1 2020.
Being debt free to start with means having minimal to no bad debts and average good debts. 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.
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.
Outstanding consumer debt in the U.S. is currently around $14.88 trillion, representing an average individual debt of nearly $93,000, according to data from an Experian consumer debt study.