Yes, it is quite normal for many people in their 20s to not have a lot of money. Several factors contribute to this: Education Costs: Many individuals are either in school or have recently graduated, often carrying student loan debt, which can limit financial resources.
Is $5,000 a lot of debt? The answer will depend on your credit limits. If you have $10,000 in available credit across two cards, then your utilization is 50%, which is a bit high and can hurt your credit score. But if you have $20,000 in credit across three cards, you're only using 25%, which is in a healthy range.
Key takeaways
Debt-to-income ratio is your monthly debt obligations compared to your gross monthly income (before taxes), expressed as a percentage. A good debt-to-income ratio is less than or equal to 36%. Any debt-to-income ratio above 43% is considered to be too much debt.
10.1 million 18-30 year olds, 16.6% are currently in arrears or default2, meaning they have overdue debt or have failed to repay loans. Of the demographic in question, younger men use the greatest proportion of their available credit - with the average credit usage for 18-21 year old men coming in at 33.4% vs.
Rule of thumb? Aim to have three to six months' worth of expenses set aside. To figure out how much you should have saved for emergencies, simply multiply the amount of money you spend each month on expenses by either three or six months to get your target goal amount.
Both Gen Zers and younger millennials were hit by a nasty one-two punch — the Covid-19 pandemic and then the worst inflation in decades — at critical points in their financial journeys. Now, those aged 18 to 29 are carrying $1.12 trillion of debt, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Most people, even in their mid-to-late 20s are still struggling to establish themselves. That can be hard to do if your job isn't paying you enough, you're struggling to make rent, have no savings, and are being crushed by debt.
The amount of time that a debt collector can legally pursue old debt varies by state and type of debt but can range between three and 20 years. Each state has its own statute of limitations on debt, and after the statute of limitations has expired, a debt collector can no longer sue you in court for repayment.
In fact, according to Credit Karma, the average credit score for 18-24 year-olds is 630 and the average credit score for 25-30 year-olds is 628. FICO has different categorizations for credit scores and a 630 is deemed as “fair”.
While it's normal to have debts, some people take on more debt than they can afford to repay. Your 20s and 30s are your foundation for setting yourself up for financial success. Aside from proper budgeting and saving emergency funds, managing debt is essential to improving your financial position.
U.S. consumers carry $6,501 in credit card debt on average, according to Experian data, but if your balance is much higher—say, $20,000 or beyond—you may feel hopeless. Paying off a high credit card balance can be a daunting task, but it is possible.
But saving might still be a challenge if you're earning an entry-level salary or you have significant student loan debt. By age 25, you should have saved about $20,000.
The $1,000 per month rule is a guideline to estimate retirement savings based on your desired monthly income. For every $240,000 you set aside, you can receive $1,000 a month if you withdraw 5% each year. This simple rule is a good starting point, but you should consider factors like inflation for long-term planning.
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.
If it's between 43% to 50%, take action to reduce your debt load; consulting a nonprofit credit counseling agency may be helpful. If it's 50% or more, your debt load is high risk; consider getting advice from a bankruptcy attorney.
A debt that has a high interest rate or fees could also be considered bad debt, even if you use the debt for an essential purchase. One way to compare loans is to calculate the annual percentage rate (APR) of the various options to see which one will cost more on an annualized basis.
On average, Americans carried $6,501 in credit card debt in 2023, according to Experian data. However, some credit card users have much more than that—in rare cases, $50,000 or more. Getting rid of $50,000 or more in credit card debt can feel like an insurmountable task.
"Debt fatigue is basically along the lines of feeling depressed and downtrodden by chronic financial difficulties," says Brad Klontz, a clinical psychologist and certified financial planner.
$15,000 can be an intimidating total when you see it on credit card statements, but you don't have to be in debt forever. If you're struggling to make your minimum payments every month and you don't see light at the end of the tunnel, sign up for a debt management program to get out of debt fast.