Canadians now have an average of $1.73 debt for every dollar they earn. A large amount, which totals to $2.1 trillion dollars of debt in the country. Debt categories include mortgages and non-mortgage debts. The pandemic brought a wave of relief for non-mortgage debts.
The average American has $90,460 in debt, according to a 2021 CNBC report. That included all types of consumer debt products, from credit cards to personal loans, mortgages and student debt.
There's now a growing concern about Canada's public debt. For the fiscal year of 2019, the country has recorded a gross debt or financial liabilities of $2.434 trillion ($64,087 per capita).
Most lenders will reject a loan application if their DTI is higher than 41-45% with the new loan payments included. This means you generally want to keep your DTI below 36%. That way, you can borrow as needed, if you need new financing.
While credit scores in Canada range from 300 - 900, the average is around 650, according to TransUnion, though it varies from province to province. Once you've reached a credit score of 650 or higher, you'll be able to qualify for more financial products.
When you struggle to make monthly payments, you're likely hitting your debt capacity. How much debt is a lot? 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.
At age 40, you should have saved three times your annual salary, and this increases to 4× your income just about the time you hit that age that defines mid-life or “midlife crisis”.
Statistics Canada reports that in 2018, Canadian households had an average net savings of about ~$852. However, the top 20% of income earners saved ~$41,393 per household.
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.
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 Student Loan Debt by Age
Federal debt among 24-and-under borrowers has declined 3.6% since 2017. 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.
Increased Savings
That's right, a debt-free lifestyle makes it easier to save! While it can be hard to become debt free immediately, just lowering your interest rates on credit cards, or auto loans can help you start saving. Those savings can go straight into your savings account, or help you pay down debt even faster.
People with more than $1 million can be considered rich in Canada, with 764,033 people or 2% of the population having between $1 and $5 million.
While the average American has $90,460 in debt, this includes all types of consumer debt products, from credit cards to personal loans, mortgages and student debt.
Average Spending of Canadian Retirees
If you assume that you and your partner will retire at age 65 and live until age 82, this will work out to be $1,026,103 total spent during retirement. Keep in mind that these are average numbers, and yours could be much higher or lower.
As of September 2021, the average Canadian salary in 2021 was $65,773.18 per year for full-time employees across the country. The salary trend is positive, and the majority of Canadian workers are earning more than they did in the previous year.
How much does the average person have in their bank account? The median balance among different types of bank accounts is $5,300, according to the Federal Reserve's 2019 Survey of Consumer Finance. That includes checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts and prepaid debit cards.
According to this survey by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, the median retirement savings by age in the U.S. is: Americans in their 20s: $16,000. Americans in their 30s: $45,000. Americans in their 40s: $63,000.
Have you saved enough? Just how much does the average 60-year-old have in retirement savings? According to Federal Reserve data, for 55- to 64-year-olds, that number is little more than $408,000.
If you're carrying serious credit card debt — like $15,000 or more — you're not alone. The average household with revolving credit card debt — that is, debt that they carry from one month to the next — had more than $7,000 worth of revolving balances in 2019. That's just the average.
What is the 50-20-30 rule? The 50-20-30 rule is a money management technique that divides your paycheck into three categories: 50% for the essentials, 20% for savings and 30% for everything else.