110

Hear about how much debt everyone in the US has all the time, curious about some of your stories!

My bad debt is 10k left on a school loan from a for profit school that is now out of business.

Only other debt is house.

So how are you all doing with debt management?

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] hrimfaxi_work@midwest.social 16 points 1 year ago

I live in the Midwest region of the United States.

$55k in student loan debt, down from $100k eight years ago. $10k auto loan. $210k on the mortgage, which I honestly can't believe I was ever approved for. No credit card debt.

There have been some very scary moments, but I've somehow managed to keep my head more-or-less above water so far.

[-] Blaze@discuss.tchncs.de 14 points 1 year ago

Small promotion for !personalfinance@lemmy.ml, the community is usually quite helpful

[-] ericbomb@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

The top post is "salary needed to buy a home" is just depressing. But great call out.

[-] kttnpunk@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'm almost 3k behind because my parents forced me into choosing college or the military at 18. I wasn't remotely ready for either (was dealing with extreme gender dysphoria at the time) and I'm deeply opposed to the army but sometimes I wish I had chosen otherwise -I don't know if I'm ever fixing this. All my cash goes to survival and everything I own is constantly breaking. Poverty is a vicious, vicious cycle...

[-] ericbomb@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Oh that is so hard to hear!

It's crazy that parents are still forcing kids to go to college when it's been documented a billion times how often people are getting no benefit but tons of debt.

[-] kilcal@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Seattle Washington area

10k in credit cards

110k in loans

430k mortgage

20k car loan

Credit cards are a little high but that's just because I just took a vacation to Japan. I feel like I'm in a good place otherwise. I was lucky enough to buy my house before the pandemic when interest rates were super low and prices hadn't yet spiked so I'm hoping to sell it in a few years when the interest comes back down. My loans are 50k I took out of my 401k as a down payment on house, 35k for a heloc to fix the house, and 20k on a personal loan.

[-] ericbomb@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Oh that sounds stressful. Hopefully things work out as that feels like a lot.

[-] Lauchs@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

Financially, none. Morally? So much.

[-] caseyweederman@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago

Por que no los dos?

[-] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

None.

I have made it a point to live a debt free life as much as possible. My only debt is my mortgage. I've had a couple of car loans in the past, but nowadays not even that. I have quite enough wheels; If I buy another vehicle it'll be with cash. If I can't do that, I don't need it right now. (2 cars, 1 truck, 7 motorcycles. It's going to be a cold day in hell before my ass is out of transportation options.)

[-] shalafi@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

$27K in cc debt. Disgusting. Been dialing it in the last many months and paying off $2-3K a month.

OTOH, I may have my house paid off soon, so I got that going for me.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

A car loan for a completely unnecessary car.

Can we afford it? Yes, with reasonable budgeting, no sacrifices needed.

Will the car appreciate? Undeniably.

Do we need a toy like this? Fuck no.

Did it anyway. I’ve been poor for such a long time it’s really hard to justify any frivolous purchase at all, but we have good jobs now. I waffle between “This is stupid” and “I’ll never get to do this again, so why not now?” Literally YOLO.

The rest of debt is “good”, like the mortgage building equity, a CC to keep credit rating good (paid off monthly).

[-] papalonian@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

You can't leave a comment like that and not tell the car bois what you got.

load more comments (5 replies)
[-] whoisearth@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago

But cars don't appreciate in value...

Good on you with everything else and I'm with you 100%, but as soon as you drove that car off the lot it's been deprecating in value.

load more comments (5 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[-] Art3sian@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

ITT: few people having any clue what the difference is between good and bad debt, or that debt is basically essential to creating wealth.

[-] Sethayy@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 year ago

I'm just enthralled at the idea of how normalized having negative money has become. Something something dystopian

[-] ericbomb@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I mean most people saying they don't have any bad debt, but saying they have good debt isn't too bad! It is interesting to know how much mortgage people are carrying.

But these days even mortgages feel bad. 400k at 7% is 28k of just interest. So houses feel way out of reach with current prices/rates.

If rates go down prices go up. So doesn't feel like there is much winning for non home owners.

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (3 replies)
[-] RBWells@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Bad, as a % of annual gross pay is about 25% of one year's pay. Mostly the deficit accrued from when my ex was not working. It's smaller than it was, but not by much. But moving in the right direction at least.

Plus mortgage on the house and a separate loan for the roof we had put on when we bought it.

[-] ericbomb@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Hey man as long as it's getting smaller, it'll be gone eventually!

[-] elephantium@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Only a mortgage.

I had student loans, but I finished paying those ~5-6 years ago.

load more comments (4 replies)
[-] Usernameblankface@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Debt free, own two paid off cars old enough to be cheap but new enough that the maintenance isn't too bad, and also they get good milage. We don't own a truck or an SUV. We rent, cook at home 90% of the time, and we're only just making it.

[-] Lennnny@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Like £25k for a photography degree from 15 years ago. I moved to the US and paid bits of it back (it's means tested so you just tell them what you earn and they base it on that). I've been ignoring their letters because idk, I don't really want to pay it back? I remember the mandatory classes where we applied for ucas, so I feel like it's on them for shoving 18 year olds through the loan system for profit.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] VelvetStorm@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago
[-] LUHG_HANI@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago
[-] Lux 4 points 1 year ago

Whats an example of good debt?

[-] Art3sian@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Investment mortgage debt is good if it contributes to tax deductible claims. Owner-occupied debt is good if it’s managed properly. Both are good because you own an appreciating asset.

Credit card debt is good if you don’t hit payable interest, leaving your money to work for you in other ways.

Commodity debt is good if the market swings in your favour.

Business debt is good if it results in surplus revenue generated.

Education debt is good if it’s contributing to future and higher employment gains.

Basically all debt is good if it’s managed properly and results in a net gain somewhere.

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] randomdeadguy@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Already being rich enough to afford ~~good~~ profitable debt.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] StuckInAWell@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I had pretty substantial CC debt about a year ago. Nearing $14k. After health issues, having to move, replace many belongings, car repairs, etc. Used a 401k loan to pay off 10k of it, and since that loan was paid off (it was over $800 a month) I've paid the rest down under $3k, and should hopefully have it paid off by either year end or spring at the latest. Currently it's sitting in 0% APR though, so it's at least not eating away with interest.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] not_that_guy05@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Went into 30k debt thanks to school and being injured and getting 1/3 of what I use to make. Had to use CC and other means which in itself was digging a bigger hole. I am 3k away from being done with fuckin debt. No house since this all happen during 08-10 fall out. 13 years. FML

[-] ericbomb@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Almost out of that trash debt then you can focus on your goals friend!

Hopefully things are looking up!

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] zacher_glachl@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

No debt since we're only now looking for houses (yes yes, great timing, I know...) and I frankly wouldn't know what else I would need to spend so much money on that I would have to go into debt.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] Thorny_Insight@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

80k€ for the house but other than that debt free and plenty of savings/investments

[-] kpaniz@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I have around 5k€ left to pay for my car, for the rest I just spend what I know I can. I have a credit card but I just keep it there for emergencies or to pay in installments when the seller doesn't allow it, everything else goes to the debit card.

Edit: for context since I just read "in the US", I'm italian. My school was 150€/year so I saved myself the school debt thing.

[-] GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago

I guess my mortgage could be considered bad debt on account of being adjustable interest rate - this is however the most common type of mortgage arrangement in Sweden where I live. This has led to my interest rate costs going up an eye watering 400% in about a year.

I've got ~130k in loans on it. I'm in the privileged position of being able to pay it off fully if the interest rate costs start exceeding the expected returns from the stock market, though, so feel no need to shed even a single tear for me.

The Swedish housing market is a classic zero interest trap story - low interest rates combined with tax incentives and housing availability rates leading to ownership being significantly more lucrative - has led to prices skyrocketing and debt to income ratios spiraling out of control. With adjustable rates being the most common arrangement - again, due to some truly psychotic public policy - now the population that lent money to buy homes are stuck with sickening monthly payments and no way to get out of the debt, since the prices have dropped below purchase price. Not too much though, because of how crazy scarce the housing is.

Everyone loses but the banks.

A bank overdraft I use to restrain my consumerism.

[-] FReddit@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

I have $150k in mortgage debt on a house worth about twice that. Plus a couple more years car debt.

What really gets me is my health insurer severed relations with the county in May and I got hospitalized two weeks ago. So now I will owe the $8,000 out of network deductible. That pisses me off.

[-] Moobythegoldensock@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

$628.94 on my credit card.

[-] Mac@mander.xyz 3 points 1 year ago

None. Just my house.
I have a credit card bill but it gets paid off regularly.

[-] kSPvhmTOlwvMd7Y7E@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

What's "bad" debt? What's "good" debt?

[-] ericbomb@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

TLDR: Low interest debt that provides long term financial gain is good. Mortgage for primary residence is almost always considered good. Loans to invest into your home that increase its value and make it more reliable/long standing is good. Low interest debt to buy assets for your business is good. Reasonable loans for college is considered good.

Car loans are a bit harder because they lose value as time goes on. But a small loan with good interest is usually considered fine for a car. Buying a brand new car with a loan will almost always be bad, since you're paying interest to use a depreciating asset. But basically a car loan is always bad if it ever goes upside down, meaning you owe more on the loan than the car is worth. New cars that happens almost instantly.

Basically all other debt is bad.

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/good-debt-vs-bad-debt-whats-the-difference/#:~:text=The%20difference%20between%20good%20debt,loans%20that%20provide%20job%20skills.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[-] BilboBargains@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

About £30k on a mortgage. I'm 49 and bought a house with my wife in 2009 for £105k, sold that for £150k. Bought another one in 2019 for £220k.

Apart from that, never really in debt. Owing money bothers me, apart from fines but I don't consider them as debt.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2023
110 points (100.0% liked)

Ask Lemmy

27027 readers
452 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions

Please don't post about US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS