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Why Many Young Americans May Die with Debt
Live Science ^ | 01/14/2013 | Chad Brooks

Posted on 01/14/2013 8:47:41 PM PST by SeekAndFind

Younger Americans can expect to die with credit-card debt if their current spending patterns continue, a new study finds.

Co-authored by Ohio State University economics professor Lucia Dunn, the research suggests that younger generations may continue to add credit-card debt well into their 70s, and die still owing money on their cards.

"If what we found continues to hold true, we may have more elderly people with substantial financial problems in the future," Dunn said. "Our projections are that the typical credit-card holder among younger Americans who keeps a balance will die still in debt to credit-card companies."

The study found that consumers born between 1980 and 1984 have credit-card debt substantially higher than the debt held by the previous two generations. Specifically, they have on average $5,689 more debt than people, like their parents, born 1950 and 1954 at the same stage of life and $8,156 more debt than those born between 1920 and 1924, like their grandparents.

The data in the study comes from two large monthly surveys, the Ohio Economic Survey, which was conducted from 1996 to 2002, and the national-level Consumer Finance Monthly, which began in 2005 and is ongoing. The researchers combined the data to examine 32,542 consumers between the ages of 18 and 85 for the years from 1997 to 2009.

When the researchers analyzed data from the entire set of respondents at any one point in time, they found that credit-card debt increases at younger ages, peaks at middle ages and then tapers off at older ages.

In addition to incurring more debt, younger people are paying off their debt more slowly, too. The study estimates that the children's payoff rate is 24 percentage points lower than their parents' and about 77 percentage points lower than their grandparents' rate.

(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: debt

1 posted on 01/14/2013 8:47:45 PM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

They keep the economy moving by spending money they don’t have.

They create all those iphone/Ipad jobs.


2 posted on 01/14/2013 8:50:29 PM PST by sickoflibs (Losing to O is NO principle!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Starting with their student loans for useless degrees....


3 posted on 01/14/2013 8:53:32 PM PST by lightman (If the Patriarchate of the East held a state like the Vatican I would apply for political asylum.)
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To: lightman

Thinking that only the best (and most expensive) schools are the way to the future.


4 posted on 01/14/2013 9:07:06 PM PST by doc1019
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To: SeekAndFind

If they are in their 70’s they are no longer young.


5 posted on 01/14/2013 9:11:54 PM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: SeekAndFind

As the new older set uses these cards more and more, it seems inevitable that the Grim Reaper will catch them with balances owed and fixed incomes stopped. And so what: it’s up to the card companies if they want to support such risks. It’s not as if actuaries are going to be caught by utter surprise.


6 posted on 01/14/2013 9:49:30 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (How long before all this "fairness" kills everybody, even the poor it was supposed to help???)
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To: SeekAndFind

i don’t care if i die in debt. no money to the effing government. nobody else responsible for my debt.


7 posted on 01/14/2013 10:06:21 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I can neither confirm or deny that; even if I could, I couldn't - it's classified.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Obama will save them...

:-/

8 posted on 01/14/2013 10:43:02 PM PST by Does so (Dims don't think ... they PLOT!)
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To: SeekAndFind

That is called winning.


9 posted on 01/14/2013 11:12:22 PM PST by Cyman
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To: SeekAndFind

Our goal is to get our kids through school debt free, and to encourage them to stay out of debt from then on.

So far, so good.


10 posted on 01/15/2013 12:08:45 AM PST by lurk
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To: SeekAndFind

banks will come up with a way to prevent this — most likely they’ll have a clause that they grab all your money by the time you are 65 if you haven’t paid your credit card bills


11 posted on 01/15/2013 2:12:09 AM PST by Cronos (Middle English prest, priest, Old English pruost, Late Latin presbyter, Latin presbuteros)
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To: SeekAndFind

Well, these “researchers” and “experts” have finally come to realize that Americans rarely ask “how much does it cost,” they only ask “how much per month” is it?

We have certainly been conditioned by the financial masters to freely and gladly become financial slaves by eating the financial “cheese” that’s thrown out with easy credit.


12 posted on 01/15/2013 3:51:12 AM PST by DH (Once the tainted finger of government touches anything the rot begins)
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To: SeekAndFind

Young Americans have already found a solution: they have stopped breeding. They were told to live within their means, so they’ve stopped what they view as the most disastrous financial decisions a young adult can make: having a family and buying a home for it.

Now we import foreigners to keep our classrooms (including college classrooms) full and housing occupied.


13 posted on 01/15/2013 4:14:05 AM PST by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic war against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: Secret Agent Man
i don’t care if i die in debt. no money to the effing government. nobody else responsible for my debt

Unless you leave an estate.

14 posted on 01/15/2013 4:22:05 AM PST by Graybeard58 ("Civil rights” leader and MSNB-Hee Haw host Al Sharpton - Larry Elder)
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To: SeekAndFind

The final push into Socialism will come when this generation turns to a debt strike and anti-banker rebellion. Mark my words.


15 posted on 01/15/2013 6:20:50 AM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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To: SeekAndFind

The government has put the People in the unenviable position of working off of over-extended credit cards with minimum payments extending the loans and the interest into oblivion.


16 posted on 01/15/2013 6:49:46 AM PST by trebb (Allies no longer trust us. Enemies no longer fear us.)
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To: SeekAndFind

The new song our children's and grandchildren's families will be singing thanks to our wonderful government

We work sixteen hours, what do we get
Another day older and we're deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call us 'cause we can't go
We owe our souls 'cause our Uncle Sam's broke...
17 posted on 01/15/2013 6:58:52 AM PST by COBOL2Java (kak-is-toc-ra-cy: Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens. See: GOP-e)
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