How Much Debt Do Americans Have? (By Age AND By Type!)

Money Guy Show

Brian Preston, CPA, CFP®, PFS and Bo Hanson, CFA, CFP® | Fee-Only Fiduciary Advisors

Education, Retirement, Moneyadvice, Investing, Savingmoney, Personalfinance, Business

4.6 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 5 December 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

You've heard us say it before and you'll hear us say it again: debt is chainsaw dangerous. While debt can be a useful tool to achieve your financial goals, debt can quickly become napalm to your financial future. We break down how much debt every generation of Americans has and look at exactly what types of debt are the largest. Throughout, we share got TONS of practical tips to implement in your life when it comes to debt! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jump start your journey with our FREE financial resources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reach your goals faster with our products⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Take the relationship to the next level: become a client⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube for early access and go beyond the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with us on social media for more content⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bring confidence to your wealth building with simplified strategies from The Money Guy. Learn how to apply financial tactics that go beyond common sense and help you reach your money goals faster. Make your assets do the heavy lifting so you can quit worrying and start living a more fulfilled life. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DRINKAG1.com/MONEYGUY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Think about cheese.
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0:04.2	Now add 100% chicken breast fillet, Chipopla sauce and Ameta cheese melt.
0:08.3	And it's giving the new cheesy chicken stack at McDonald's.
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0:13.9	Cheese!
0:15.8	Available until the 4th of Jan, 2026 from 11am.
0:18.1	Price and participation may vary.
0:19.2	Subjects availability.
0:20.1	Where do you find a clear signal in a world of static?
0:23.3	In a time of rapid change, cut through the noise.
0:26.3	The Economist goes beyond the headlines to decode the forces shaping today and defining tomorrow.
0:32.8	Get the full story.
0:34.2	It's more than news.
0:35.4	It's a trusted global perspective.
0:39.8	The Economist know which way is up.
0:45.8	Debt, America's favorite four-letter word. Are you doing better than the average American?
0:51.2	Brian, I am so excited to talk about this because we know that debt, on one hand, can be an amazing tool, but it can also be so, so dangerous. So we're going to walk
0:56.1	you through how much debt each generation has. Break it down by type and give you some lessons
1:01.9	to take away from each. So with that, let's jump right in. Yeah, Brian, debt is one of the biggest problems that's facing many Americans.
1:15.5	We know that right now, according to Experian, the average American owes $23,000 in non-mortgage debt.
1:24.6	So the average balance across all of the Americans that live in this country,
	...

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