If you're like me, you might have a love, hate relationship with debt.

Maybe it allowed you to buy a home or go to college.

But it could also be the reason you're not investing enough for retirement, or even why you're not sleeping well at night.

Understanding the different types and amounts of debt held by average Americans can help

you know if your debt is quote-unquote normal. While being average isn't necessarily the

goal for your personal finances, I'll review four main types of debt and how much is owned by

different age groups. Whether you're in Gen Z and just starting your career or in Gen X in

your peak earning years, this podcast will help you determine if your debt is healthy or

needs a strict payoff plan. I'll also cover debt rules of thumb

and ratios you can use to take more control of your finances. Welcome back, everyone. This is

episode 1006 of Money Girl. I really appreciate you being with me and downloading the show.

I'm Laura Adams, an award-winning author, spokesperson,

money speaker, and founder of The Money Stack. That's my sub-stack newsletter.

Free subscribers automatically receive my money success toolkit, which includes the exact

templates I use to manage my finances. You can learn more, ask questions, and sign up

for the money stack for free at laura d adams.com. Or you can leave me a voice message with a money

question or comment by calling 302-364-0308. I'd love to feature your question on Finance Friday.

That's our weekly Q&A bonus edition of the show.

All right, let's talk about how much debt Americans have.

Well, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York,

Americans' debt topped $18.8 trillion by the end of 2025. That's the highest amount in history.

However, I will say when adjusted for inflation, there was a period in 2009 during the recession when the total

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