this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2023
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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?

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[–] GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 years 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.

[–] zacher_glachl@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

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.

[–] ericbomb@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Well congrats on no debt! hopefully you'll find a good deal somewhere!

[–] gummybootpiloot@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

200k student loans, 110federal, 90k private

[–] BilboBargains@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

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.

[–] daddyjones@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

This is essentially the same as me. I owe around £40k on a mortgage and my wife has student debt that she'll never have to repay. Other than that zero debt. I don't do debt and I like that I'm, more or less, debt free (mortgage doesn't really count imho.)

[–] FReddit@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years 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.

[–] Mac@mander.xyz 3 points 2 years ago

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

[–] kSPvhmTOlwvMd7Y7E@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago (4 children)

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

[–] mojo@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago

Debt you've used to make profitable investments

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[–] freeman@lemmy.pub 2 points 2 years ago

Only debt we have a mortgage we owe 226k on. Cars are owned outright and were paid off early. Student loans we paid off early. We generally live below our means. CC's are used for general purchasing and paid off in full each month. They are basically a stop-gap for fraud protection.

[–] Fogle@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I've got 25000 on a 4% interest rate for my car and like 5000 at 0% for a student loan. Y'all Americans live in one of the worst countries

[–] LUHG_HANI@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

That 4% was before 2021 Q3 I bet?

[–] Fogle@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

Yep. June '19. I really lucked out. The car I had before that was around 6 or 7%

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