U.S. student loan debt totals $1.84 trillion across 42.8 million federal borrowers. The average borrower carries $43,570 but the median is $24,109. Here’s what the 2026 statistics show and what they mean for repayment.
Credit card debt at a record $1.28 trillion is working against first-time homebuyers through DTI calculations. Every $500/month in payments reduces your mortgage qualification by $80K–$100K. Here’s the math and what to do about it.
Personal loan debt hit $276B with 25.9M borrowers. Does using a personal loan to pay off credit card debt actually make sense? The math by credit score.
A new LendingTree study found 41% of BNPL users paid late in the past year, up from 34%. More troubling: 25% are now using buy now pay later for groceries — nearly double the rate from a year ago. When people finance food on installment plans, the math is already broken.
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