Are you in significant debt?
This doesn't mean if you have a standard mortgage/car payments, etc.

But, are you behind on your cc payments, behind on your mortgage.

If you are technically 'in debt' but pay off your loans on their due date, select 'no'.

If you are paying the minimum amount due on your cc bill, select 'yes'.

I find it interesting that you would ask people such personal information but refuse to even disclose your own location

I purposely made it a poll so that no one would have to disclose who they were, even though I dislike polls, in general.

I am just surprised since recently I have learned of a few people that are significantly 'in debt'. I am wondering if this is common or I just happen to meet a few in a concentrated time period. (No! I didn't ask them for their finances, they offered it to me without asking.)

so you will be happy if this thread gets no responses but people vote?

Of note: Since this board has people at all life stages, that may sway the amount of people in debit.
For extreme example: Those with many tuitions may be in debit, while the HS senior isn't.

But yes, it seems to be a major growing problem if you are interested in vague social trends.

There are people deeply in debt. There are people in unhappy marriages, people who are having trouble with their children or who want children and have none, people with severe health problems, people who are dying, people who are in foreclosure, people who are in jail.

May you never know from any tzoros.

Yes.


I know. What shocked me most was the people who were single, living at home, or newlyweds who just got married (i.e. wedding money) and similar.

I'm less shocked by the parents of 4 kids in day school and 1 in a yeshiva out of town.


Amein!

I agree, the first time you hear "it makes you go hmmmm"
but
One everyone is taught how to handle money
Not everyone gets "starter money" and may need to pay their way for sem / college / wedding expenses
Heath insurance can be a big drain

Re: newlyweds, some people get married and are not at the point where they are able to be self-supporting. That can add up quickly even if they thought they had wedding money to fall back on. I assume not everyone is able to "make it work."
I dont see into other peoples wallets so this is just my educated speculation.

It was irresponsible of them to get married, then.

My personal feelings aside.... thats what Frum society is telling everyone its ok to do.

lots of young single people go in debt to support themselves. let's say you're in college and you're not one of those superhuman people who hold a full-time job and a waiting job while taking 18 credits and working in a lab. So you're taking a loan to cover your tuition. that's the first debt. then you still need money to live off of. That's where those pre-approved predatory credit cards come in handy.

I'm young, single, in debt, and managing just fine without credit cards. Why can't other people do that?

When you say 'in debt' do you mean that you're in debt, but paying off your loans or regular in debt like the 'yes' answer above would imply?

Adding to this comment (since I don't have x-ray vision, either) is curiosity as to how many of these young marrieds have their apartments completely and stylishly furnished instead of starting off with castoffs from their parents' basements, Craigslist deals, freegan finds, etc. Back in the day, it was perfectly acceptable to have your first apartment furnished piecemeal, however, if standards have changed, so has the financial impact on young couples.

The former. I voted "no" in your poll.