Tag: debt

credit cards

Not all borrowing is bad. Someone with a low-rate mortgage of modest size on an appreciating house has a very valuable asset. And some retirees pay off their credit cards every month without breaking a sweat. But about four out of every 10 older U.S. households are falling into the trap of having too muc…

Senior couple looking at a tablet, laptop and open notebook at a kitchen counter

Policymakers and researchers have been fretting that the share of older Americans with debt has risen from 38 percent to 63 percent since 1990.  Having debt, however, doesn’t have to be a bad thing.  For example, households that take out a low-interest mortgage to buy a home, which typically appreciates, are likely making a savvy…