Adults are continually bombarded with messages about how eating foods rich in cholesterol can elevate an individual's risks of atherosclerosis and heart attacks. Many such warnings have focused on eggs because their yolks are a major dietary source of cholesterol.
The vast majority of Americans are in debt, according to a report from Pew Charitable Trusts published in July. For the most part, that debt comes from what many people would call a good thing â homeownership. Of the 80% of Americans with debt, 44% have mortgage debt. Overall, the median debt load among Americans is $67,900, overwhelmingly driven by mortgages (the median home loan balance is $103,000).
Hereâs where Americansâ debt levels stand at year end, and a look ahead, based on new studies and forecasts from TransUnion and NerdWallet. Credit cards. Household credit card debt, at $747 billion in 2016's third quarter, remains below where it was at the start of the Great Recession. In December 2007, Americans had $839 billion in credit card debt. NerdWallet projects that the tally may surpass that to reach $842 billion by 2019, based on data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.