The link below is a post done by NPR back in Q3 2012 regarding the debt of the average US household. http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/11/21/165657931/household-debt-in-america-in-3-graphs http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/TDSP I find myself highly skeptical that Household Debt Payments as a percentage of disposable income stands at a measly 10.5%. So if someone were to make $100K per year and assuming a 30% tax rate between state and federal would leave him/her with a disposable income of $70K. This figure suggests the average household is then left with paying only $7500 in debt payments in the year? Huh? Sounds WAYYYY too low. When you think about the credit cards and more importantly mortgage payments one pays on an annual basis a more realistic figure stands at 20-25%. Is my interpretation off or do I just hang around with people who are levered to the hilt?