A very good read, always eye popping to me is the chart on Debt to disposable income. A 3rd grade math student can sum up that solution. http://www.investorsinsight.com/otb_va_print.aspx?EditionID=607
"Third, total household debt relative to disposable personal income also continued to move ever higher. At the end of the second quarter, this ratio jumped to a new record of 131%, up from 93.6% at the end of 1999, as households continued to accumulate other types of debt and splurged on mortgages. Total household debt includes mortgage debt, consumer installment loans, and all other types of consumer debt obligations. "