New research from the PewResearchCenter indicates that people under 35 in the U.S. are carrying lower levels of debt. According to their data, young people have pared debt more aggressively than older households since the 2008 crisis. This marks a paradigm shift from years prior, when debt-to-income ratios among that group were at record levels. While one would hope that people have taken lessons to heart related to the necessity of living within one’s means, the searing imprint of financial hardship that the 2008 financial crisis left may not be the only factor triggering this reduction in debt. Tightened lending from a number of banks has made it difficult for many to attain loans. Additionally, this group still has high levels of debt related to education, possibly deterring individuals from getting into other kinds of debt. So, to what degree have individuals taken lessons from the 2008 financial crisis? In many cases, there were precautions that one could have taken to insulate oneself from the hardest of landings. Have these kinds of lessons been learned and will they endure, or will they be lost? Check out Pew’s study or a news article summarizing some of its findings.  

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