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[Closed] how financially stable / screwed are you?

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[#3411137]

Just been reading quite a bit on the bbc pages and money saving expert about financial planning and debt etc etc and it got me wondering am i in a bad way or really just average or actually quite healthy debt wise...

so how good / bad is your debt world and financial out look

I'll start

mortgage 90,000ish
credit card debt 2000ish
overdraft 500 quid

so single male under 30 approx £92500

stable job but no savings as have just renovated a house so just started to build them back up

you better or worse??


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 1:52 pm
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Couple - stable jobs

15k in student debt between us at a silly low rate

No other debt

a full years wages in the bank ( saving for a house deposit)


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:04 pm
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Living at parents still with my partner. £12,000 in savings but still no hope of getting our own morgage yet 🙁


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:05 pm
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Single female, owe £7k, have a job. Was in minor debt at the beginning of this year, then my car got stolen and my back worsened dramatically. Replace car + not getting paid for time off sick due to back = massive debt.

Edit: no assets, no savings


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:07 pm
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I would say your financial status largely depends on how much your house is now worth, and how much it may increase by in the future.

Me, I'm 29 single male, I have zero debt, credit card is paid off every month (only really use it for security and I get cashback) and about £3K in savings, however I don't own any property.

Not bad after 9 months out of work, however the savings account had over £10k in before i lost my job 🙁


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:08 pm
 flip
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mortgage none (house paid for)
credit card debt none
overdraft none

No debt, self employed.

I really feel for people loosing their jobs right now with big overheads, i count my blessings every day.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:08 pm
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I'm assuming you're talking about this article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15197860

I'm fairly certain "Kate & Jai" are up to a bit of tax evasion, probably on behalf of Jai.

She's s nurse

He's an electrician

They have a combined income of £40k

They have a £300,000 house

They buy a new car every 2 years

Something doesn't add up for me. If the bloke's self employed, he must be doing a shed load of cash in hand jobs...


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:09 pm
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Family of 5
2 working - eldest daughter and me
2 still in education [just]
1 looks after the house - wife

Mortgage paid off
No debt to speak of

Feels OK now but we had some very hard times in the 80s


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:10 pm
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Or the business owns the house and the cars ?


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:11 pm
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Building house in Spain with no loans.

Last savings dwindling and house no where near comfortable to live in.

Refuse to borrow any money though so it's work like a dog when I can in London until life levels out. At least I will owe money to noone at the end.

In the maen time.
No new road bike.
No upgrading HT MTB.
Having to try to sell the full susser. (2005 Giant Reign anyone?)

Feeling very skint indeed, but I'm sure it'll be worth it.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:11 pm
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Couple + 1 toddler + 1 dog

£180k mortgage debt
£100k mortgage debt
£25k student loans
£2k credit card (currently)
zero overdraft
£13k car loan

But thats only half the story though isnt it.

£130k ish equity in houses (after debt paid)
£1k ish in car after debt paid.
£5k in the bank for a rainy day.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:11 pm
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mortgage none (house paid for)
credit card debt none
overdraft none

Main liability - 17 month old son 😉


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:11 pm
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My job will probably go at the end of 2012 but i've known this for a while so i've been saving to make sure i'm ok if (when) it does.

Mortgage £124k but currently on 0.98% deal so payments silly low. By my reckoning i should have enough savings to allow me to 'exist' for around 2 years with no additional income whatsoever so in reality a bit longer even if i picked up a minimum wage job in desperation. Wife works in local government in a stable (ish) job which would allow for the household costs to be covered. No kids as yet which makes the situation simpler but that may change. Have some equity in the property as well if things got really bad.

No credit card debts (paid off every month) and no other debts either. I'm a firm believer in only buying something if i can afford it (house aside).


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:12 pm
 5lab
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under 30 male - got a gf but financially single

mortgauge about £155k left (started with 200k)

credit card - about £500 (mostly paid off monthly so no interest to pay)

other debt - none

savings - none

currently moving out of my 5 year mortgauge in the middle of the term to move to a cheaper deal - going to cost me 5k up front but will be cheaper in the long run. Getting that fix was a dumb move but at the time I thought rates were going to sky rocket.

With xmas coming up, just bought flights to Vietnam for my first holiday next year and buying some shiney parts for a road frame i'm building next year, I'm broke in the short term, but financially stable long term


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:14 pm
 mrmo
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worse on the unsecured front, don't get made redundant. I have a job and am trying to dig myself out of the hole, but it will take time.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:15 pm
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Bit pointless listing figures without taking income into account?

Our pre-tax household income is 47.5% of our total debt (mortgage, bank loan, student loan) which will increase to about 51% once the loan is paid off in March


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:16 pm
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I'm assuming you're talking about this article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15197860

I'm fairly certain "Kate & Jai" are up to a bit of tax evasion, probably on behalf of Jai.

She's s nurse

He's an electrician

They have a combined income of £40k

They have a £300,000 house

They buy a new car every 2 years

Something doesn't add up for me. If the bloke's self employed, he must be doing a shed load of cash in hand jobs...

They don't know how much their house is worth unless someone buys it off them.

Maybe the mortgage they have on the house is a lie to buy...and they have been extending the mortagage every few years to buy a new car.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:18 pm
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Something doesn't add up for me.

lots of debt.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:18 pm
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yeah bob that the article i agree seems a bit off to me either that or she is just plain fibbing!!

looks like from the above reading that the STW massive are loaded with cash all those folk with no mortgages!!

I would like to pay off the credit card debt asap but things like xmas keep getting in the way!! have managed not to actually add anything to them tho as its a 0% balance transfer card


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:19 pm
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I would have thought a nurse and an electrician would have earned more than £40k?


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:19 pm
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On the bread line here.

Time rich and money poor.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:20 pm
 ton
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couple
£60k joint income
3yrs left on mortgage @ £300 per month
no other debt.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:20 pm
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I never understand people who wont have debt. I know its each to their own etc, but our cc debt is on 0% so we get the thing we want now (ie in part my current bike 🙂 ) and pay for it over the next 12 months, rather than saving for 12 months and then being able to buy the bike.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:21 pm
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Bit pointless listing figures without taking income into account?

Our pre-tax household income is 47.5% of our total debt (mortgage, bank loan, student loan) which will increase to about 51% once the loan is paid off in March

OK then - our pre-tax household income is 0% of our total debt


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:21 pm
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under 25 (just)

9k savings
14k student debt
no CC debt
accomm comes with job
currently earn enough to cover immediate costs, but not to save
shareholder in a business which may or may not be successful within the next year.

happy for now, but will be looking for more financial security within a year.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:21 pm
 5lab
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I'm assuming you're talking about this article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15197860

I'm fairly certain "Kate & Jai" are up to a bit of tax evasion, probably on behalf of Jai.

I think that the house is fully paid off (inheritance??) as they don't mention any payments towards it. In addition a newish car (say 10k) every 2 years isn't that much money if you get, say, 6k for hte old one - 2k per year would be 5% of their pay


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:22 pm
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25 years old and married-don't own a house yet and have no kids.

Between us we earn quite abit more than we spend on bills/general living, and excluding my 8k of student loan debt have no debts or savings......starting to save for a deposit on a house after xmas, but with me being self employed I'll be amazed if we can get a mortgage on house that we'd want to buy before I'm 30 🙁


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:25 pm
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Just a mortgage for about 25% of the value of my house and no other debt.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:25 pm
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It amuses me that they say they own a £300000 house, yet have a £360000 mortgage on it.

The banks owns the house, then some.

The only deby between my girlfriend and I is our mortgage. Which is small and more than affordable.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:25 pm
 flip
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Bit pointless listing figures without taking income into account?

I've no debt, i earn enough to pay the bills and buy stuff.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:28 pm
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Time rich and money poor.

I am really considering this becoming my aim in life.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:28 pm
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I am really considering this becoming my aim in life

A happy middle ground is probably a better thing to aim for.

Work/Life balance.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:33 pm
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Equity : debt ratio 4.5. Actual debt level would scare most people.

No credit card debt, no overdraft


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:35 pm
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Piss poor. No mortgage(council house),about 9grand in debt and no leeway to save. No pension and no foreign holiday ever. Im qualified and experienced and work 6x13hr days and we are getting nowhere fast. To be honest I dont really see the point of working anymore - Id be better off doing nowt and signing on. At least Id get a bit life to myself. Edit getting geared up for christmas/birthday hammering. Just glad that we both like the free things in life like walking the dog and riding my bike. Still makes me very sad at times though.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:40 pm
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Wrote off a crazy amount of money last year when my business folded.
Lost everything.
A period of unemployment, while not entitled to a penny in benefits, as I was still listed as a company director. And therefore technically 'employed'. Despite having no income
Racked up massive further debts just to live and feed my kids etc
Found a job eventually earning 30% less than I was 10 years ago.
Servicing said massive debts now takes a huge wedge of my reduced salary
My only possessions are my bikes. No car or owt

So to summarise: MAHOOOSIVE debts! No assets at all.

On paper - well and truly ****ed!!! In reality: Happier and more content than I've been in a long time

Its all just 'stuff' innit? Strangely liberating to be without it 😀


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:42 pm
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Where did I go wrong?


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:43 pm
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Couple, both working, reasonable income from employment plus rental income from a property.

130k mortgage on home
25k mortgage on rental property
50k mortgage on my mums flat (my sister and I bought it between us as my dad died and left her a bit skint)
Enough equity in one property to clear the last two mortgages plus most of the first.

No car loans
No other loans
a couple of k in interest free credit cards
son at private school which costs a bit
er I think thats it.

But yes we are financially stable.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:46 pm
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Fine thanks, but then I didn't get mortgaged to the hilt to buy myself a tiny little 1-bed flat in my 20s like many of my peers. Flats that most of them are either trying to sell or renting (often at a loss) as they have kids and need somewhere bigger.

No debt beyond what goes on the CC every month and gets paid off in full via DD (do it that way for the 1% cashback). Car and motorbike both bought from savings, and I wouldn't consider doing it any other way unless some 0% deal came along. No fancy £4k+ carbon pushbikes, just a Brompton, a steel road bike and a steel hardtail. Not spent more than a grand on a bike and not planning to start just yet.

Have a fair amount squirrelled away for a house deposit but nothing out there that represents any kind of value for money. Happy to rent (my half of our flat inc bills is about a third of my take-home), keep saving and let prices keep on declining.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:46 pm
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So, what sort of ratio of income and assets to debt would be the most reasonable (I know zero debt would be the ideal).

What would be considered a level of debt relative to income which you should not exceed?


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:51 pm
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ok so taking into consideration all the debts and what my fixed asset (i.e house) is worth

equity is positive by 20% or so


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:51 pm
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33, and missus 37, expecting first kiddy in 8 weeks - only debt we have is the mortgage (£140k). All student loans, overdrafts and credit cards paid off.

Have about £15k in savings. Looking to pay off a large chunk of the mortgage when our fixed term is up next year.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:54 pm
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@bigthunder

**** 'em mate

Go bust, hand everything back to creditors or whatever you can do to get a fresh start
They wouldn't think twice about screwing you so do it first


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:56 pm
 Drac
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Decent income, more debt than I want less than I've had but more than I had until a few years ago. I spend too much and don't save enough but I live a good life.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 2:59 pm
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As long as I've got a job i'm fine. And if this place does go tits up(which is a possibility in a few months), well i'm pretty confindent i'll find something to keep me going, i'm a grafter. But if the worst happens and I can't even find a minimum wage job(to keep me going till something better comes along) well I'm ****ed to be honest, doubt that'll happen though.

Financially wise, I get by, I've a 7k loan that costs me 148 quid a month, and the usual rent, gas, leccy council tax etc. after all that is paid I've generally got about 5-600 quid a month to spend on food and what ever else I like. 33, Single with no commitments.


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 3:08 pm
 5lab
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prezet - look into whether you can pay off some of the mortgage early without penalty - a lot of mortagages let you do it - the difference between 4% mortgage rate and your 2% savings rate is quite a lot


 
Posted : 30/11/2011 3:10 pm
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