Answer: Not so much. From NY Fed Consumer Credit Profile (hat tip to NGPF Fellow, Andrea Stemper, for pointing this chart in the recent White House report on student debt with 45 charts to please your inner geek):

Questions for your students:

• What percentage of consumers with delinquent student debt are able to get mortgages? Why do you think this is the case?
• What has been the overall trend for mortgage originations for all individuals between the ages of 25-30 since 2005?
• What percentage of individuals (all groups) had a mortgage in 2005 vs. 2013?
• Which group of student loan borrowers has the highest rate of new mortgage originations? Does this surprise you?
• You read an article with headline “Student debt makes it harder to buy a home.” Does the data above support or refute this headline?

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.