Afford Anything · Friday, July 31, 2026
Beth Kobliner explains that despite a strong stock market, young people feel pervasive pessimism due to factors like student loan debt and the high cost of housing. The median home price of $430,000 is a significant barrier, leading many young adults to take on more debt and feel uncertain about their financial futures.
“And in fact, interestingly, we're seeing that student loan debt, median student loan debt has gone down somewhat. And I think it's because young people in this generation particularly have been bit savvier and they didn't want to get into as much student loan debt that they heard about, so they're making some maybe less expensive school choices.”
“And then they start seeing, well, the median home price is 430,000. That's after you adjust for inflation.”
“So I think the expenses of, it's the credit card debt, and I think that that has affected many people. I'd say throughout their 20s.”