{"id":36199,"date":"2025-06-02T09:35:05","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T13:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.jgwentworth.com\/resources\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T10:19:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T15:19:05","slug":"reality-check-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/resources\/reality-check-survey","title":{"rendered":"Reality check: Do people really know how much things cost?"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"UTF-8\"><?xml encoding=\"UTF-8\"><div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"36199\" class=\"elementor elementor-36199\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b59c251 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4b59c251\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-787a151c e-con-full elementor-hidden-tablet elementor-hidden-mobile elementor-hidden-mobile_extra e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"787a151c\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2326c7fc blog-post-cta e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2326c7fc\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2e41aec4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2e41aec4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">On this page<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6c47185f elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"6c47185f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-428128c9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"428128c9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"#keyfindings\">Key findings<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2a59a290 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2a59a290\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"#Estimations\">Estimations at a glance<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-210db08f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"210db08f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"#housing\">Estimated vs actual housing costs<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d2e50eb elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4d2e50eb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"#auto\">Estimated vs actual car costs<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-75fcefa7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"75fcefa7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"#gas\">Estimated vs actual gas costs<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-78b296e elementor-widget-tablet__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"78b296e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"#grocery\">Estimated vs actual grocery costs<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4749763 elementor-widget-tablet__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4749763\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"#student\">Estimated vs actual student loans<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5b73151 elementor-widget-tablet__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5b73151\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"#tarrifs\">Estimated vs actual tarrifs<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0203fdb elementor-widget-tablet__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0203fdb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"#methodology\">Methodology<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c5b9fb elementor-widget-tablet__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2c5b9fb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"#sources\">Sources<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-699b9b6c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"699b9b6c\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1fed3e20 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1fed3e20\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2cb477bc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2cb477bc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What's next<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6618e482 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"6618e482\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6c04d134 elementor-grid-1 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget-tablet__width-initial elementor-grid-tablet-2 elementor-grid-mobile-1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-loop-grid\" data-id=\"6c04d134\" data-element_type=\"widget\" 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e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"765d732\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}' href=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/resources\/11-word-phrase-to-stop-debt-collectors\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-754d47d5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"754d47d5\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7bfe12be elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7bfe12be\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"183\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Stopping-debt-collectors-300x183.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-23368\" alt=\"Stopping debt collectors\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Stopping-debt-collectors-300x183.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Stopping-debt-collectors-1024x626.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Stopping-debt-collectors-768x470.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Stopping-debt-collectors.jpg 1310w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab917a4 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ab917a4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c721395 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1c721395\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d92f2ba e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d92f2ba\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-07b6235 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"07b6235\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span>Debt Resolution<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff0c746 elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"ff0c746\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e39701 e-con-full blog-post-v-meta e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"4e39701\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ab0ff7d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1ab0ff7d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Feb 4, 2026<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f0da9b9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f0da9b9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">&bull;<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-76e2f415 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"76e2f415\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">11 min<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ae5ee4b elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2ae5ee4b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What is the 11-Word Phrase to Stop Debt Collectors?<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<?xml encoding=\"UTF-8\"><div data-elementor-type=\"loop-item\" data-elementor-id=\"5707\" class=\"elementor elementor-5707 e-loop-item e-loop-item-9119 post-9119 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-debt-resolution tag-featured tag-form\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\" data-custom-edit-handle=\"1\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-765d732 e-con-full blog-post-card e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"765d732\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}' href=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/resources\/how-to-get-a-debt-lawsuit-dismissed\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-754d47d5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"754d47d5\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7bfe12be elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7bfe12be\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Judge-Dismissing-Debt-Lawsuit-300x169.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-11199\" alt=\"Judge Dismissing Debt Lawsuit\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Judge-Dismissing-Debt-Lawsuit-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Judge-Dismissing-Debt-Lawsuit-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Judge-Dismissing-Debt-Lawsuit.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab917a4 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ab917a4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c721395 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1c721395\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d92f2ba e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d92f2ba\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-07b6235 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"07b6235\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span>Debt Resolution<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff0c746 elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"ff0c746\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e39701 e-con-full blog-post-v-meta e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"4e39701\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ab0ff7d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1ab0ff7d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Aug 14, 2025<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f0da9b9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f0da9b9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">&bull;<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-76e2f415 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"76e2f415\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">10 min<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ae5ee4b elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2ae5ee4b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How to Get a Debt Lawsuit Dismissed<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<?xml encoding=\"UTF-8\"><div data-elementor-type=\"loop-item\" data-elementor-id=\"5707\" class=\"elementor elementor-5707 e-loop-item e-loop-item-13832 post-13832 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-annuity-purchasing tag-featured\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\" data-custom-edit-handle=\"1\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-765d732 e-con-full blog-post-card e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"765d732\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}' href=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/resources\/when-should-i-start-taking-money-out-of-my-annuity\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-754d47d5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"754d47d5\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7bfe12be elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7bfe12be\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Icon-of-man-about-to-break-piggy-bank.jpg-300x225.webp\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-13833\" alt=\"man breaking piggy bank\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Icon-of-man-about-to-break-piggy-bank.jpg-300x225.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Icon-of-man-about-to-break-piggy-bank.jpg-768x576.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Icon-of-man-about-to-break-piggy-bank.jpg.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab917a4 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ab917a4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c721395 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1c721395\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d92f2ba e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d92f2ba\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-07b6235 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"07b6235\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span>Annuity Purchasing<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff0c746 elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"ff0c746\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e39701 e-con-full blog-post-v-meta e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"4e39701\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ab0ff7d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1ab0ff7d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Apr 3, 2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f0da9b9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f0da9b9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">&bull;<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-76e2f415 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"76e2f415\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">5 min<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ae5ee4b elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2ae5ee4b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">When Should I Start Taking Money Out of My Annuity?<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<?xml encoding=\"UTF-8\"><div data-elementor-type=\"loop-item\" data-elementor-id=\"5707\" class=\"elementor elementor-5707 e-loop-item e-loop-item-12417 post-12417 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-debt-resolution tag-featured tag-form\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\" data-custom-edit-handle=\"1\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-765d732 e-con-full blog-post-card e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"765d732\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}' href=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/resources\/can-i-still-use-my-credit-card-after-debt-consolidation\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-754d47d5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"754d47d5\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7bfe12be elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7bfe12be\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/man-with-phone-and-credit-card-300x200.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-12418\" alt=\"man with phone and credit card\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/man-with-phone-and-credit-card-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/man-with-phone-and-credit-card-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/man-with-phone-and-credit-card-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/man-with-phone-and-credit-card-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/man-with-phone-and-credit-card-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab917a4 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ab917a4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c721395 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1c721395\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d92f2ba e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d92f2ba\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-07b6235 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"07b6235\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span>Debt Resolution<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff0c746 elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"ff0c746\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e39701 e-con-full blog-post-v-meta e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"4e39701\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ab0ff7d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1ab0ff7d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Mar 20, 2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f0da9b9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f0da9b9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">&bull;<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-76e2f415 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"76e2f415\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">5 min<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ae5ee4b elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2ae5ee4b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Can I Still Use My Credit Card after Debt Consolidation?<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-52659264 e-con-full blog-post-cta elementor-hidden-desktop elementor-hidden-tablet elementor-hidden-mobile elementor-hidden-widescreen 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data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">&bull;<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cc30b6c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cc30b6c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">March 20, 2024<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1de9112 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1de9112\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">&bull;<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5fbf251 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5fbf251\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">5 min<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-701ec117 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"701ec117\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-56d03cf8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"56d03cf8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhether you&rsquo;re overcoming financial hardship or in a position to save money, knowing what to budget for your major life expenses is paramount to feeling financially secure. But the costs of goods can change over time (and sometimes rapidly). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bankrate.com\/banking\/federal-reserve\/latest-inflation-statistics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[1]<\/a> So what you consider to be the norm may be outdated. Taking prices of consumer goods in April 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that they are 23.6% more expensive than in February 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bankrate.com\/banking\/federal-reserve\/latest-inflation-statistics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[1]<\/a>\n\nTo find out how accurately Americans estimate common expenditures, a survey on behalf of JG Wentworth asked 1,049 people to estimate the current average costs of various living expenses and student loan repayments. The study also asked respondents to predict how much the recent trade tariffs will increase or decrease their future monthly expenses.\n<h2 id=\"keyfindings\">Key findings:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n \t<li><strong>Respondents underestimated<\/strong> the monthly expenses of housing, car finance, gasoline, and groceries of a typical American by a combined <strong>$463 a month<\/strong> ($5,556 a year).<\/li>\n \t<li>Respondents underestimated the <strong>average monthly mortgage of a new homeowner<\/strong> in the U.S. <strong>by $469 a month<\/strong>.<\/li>\n \t<li>Respondents <strong>underestimated<\/strong> the <strong>monthly car loan<\/strong> for a used car by <strong>$110<\/strong> on average, and a new car <strong>by $176<\/strong>.<\/li>\n \t<li>Respondents <strong>overestimated the total student loan debt<\/strong> of a new graduate <strong>by $17,969<\/strong> on average.<\/li>\n \t<li>Respondents <strong>overestimated<\/strong> the monthly spend on <strong>groceries by an average of $179.20<\/strong> per person per month.<\/li>\n \t<li>In 2026, the average American expects their expenses to have increased <strong>by<\/strong> <strong>$198 per month due to tariffs<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"Estimations\">Underestimated and overestimated expenses at a glance<\/h2>\nA quick overview of the findings finds that respondents underestimated all costs associated with housing and auto loans, and overestimated both grocery and student loan costs.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c7518cc elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c7518cc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/man-with-phone-and-credit-card-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-12418\" alt=\"man with phone and credit card\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/man-with-phone-and-credit-card-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/man-with-phone-and-credit-card-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/man-with-phone-and-credit-card-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/man-with-phone-and-credit-card-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/man-with-phone-and-credit-card-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0c6bb2c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0c6bb2c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considering everything that was underestimated, the greatest miscalculation in the study was for the average monthly rent for a house, which was off by $598. Although a smaller price difference ($63 off the actual cost), the greatest miscalculation in terms of percentage difference was for gasoline (36.5% under the actual cost).<\/span><\/p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan=\"7\"><b>Most underestimated expenses in the study (by $ difference)<\/b><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><b>Rank<\/b><\/td><td><b>Category<\/b><\/td><td><b>Expenses<\/b><\/td><td><b>U.S. average cost<\/b><\/td><td><b>Survey average estimate<\/b><\/td><td><b>Difference ($)<\/b><\/td><td><b>Difference (%)<\/b><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Housing<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average monthly rent for a house<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$2,349<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1,751<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-$598<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-29.2%<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Housing<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average monthly mortgage payment for a new homeowner (i.e., purchased their home since the start of 2024)<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$2,207<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1,738<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-$469<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-23.8%<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Auto<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average monthly payment for a new car loan<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$742<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$566<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-$176<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-26.9%<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Auto<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average monthly payment for a used car loan<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$525<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$415<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-$110<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-23.4%<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Housing<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average monthly rent for a typical apartment<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1,503<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1,439<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-$64<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-4.4%<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Auto<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average monthly spend on gasoline<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$204<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$141<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-$63<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-36.5%<\/span><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><p>Only two of the eight expenses considered in the study were overestimated (taking an average figure from the responses). These were for student loans (which were overestimated by $17,969) and groceries (overestimated by $179.20 a month).<\/p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan=\"7\"><b>Most overestimated expenses in the study (by $ difference)<\/b><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><b>Rank<\/b><\/td><td><b>Category<\/b><\/td><td><b>Expenses<\/b><\/td><td><b>U.S. average cost<\/b><\/td><td><b>Survey average estimate<\/b><\/td><td><b>Difference ($)<\/b><\/td><td><b>Difference (%)<\/b><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Student loan<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Total student loan debt for new graduates<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$38,375<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$56,344<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$17,969<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">+37.9%<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Groceries<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average spend on groceries per month (per person)<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$200.80<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$380<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$179.20<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">+61.7%<\/span><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><p>What do all these miscalculations look like in a real-life scenario? Consider a typical American with an average mortgage, who has an average used car loan, and buys an average amount of groceries and gasoline. The findings suggest that a respondent would underestimate the monthly expenses of this person by $463 a month ($5,556 a year).<\/p><h2 id=\"housing\">Estimated vs actual average housing costs<\/h2><h3>Rent costs<\/h3><p>If you spend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/resources\/how-much-rent-can-you-afford\">more than 30% of your income on rent<\/a>, mortgage repayments, or housing costs, the U.S. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) considers you &ldquo;cost-burdened&rdquo;. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2024\/renter-households-cost-burdened-race.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[2]<\/a> In 2023, the average amount a renter in the U.S. spent on rent was 31% of their income, just over this threshold. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2024\/renter-households-cost-burdened-race.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[2]<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0f26673 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"0f26673\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"355\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V2_Rent-1024x455.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-36202\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V2_Rent-1024x455.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V2_Rent-300x133.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V2_Rent-768x341.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V2_Rent-1536x682.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V2_Rent.jpg 1875w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-72b9a85 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"72b9a85\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Trying to meet this 30% recommendation is becoming increasingly difficult, and a shortage of over 4.5 million homes has worsened affordability. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uschamber.com\/economy\/the-state-of-housing-in-america\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[3]<\/a> Taking averages from Zillow data, the average rent of an apartment is $1,503 a month and $2,349 a month for a house. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zillow.com\/rental-manager\/market-trends\/united-states\/?propertyTypes=apartment-condo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[4]<\/a> Respondents were pretty accurate at estimating the average rent for an apartment. The mean guess was $1,439 a month, just $64 dollars off. However, respondents were much worse at correctly guessing the cost to rent a house. The average answer was $1,751 &ndash; a $598 underestimate.<\/p><h3>Mortgage costs<\/h3><p>Homeownership is a cornerstone of realizing the &ldquo;American Dream&rdquo;. However, a home affordability study by Bankrate found that Americans needed a six-figure salary to afford a mortgage on a median-priced home in nearly half of the U.S. states, and according to their monthly mortgage payment study, the average monthly mortgage in the U.S. was $2,207 in 2024. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bankrate.com\/real-estate\/home-affordability-in-current-housing-market-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[5]<\/a> Respondents in the study guessed the average monthly mortgage to be $1,738 a month &ndash; a $469 underestimation. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f516b22 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"f516b22\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"355\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V3-1024x455.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-36203\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V3-1024x455.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V3-300x133.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V3-768x341.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V3-1536x682.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V3.jpg 1875w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b4747f8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b4747f8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"5\"><b>Estimated vs actual average housing costs (by $ difference)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Expenses<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>U.S. average cost<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Survey average estimate<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Difference ($)<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Difference (%)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average monthly rent for a house<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$2,349<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1,751<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-$598<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-29.2%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average monthly mortgage payment for a new homeowner (i.e., purchased their home since the start of 2024)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$2,207<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1,738<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-$469<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-23.8%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average monthly rent for a typical apartment<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1,503<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1,439<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-$64<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-4.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id=\"auto\">Estimated vs actual average costs to finance a new or used car<\/h2>\n<h3>Costs to finance a new car<\/h3>\nA 2022 study by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration found that 91.7% of U.S. households had at least one vehicle in 2022. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/advisor\/car-insurance\/car-ownership-statistics\/#department-of-transportation-federal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[6]<\/a> Although common, buying a car is a sizable investment. The average price of a brand-new car in 2024 was just shy of $50,000, whereas a used car had an average purchase price of $27,000. <a href=\"https:\/\/cars.usnews.com\/cars-trucks\/advice\/how-to-buy-a-used-car\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[7]<\/a>\n\nOne way to afford the purchase of a new or used car is by taking on an auto loan, and car loans are one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/resources\/are-car-loans-unsecured-debt\">most common forms of personal debt<\/a>. By the end of 2024, it was found that Americans owed $1.655 trillion in auto loan debt, and 80.4% of new cars were financed. <a href=\"https:\/\/spectrumlocalnews.com\/nc\/triad\/politics\/2025\/04\/11\/usa-car-act-tax-deductible-auto-loan-interest-sen--bernie-moreno#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Federal%20Reserve,pay%20off%2C%20according%20to%20Experian.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[8]<\/a> A study by Experian estimates that the average monthly payment on a new car loan in the U.S. is $742, but how accurately did respondents guess this amount? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.experian.com\/automotive\/auto-credit-webinar-form\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[9]<\/a> Overall, the average guess in the study was $566 for a new car &mdash; $176 below the actual cost.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4afeeae elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4afeeae\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Car-1-1024x341.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-36204\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Car-1-1024x341.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Car-1-300x100.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Car-1-768x256.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Car-1-1536x512.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Car-1.jpg 1875w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ed050c2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ed050c2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe respondents were much better at guessing how long it takes to pay off a new car loan, though. The same study by Experian found that the average person with a new car loan takes 67.98 months (five years and seven months) to pay it off. The respondents were just a few months off with an average guess of 6 years.\n<h3>Costs to finance a used car<\/h3>\nBuying a used car is a good way to save money, and the more popular choice: used car sales represent three-quarters of all car sales. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumeraffairs.com\/automotive\/used-car-statistics.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[10]<\/a> Although respondents were again fairly accurate in guessing the length of time it takes to pay off a used car loan (with a guess of five years, not far off the 5 years 7 months average).\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"5\"><b>Estimated vs actual average auto finance costs (by $ difference)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Expenses<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>U.S. average cost<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Survey average estimate<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Difference ($)<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Difference (%)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average monthly payment for a new car loan<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$742<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$566<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-$176<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-26.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average monthly payment for a used car loan<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$525<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$415<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-$110<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-23.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id=\"gas\">Estimated vs actual average gasoline costs<\/h2>\nBut paying off auto finance (and paying auto insurance) aren&rsquo;t the only monthly costs to consider when owning a car. Gas prices vary across the country due to factors like local taxes and regulations. The price per gallon can also be volatile. In 2016, it was at its lowest ($1.72) and peaked in 2022 ($5.01) according to the weekly gas prices. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/price-tracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[11]<\/a>\n\nA report by the Motley Fool found that Americans spend $204 on gas each month ($2,449 a year) on average. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fool.com\/money\/research\/gas-prices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[12]<\/a> Again, the respondents underestimated this monthly expense by $63 (with a mean average guess of $141).\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"5\"><b>Estimated vs actual average gasoline costs&nbsp;<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Expenses<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>U.S. average cost<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Survey average estimate<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Difference ($)<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Difference (%)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average monthly spend on gasoline<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$204<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$141<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-$63<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-36.5%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id=\"grocery\">Estimated vs actual average grocery costs<\/h2>\nBesides student loan costs, there was only one other expense that respondents overestimated. Considering that the average household in the U.S. is around 2.51 people, and that the average household spend on groceries is $504 per month, the average person spends $200.80 on their monthly grocery shop. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/183648\/average-size-of-households-in-the-us\/#:~:text=The%20average%20American%20household%20consisted%20of%202.51%20people%20in%202023.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[13]<\/a> [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/opub\/reports\/consumer-expenditures\/2023\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">14]<\/a> However, the survey&rsquo;s average answer was $380 &ndash; $179.20 over the household average.\n\nThis is interesting considering that groceries are one expense that has increased sharply over time. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks the changing prices of nearly 400 items. Between February 2020 and April 2025, the top three items that jumped most in price were grocery items: eggs, frozen noncarbonated juices and drinks, and margarine. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bankrate.com\/banking\/federal-reserve\/latest-inflation-statistics\/#why-is-inflation-so-high-right-now\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[1]<\/a>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"5\"><b>Estimated vs actual average grocery costs<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Expenses<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>U.S. average cost<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Survey average estimate<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Difference ($)<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Difference (%)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average spend on groceries per month (per person)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$200.80<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$380<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$179.20<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">+61.7%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id=\"student\">Estimated vs actual average student loan costs<\/h2>\nAccording to the Department of Education, at the end of 2024, the average student loan debt was $38,375, which is almost double the average student debt of 2008. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bestcolleges.com\/research\/average-student-loan-debt\/#average-student-loan-debt-by-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[15]<\/a> Despite this sharp increase in costs, when asked to guess how much the average total student loan debt would be for a new graduate today, the mean average was $56,344. This is a $17,969 (37.9%) overestimate and the greatest overestimate for the cost of any expense in the study.\n\nOnly 10.3% of respondents correctly guessed that the average amount was between $30,000 and $39,999. But which age group is most likely to guess the correct amount? Recent graduates were shown to be the most informed on the costs. Gen-Z respondents (aged between 18-28) were most likely to correctly guess that $30,000 and $39,999 (14.4%), whereas Boomer respondents (aged between 61-70 years old) were almost three times more likely than average to incorrectly guess that the costs were above $100,000 (31.6% compared to 11.9%).\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6113f7b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"6113f7b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"355\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Student-1024x455.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-36205\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Student-1024x455.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Student-300x133.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Student-768x341.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Student-1536x682.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Student.jpg 1875w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36a9487 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36a9487\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFor a student loan amount of between $20,000 and $39,999, the average standard plan repayment period is 20 years according to the Federal Student Aid Standard Repayment Plan. <a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/manage-loans\/repayment\/plans\/standard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[15]<\/a> While respondents considerably overestimated the size of the debt, they were overly optimistic about how long the average student loan debt would take to pay off. The mean average guess was 13 years, seven years less than the estimated 20 years.\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"5\"><b>Estimated vs actual average student loan costs<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Expense<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Actual estimation<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Survey average<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Difference ($)<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Difference (%)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Total student loan debt for new graduates<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$38,375<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$56,344<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$17,969<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">+37.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id=\"tarrifs\">How much did respondents believe tariffs would impact their monthly expenditure?<\/h2>\nIn April, President Trump announced his plan to raise tariffs (taxes on imported goods). For context on how impactful these proposed plans are, in 2017, tariffs were around 1.7%, in Trump&rsquo;s previous term, they were raised to 3%, and the policies announced in April would increase the average tariffs to 22.5%. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/04\/05\/tariffs-explained\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[16]<\/a> President Trump has assured Americans that the initiative is part of a long-term strategy: to raise revenue, to negotiate better trade agreements, and to encourage Americans to buy local and support American industries. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/trump-stokes-trade-war-world-reels-tariff-shock-2025-04-03\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[17]<\/a> However, the immediate impact of the announcement alone sent shockwaves through the global stock market. On a longer scale, investment bank JP Morgan upped its prediction of a global <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/resources\/how-to-prepare-for-a-recession\">economic recession<\/a> from 40% to 60%. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/trump-stokes-trade-war-world-reels-tariff-shock-2025-04-03\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[17]<\/a>\n\nCritics say the tariffs don&rsquo;t just hurt the global economy, but will harm the average American consumer too. The Yale Budget Lab has projected that the tariffs could cost Americans an average of $4,900 per household. <a href=\"https:\/\/budgetlab.yale.edu\/research\/state-us-tariffs-april-15-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[18]<\/a> But did respondents agree with these gloomy predictions, or have trust in President Trump&rsquo;s strategy?\n\nWhen asked to look ahead a year and consider how much they thought tariffs would impact their everyday costs, respondents thought on average it would raise costs by $198 per month.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-67b6bd8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"67b6bd8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"355\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Tariffs-1024x455.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-36206\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Tariffs-1024x455.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Tariffs-300x133.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Tariffs-768x341.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Tariffs-1536x682.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JGW_Reality-check_V1_Tariffs.jpg 1875w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6945c64 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6945c64\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOnly 3.6% of respondents thought there would be no effect on their expenses, and 1.9% of respondents believed that the tariffs would reduce their monthly expenses. Those aged 61-70 years old (part of the Boomer generation) were most likely to believe the tariffs would reduce expenses (7.9%) or that prices would remain the same (5.3%).\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\"><b>Amount respondents believed their expenses would have changed in 12 months time (May 2026)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Amount ($)<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>% of respondents<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reduction<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No change<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3.6%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$0 &ndash; $20 increase<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3.7%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$21 &ndash; $50 increase<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8.2%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$51 &ndash; $100 increase<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">15.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$101 &ndash; $150 increase<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">16.6%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$151 &ndash; $200 increase<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">13.7%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$201 &ndash; $250 increase<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$251 &ndash; $300 increase<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$301 &ndash; $500 increase<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than a $500 increase<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<em>Note: America&rsquo;s policy on tariffs is an evolving political issue. All information is correct as of May 14th, 2025.<\/em>\n<h2 id=\"methodology\">Methodology<\/h2>\nA survey on behalf of JG Wentworth was conducted in May 2025 and asked 1,049 adults to estimate the average costs of typical living expenses and student loans.\n\nThese questions covered housing expenses (mortgages and rent), car loans (including both used and new cars), gasoline costs, groceries, and student loans. The survey also asked respondents to estimate how much the trade tariffs would impact their future living expenses. Sources used for the average costs are footnoted in the copy and can be found below.\n\nTo represent a typical American, a mortgage owner and used car loan holder were considered. This is because an estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advisorperspectives.com\/dshort\/updates\/2025\/04\/28\/home-ownership-rate-q1-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">65.1%<\/a> of Americans are homeowners, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2023\/12\/12\/mortgage-free-homes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">60.7%<\/a> of homeowners have a mortgage. This reflects 39.5% of all Americans, which is a greater proportion than the estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rubyhome.com\/blog\/renting-stats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">34% who rent<\/a>. Used car sales represent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumeraffairs.com\/automotive\/used-car-statistics.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">three-quarters of all auto sales<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/453000\/share-of-new-vehicles-with-financing-usa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">one-third of these purchases<\/a> are estimated to have used car finance, which is 24.9% of all auto purchases. It was also assumed that a typical individual would buy groceries and fuel their car with gasoline\n<h3>The demographics of the survey respondents were:<\/h3>\n<strong>Gender:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n \t<li>Female 52.8%<\/li>\n \t<li>Male 45.8%<\/li>\n \t<li>Non-binary 1.2%<\/li>\n \t<li>Prefer not to say 0.2%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<strong>Age:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n \t<li>18 &ndash; 28 10.6%<\/li>\n \t<li>29 &ndash; 44 66.5%<\/li>\n \t<li>45 &ndash; 60 18.5%<\/li>\n \t<li>61 &ndash; 70 3.6%<\/li>\n \t<li>71 &ndash; 79 0.7%<\/li>\n \t<li>80+ 0.1%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<strong>Level of Income:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n \t<li>Less than $25,000 15.4%<\/li>\n \t<li>$25,000 &ndash; $49,999 28.6%<\/li>\n \t<li>$50,000 &ndash; $74,999 34.2%<\/li>\n \t<li>$75,000 &ndash; $99,999 12.2%<\/li>\n \t<li>$100,000 or more 9.5%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"sources\">Sources<\/h2>\n[1] Bankrate, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bankrate.com\/banking\/federal-reserve\/latest-inflation-statistics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Latest Inflation Statistics: The Prices Rising And Falling Most<\/a>&rdquo;, 2025\n[2] United States Census Bureau, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2024\/renter-households-cost-burdened-race.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nearly Half of Renter Households Are Cost-Burdened, Proportions Differ by Race<\/a>&rdquo;, 2024\n[3] U.S. Chamber of Commerce, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uschamber.com\/economy\/the-state-of-housing-in-america\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The State of Housing in America<\/a>&rdquo;, 2025\n[4] Zillow Rental Manager, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zillow.com\/rental-manager\/market-trends\/united-states\/?propertyTypes=apartment-condo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Average Rental Price in US &amp; Market Trends<\/a>&rdquo;, 2025\n[5] Bankrate, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bankrate.com\/real-estate\/home-affordability-in-current-housing-market-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Study: Six-Figure Income Needed To Afford Home In More Than Half Of U.S.<\/a>&rdquo;, 2025\n[6] Forbes Advisor, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/advisor\/car-insurance\/car-ownership-statistics\/#department-of-transportation-federal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Car Ownership Statistics 2025<\/a>&rdquo;, 2025\n[7] U.S. News, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/cars.usnews.com\/cars-trucks\/advice\/how-to-buy-a-used-car\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Complete Guide: How to Buy a Used Car<\/a>&rdquo;, 2024\n[8] Spectrum Local News, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/spectrumlocalnews.com\/nc\/triad\/politics\/2025\/04\/11\/usa-car-act-tax-deductible-auto-loan-interest-sen--bernie-moreno#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Federal%20Reserve,pay%20off%2C%20according%20to%20Experian\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">USA CAR Act would make auto loan interest tax deductible for American-made vehicles<\/a>&rdquo;, 2025\n[9] Experian, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.experian.com\/automotive\/auto-credit-webinar-form\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">State of the Automotive Finance Market report<\/a>&rdquo;, 2024\n[10] ConsumerAffairs, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumeraffairs.com\/automotive\/used-car-statistics.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Used Car Statistics 2025<\/a>&rdquo;, 2025\n[12] CBS News, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/price-tracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CBS News price tracker shows how much food, gas, utility and housing costs are rising<\/a>&rdquo;, 2025\n[12] The Motley Fool, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fool.com\/money\/research\/gas-prices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How Much Do Americans Spend on Gas Every Month?<\/a>&rdquo;, 2025\n[13] Statista, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/183648\/average-size-of-households-in-the-us\/#:~:text=The%20average%20American%20household%20consisted%20of%202.51%20people%20in%202023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Average size of households in the U.S. 2023<\/a>&rdquo;, 2023\n[14] BLS Reports, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/opub\/reports\/consumer-expenditures\/2023\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Consumer expenditures in 2023<\/a>&rdquo;, 2023\n[15] Federal Student Aid, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/manage-loans\/repayment\/plans\/standard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Standard Repayment Plan<\/a>&rdquo;\n[16] Axios, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/04\/05\/tariffs-explained\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tariffs 101: What they are and how they work<\/a>&rdquo;, 2025\n[17] Reuters, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/trump-stokes-trade-war-world-reels-tariff-shock-2025-04-03\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trump tariffs sow fears of trade wars, recession and a $2,300 iPhone<\/a>&rdquo;, 2025\n[18] The Budget Lab at Yale, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/budgetlab.yale.edu\/research\/state-us-tariffs-april-15-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">State of U.S. Tariffs: April 15, 2025<\/a>&rdquo;, 2025\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f90970 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1f90970\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Creative Commons License\" style=\"border-width:0\" src=\"https:\/\/i.creativecommons.org\/l\/by-sa\/4.0\/88x31.png\"><\/a><br>This work is licensed under a <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License<\/a>.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d39c172 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5d39c172\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2fb9cd48 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2fb9cd48\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6e7f53fd elementor-widget elementor-widget-template\" data-id=\"6e7f53fd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"template.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-template\">\n\t\t\t<?xml encoding=\"UTF-8\"><div data-elementor-type=\"container\" data-elementor-id=\"1972\" class=\"elementor elementor-1972\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7c4ddeb3 e-con-full blog-post-author e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7c4ddeb3\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3e309cf8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3e309cf8\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37a051fb elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"37a051fb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7f9eedf e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"7f9eedf\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d120753 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4d120753\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">About the author<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-661e21c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"661e21c5\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0c8f9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"3ae0c8f9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/author\/jg-wentworth\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/FB-96x96.jpg\" title=\"\" alt=\"\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-39382164 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"39382164\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-49e5a49e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"49e5a49e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/author\/jg-wentworth\">JG Wentworth<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70137974 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"70137974\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJG Wentworth is a financial services company that specializes in structured settlement\/annuity purchasing and debt relief solutions, among other offerings. For over 30 years, we have established a sterling reputation, including an A+ from the Better Business Bureau, a 4.8 rating with TrustPilot, and 4 stars from Consumer Affairs among countless rave reviews from satisfied customers.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b4985fc e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4b4985fc\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7f465151 elementor-widget elementor-widget-template\" data-id=\"7f465151\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"template.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-template\">\n\t\t\t<?xml encoding=\"UTF-8\"><div data-elementor-type=\"container\" data-elementor-id=\"1990\" class=\"elementor elementor-1990\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-304a1d6c e-con-full page-content e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"304a1d6c\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-700f0e9d e-con-full e-con-jgw-boxed e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"700f0e9d\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ff119d8 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"4ff119d8\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3e9942c1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3e9942c1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Recommended reading for you<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f944f15 elementor-grid-4 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-grid-tablet-2 elementor-grid-mobile-1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-loop-grid\" data-id=\"f944f15\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings='{\"template_id\":\"2009\",\"columns\":4,\"_skin\":\"post\",\"columns_tablet\":\"2\",\"columns_mobile\":\"1\",\"edit_handle_selector\":\"[data-elementor-type=\\\"loop-item\\\"]\",\"row_gap\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"size\":\"\",\"sizes\":[]},\"row_gap_widescreen\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"size\":\"\",\"sizes\":[]},\"row_gap_laptop\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"size\":\"\",\"sizes\":[]},\"row_gap_tablet_extra\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"size\":\"\",\"sizes\":[]},\"row_gap_tablet\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"size\":\"\",\"sizes\":[]},\"row_gap_mobile_extra\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"size\":\"\",\"sizes\":[]},\"row_gap_mobile\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"size\":\"\",\"sizes\":[]}}' data-widget_type=\"loop-grid.post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-loop-container elementor-grid\" role=\"list\">\n\t\t<style id=\"loop-2009\">.blog-post-card {\n    text-decoration: none;\n}\n.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-63e2468f{--display:flex;--flex-direction:column;--container-widget-width:calc( ( 1 - var( --container-widget-flex-grow ) ) * 100% );--container-widget-height:initial;--container-widget-flex-grow:0;--container-widget-align-self:initial;--flex-wrap-mobile:wrap;--justify-content:flex-end;--align-items:flex-end;--gap:0px 0px;--row-gap:0px;--column-gap:0px;--border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;--margin-top:0px;--margin-bottom:0px;--margin-left:0px;--margin-right:0px;--padding-top:0px;--padding-bottom:0px;--padding-left:0px;--padding-right:0px;}.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-63e2468f.e-con{--align-self:center;}.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-1b694e78{--display:flex;}.elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image .widget-image-caption{color:var( --e-global-color-text );font-weight:var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight );}.elementor-2009 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.elementor-element.elementor-element-5cb7e76e{width:var( --container-widget-width, 100% );max-width:100%;--container-widget-width:100%;--container-widget-flex-grow:0;text-align:left;}.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-5cb7e76e > .elementor-widget-container{margin:0px 0px 0px 0px;}.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-5cb7e76e.elementor-element{--flex-grow:0;--flex-shrink:0;}.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-5cb7e76e .elementor-heading-title{font-family:\"Poppins\", Sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-weight:700;text-decoration:none;line-height:28px;color:rgba(63,70,68,1);}.elementor-widget-theme-post-excerpt .elementor-widget-container{font-weight:var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight );color:var( --e-global-color-text );}.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-5ebb83e .elementor-widget-container{font-family:\"Poppins\", Sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:400;line-height:24px;}@media(min-width:768px){.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-63e2468f{--width:100%;}}@media(max-width:1024px){.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-b92bc70 img{height:200px;}}@media(max-width:767px){.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-b92bc70 img{height:168px;}.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-9989779{--justify-content:flex-start;}.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-e3b1d68{--align-items:flex-start;--container-widget-width:calc( ( 1 - var( --container-widget-flex-grow ) ) * 100% );}.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-5f334874{--align-items:center;--container-widget-width:calc( ( 1 - var( --container-widget-flex-grow ) ) * 100% );}.elementor-2009 .elementor-element.elementor-element-5cb7e76e .elementor-heading-title{font-size:16px;line-height:24px;}}\n\n\/* Start custom CSS for heading, class: .elementor-element-71fded65 *\/.blog-post-card .elementor-heading-title {\n    vertical-align: middle;\n}\/* End custom CSS *\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\/* Start custom CSS for container, class: .elementor-element-9989779 *\/.post-text {\n    height: 165px;\n    overflow: hidden;\n    flex-wrap: initial;\n    --mask: linear-gradient(to bottom, \n      rgba(0,0,0, 1) 0,   rgba(0,0,0, 1) 70%, \n      rgba(0,0,0, 0) 99%, rgba(0,0,0, 0) 0\n  ) 100% 50% \/ 100% 100% repeat-x;\n  -webkit-mask: var(--mask); \n  mask: var(--mask);\n}\/* End custom CSS *\/\n\n\/* Start custom CSS for container, class: .elementor-element-63e2468f *\/a.blog-post-card {\n    text-decoration: none;\n}\/* End custom CSS *\/\n<\/style><?xml encoding=\"UTF-8\"><div data-elementor-type=\"loop-item\" data-elementor-id=\"2009\" class=\"elementor elementor-2009 e-loop-item e-loop-item-23367 post-23367 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-debt-resolution tag-featured\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\" data-custom-edit-handle=\"1\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-63e2468f e-con-full blog-post-card e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"63e2468f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}' href=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/resources\/11-word-phrase-to-stop-debt-collectors\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1b694e78 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1b694e78\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b92bc70 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b92bc70\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/elementor\/thumbs\/Stopping-debt-collectors-qrona18xvzt9cbgywnyrfz1ohs5jrupapzm90hgknc.jpg\" title=\"Stopping debt collectors\" alt=\"Stopping debt collectors\" loading=\"lazy\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9989779 e-con-full post-text e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"9989779\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e3b1d68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"e3b1d68\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-71fded65 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"71fded65\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span>Debt Resolution<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5f334874 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5f334874\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51481055 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"51481055\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Feb 4, 2026<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2077109a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2077109a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">&bull;<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18d01b46 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"18d01b46\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">11 min<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-21a0dd5 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"21a0dd5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5cb7e76e elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5cb7e76e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What is the 11-Word Phrase to Stop Debt Collectors?<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5ebb83e elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-excerpt\" data-id=\"5ebb83e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-excerpt.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\tSounds like magic, right? Thankfully, there&rsquo;s no spell required. In this blog, we'll explore this phrase, its origins, how to use it, and what it means for your rights as a consumer....\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<?xml encoding=\"UTF-8\"><div data-elementor-type=\"loop-item\" data-elementor-id=\"2009\" class=\"elementor elementor-2009 e-loop-item e-loop-item-9119 post-9119 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-debt-resolution tag-featured tag-form\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\" data-custom-edit-handle=\"1\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-63e2468f e-con-full blog-post-card e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"63e2468f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}' href=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/resources\/how-to-get-a-debt-lawsuit-dismissed\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1b694e78 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1b694e78\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b92bc70 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b92bc70\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/elementor\/thumbs\/Judge-Dismissing-Debt-Lawsuit-qq6r0zkzb9qfif3wa14eo4xlx97ndatwpb4jnrc5ai.jpg\" title=\"Court of Law Trial in Session: Honorable Female Judge Pronouncing Sentence, striking Gavel. Focus on Mallet, Hammer. Cinematic Shot of Dramatic Not Guilty Verdict. Close-up Shot.\" alt=\"Judge Dismissing Debt Lawsuit\" loading=\"lazy\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9989779 e-con-full post-text e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"9989779\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e3b1d68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"e3b1d68\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-71fded65 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"71fded65\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span>Debt Resolution<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5f334874 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5f334874\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51481055 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"51481055\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Aug 14, 2025<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2077109a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2077109a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">&bull;<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18d01b46 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"18d01b46\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">10 min<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-21a0dd5 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"21a0dd5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5cb7e76e elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5cb7e76e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How to Get a Debt Lawsuit Dismissed<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5ebb83e elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-excerpt\" data-id=\"5ebb83e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-excerpt.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\tThere are several legitimate legal strategies that can lead to debt lawsuit dismissal. Let's take a look at the top 3....\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<?xml encoding=\"UTF-8\"><div data-elementor-type=\"loop-item\" data-elementor-id=\"2009\" class=\"elementor elementor-2009 e-loop-item e-loop-item-13832 post-13832 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-annuity-purchasing tag-featured\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\" data-custom-edit-handle=\"1\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-63e2468f e-con-full blog-post-card e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"63e2468f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}' href=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/resources\/when-should-i-start-taking-money-out-of-my-annuity\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1b694e78 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1b694e78\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b92bc70 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b92bc70\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/elementor\/thumbs\/Icon-of-man-about-to-break-piggy-bank.jpg-qpju7z5llu8mb1v4m2a7s2cg62adwlmqyjn1clgng8.webp\" title=\"Icon of man about to break piggy bank\" alt=\"man breaking piggy bank\" loading=\"lazy\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9989779 e-con-full post-text e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"9989779\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e3b1d68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"e3b1d68\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-71fded65 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"71fded65\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span>Annuity Purchasing<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5f334874 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5f334874\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51481055 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"51481055\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Apr 3, 2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2077109a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2077109a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">&bull;<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18d01b46 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"18d01b46\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">5 min<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-21a0dd5 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"21a0dd5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5cb7e76e elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5cb7e76e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">When Should I Start Taking Money Out of My Annuity?<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5ebb83e elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-excerpt\" data-id=\"5ebb83e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-excerpt.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\tDiscover expert advice on when to start taking money out of your annuity with JG Wentworth. Learn about the best strategies for maximizing your retirement income and making informed financial decisions. Visit our page for...\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<?xml encoding=\"UTF-8\"><div data-elementor-type=\"loop-item\" data-elementor-id=\"2009\" class=\"elementor elementor-2009 e-loop-item e-loop-item-12417 post-12417 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-debt-resolution tag-featured tag-form\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\" data-custom-edit-handle=\"1\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-63e2468f e-con-full blog-post-card e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"63e2468f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}' href=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/resources\/can-i-still-use-my-credit-card-after-debt-consolidation\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1b694e78 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1b694e78\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b92bc70 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b92bc70\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jgwentworth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/elementor\/thumbs\/man-with-phone-and-credit-card-qq6r34nqvonxyfzxryftclhemunqwhbwbwmd0g5vfo.jpg\" title=\"man with phone and credit card\" alt=\"man with phone and credit card\" loading=\"lazy\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9989779 e-con-full post-text e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"9989779\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e3b1d68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"e3b1d68\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-71fded65 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"71fded65\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span>Debt Resolution<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5f334874 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5f334874\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51481055 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"51481055\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Mar 20, 2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2077109a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2077109a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">&bull;<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18d01b46 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"18d01b46\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">5 min<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-21a0dd5 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"21a0dd5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5cb7e76e elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5cb7e76e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Can I Still Use My Credit Card after Debt Consolidation?<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5ebb83e elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-excerpt\" data-id=\"5ebb83e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-excerpt.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\tCan you use your credit card after debt consolidation? Learn about the implications, benefits, and strategies for responsible credit card use post-consolidation to maintain financial health....\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3e4b2244 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3e4b2244\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On this page Key findings Estimations at a glance Estimated vs actual housing costs Estimated vs actual car costs Estimated vs actual gas costs Estimated vs actual grocery costs Estimated vs actual student loans Estimated vs actual tarrifs Methodology Sources What&#8217;s next Earn a high-yield savings rate with JG Wentworth Debt Relief Start Saving &gt; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":36201,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-financial-education"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v25.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Reality check: Do people really know how much things cost? 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