Finding your debt ratio is one of the most important things you can do for your financial health. This article will go into detail about how to determine your credit card, mortgage, car, student loan, and other debts as well as your debt-to-income ratio.

It’s very common to feel overwhelmed when trying to manage all of our money. Consistently having enough income to meet our monthly obligations while also paying off debt can be tricky at times.

We often hear stories of people who spent every penny they had on a vacation trip or new furniture but still ended up with thousands of dollars in debt. These individuals were able to pay off their trips because it was done quickly, but it took them months (or even years) to get out of debt due to the size of their loans and the low rates that they received during the repayment process.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we read about people who lived beyond their means consistently and found themselves with little leftover each month. They might have overpaid on rent and utilities which left them without the next paycheck, leaving them struggling to make ends meet.

A lot of people struggle with their debt balance for several reasons. Some may believe that they can’t afford to repay their debt, while others may fear being unable to maintain their current lifestyle if they choose to reduce spending. Others may not know what kind of help is available to them.

Sample debt ratios

A good way to understand how much debt you have compared to your income is by looking at what we call a debt ratio. This ratio compares how much money you owe to what size of business or organization you pay back each month!

Your monthly payment can be calculated by taking your total amount that you repay every month, and dividing it by your income. Then, this value is divided into the opposite number, which is how long it would take to fully pay off all of your debts if you were paying off one credit card at a time!

The resulting calculation is what we refer to as your debt-to-income (or debt-ratio) ratio. We recommend not having a debt ratio higher than 40% because anything above this could indicate financial trouble.

A lot of people may suggest staying within 30% debt per annual salary, but we feel that’s overly strict. If you need more money for daily living expenses like food, rent, etc., then include those in your calculations.

Calculate your debt to income ratio

The most common way to determine how much money you owe compared to what you have coming in is through what’s called the debt-to-income (or debt ratio) calculation. This calculates the amount of credit card, mortgage, personal loan, and other types of debt that you have as a percentage of your monthly income.

It also determines how well off you are by comparing this number with someone who is equally indebted but makes more than you. A lower ratio means you save money every month!

The average person has a very high debt ratio due to the ease of access to credit cards. It's easy to obtain a credit card, making it hard to stay within budgeted amounts each month.

But before you start paying down your debts, make sure you don't add new loans or creditors unless you've got the funds for them.

What is a debt to income ratio?

The debt to income (debt ration) ratio calculates how much credit you have accessed compared to your monthly income. This includes all types of loans, such as personal loan debts or business loans.

By having more debt, it creates an incentive for people to spend because they feel that they do not have enough money to repay their loans. According to Forbes, this can lead to excessive spending and bad investing decisions.

It also may create a feeling of false security because even though you have a lot of debt, you still have plenty of money left over each month.

However, if you are able to pay off some of your debts, then this will give you confidence in your ability to take care of money. It could help you save more money in the long run by keeping yourself from going into expensive debt.

Should I reduce my debt?

It is always prudent to evaluate your credit situation and determine if you need to make changes to better handle your money. If you notice that one of your accounts has crept up, it is important to look at what type of spending has occurred in the past few months.

It may be helpful to take some time to analyze why these charges exist. Is this due to a temporary lack of income or do you need to spend more on entertainment expenses?

You can also check your overall debt ratio. Many people don’t realize how much debt they have until they add all of their loans together. By doing so, you get an accurate picture of just how many dollars you owe!

By having a good understanding of where your money comes from, you will know whether or not it is safe to maintain current spending habits. More often than not, we develop relationships with vendors and organizations that offer services to us. By giving them our hard earned money, we start to rely on them.

Find your bad debt

The next step in finding your debt ratio is to determine what kind of credit you have. Credit cards, personal loans, and mortgages are all types of credit that can be categorized as good debt or bad debt.

Good debt comes with rewards – such as lower interest rates – but it also adds up quickly. It can feel tempting to use credit for things like shopping or paying off other debts, but this must be done with caution.

Consolidate your credit card debt before using credit for anything else. If you’ve already consolidated some debt, now may be the time to start building up good debt so that you can pay down the rest!

Bad debt includes bills that seem unnecessary or repetitively incurred. Examples include monthly car payments, house mortgage payments, and cell phone contracts.

You will find it difficult to get rid of these kinds of debts if they have has no end date. They continue to add up over an extended period of time making it even harder to control spending.

What is good debt?

Having adequate savings is important, but what about the difference between essential spending money and unnecessary spending? Some people spend their lives chasing after more and bigger toys and experiences, which are lovely to have, but they can become distractions that drain your energy.

You may be familiar with this concept from personal experience. Many people enjoy traveling so much that they keep up frequent travel, buying expensive tickets and staying in expensive hotels.

This kind of spending becomes an addiction as it keeps being stimulated. In addition, you must maintain enough income to pay for these things, making it even more difficult to achieve balance.

I’m talking about investing in vacations here, not just flying somewhere for the weekend. A vacation should be a time when you reflect and reevaluate how you spent your life, whether it was going back home or moving onto another location. You want to make sure you don’t continue living beyond your means!

Good debt is something that helps you stay within your budget, whereas bad debt is excessive spending that takes away from your savings. Credit cards can create problems if you carry too much credit card debt, so try to limit access to them.

By having some sort of emergency fund, like a thousand dollars, you will know that you can focus on other areas of your financial life without worrying about paying your bills.

Calculate your debt to credit card ratio

The best way to determine how much money you owe compared to what size of credit cards you have is by using what’s called a debt-to-credit card ratio. This calculation compares two numbers — one positive and one negative.

The positive number is referred to as debt, and it includes all debts such as mortgage loans, business loans, personal loan payments, and more. It does not include any credit card balances or credit line limits.

A second number is referred to as total credits, which are just like credit cards except they aren’t interest bearing. They can be a revolving line of credit (think: credit card account), a fixed deposit, or both. A person with no lines of credit but who has a large amount in savings is considered to have a high level of capital.

So, the debt-to-total credit card ratio is calculated by dividing the sum of all debts by the individual’s total amount of capital. In this case, it would be expressed as debt divided by capital.

This effectively tells us how much debt people carry relative to their own resources. People with less capital tend to spend more than they make due to poor financial management, while individuals with more capital save because they know they will eventually earn enough money to pay off their obligations.

What is a good debt to credit card ratio?

The best way to determine if your debt level is within an acceptable range is by using what’s called the debt-to-income (or debt-to-wealth) ratio. This looks at both your income and asset levels, compared to how much money you have available for spending.

By determining this information, we can get some solid numbers that tell us whether or not you are able to pay all of your bills while also investing in things like education or house upgrades.