Debt stress is triggered by everyday expenses large and small. A grocery bill that is higher than expected. A car repair that overwhelms your monthly budget. The cost of keeping your kid in sport or caring for a loved one\u2019s medical care without the money to do it. The anxiety of not making ends meet or missing out on important things because of debt can affect your wellbeing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These financial problems are common, and their impact on wellbeing can be profound. Americans owed $18.8 trillion in household debt as of the second quarter of 2026, with 4.7% of that total in some stage of delinquency, according to the New York Fed’s Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scale of the problem is part of why we partnered with award-winning actor, producer, entrepreneur and author Rob Lowe to get the word out about a better way to overcome the challenges of debt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Credit card balances rose by $21 billion in the second quarter of 2026 and stood at $1.26 trillion, according to the New York Fed. Over the previous 12 months, those balances grew by $54 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impact of debt is widespread. The National Endowment for Financial Education<\/a> polled 1,200 U.S. adults in December 2025 and found that 88% reported some form of financial stress heading into the new year. Seventy-seven percent had hit a financial setback during the previous year, and 22% named falling behind on bills or debt obligations as one of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Debt weaves itself into everything, including the way people let it \u2014 or don\u2019t let it \u2014 influence their relationships. Our own survey<\/a> of 2,000 U.S. adults with at least $10,000 in unsecured debt found that 22% say their spouse or partner does not know the full extent of what they owe. Of those who hide the full extent of their debt, 56% said they feel like they should be able to fix it themselves, 52% don\u2019t want to stress others out, and 48% are ashamed or worried they will be judged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Debt is a problem that requires both financial and emotional development to get free from. And that\u2019s why we do what we do: give our clients breathing room to get back on their feet and become free from debt, for less than they originally owed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Oftentimes, it\u2019s not the debt itself that gets borrowers stuck \u2014 it\u2019s the interest rate. Banks charged an average annual percentage rate of 22.15% on credit card accounts assessed interest in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Federal Reserve’s G.19 Consumer Credit report<\/a>. That figure covers accounts carrying a balance month to month \u2014 the accounts most likely to belong to a family already stretched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how that interest rate plays out for a $10,000 credit card balance at a 22% APR. Assuming that the minimum payment is 3% of the balance or $15, whichever is greater, and no new charges get added, you\u2019d become debt-free in 308 months. That\u2019s almost 26 years of minimum payments at an additional cost of about $15,200 in interest. That means that the total cost to borrow $10,000 ends up being closer to $25,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Waiting and weighing your options gives your debts extra time to grow. For each month that adds interest, your balance piles up. And that risk is exactly why we wanted a trusted person to help spread the news about our program \u2014 to get people out of procrastinating, and into action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeing the math doesn\u2019t always move the needle, but a story someone recognizes might.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rob Lowe joined our first major national campaign, launched in August<\/a>, alongside Academy Award-winning cinematographer and director Wally Pfister, whose credits include Inception<\/em>, The Dark Knight<\/em> and Moneyball<\/em>. Lowe took an active role in shaping the direction, helping keep each scenario grounded in the pressures families actually face.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMillions of Households Struggle With the Same Problem<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Waiting to Take Action on Debt Can Cost You<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why We Partnered With Rob Lowe<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n