238 – Millennials & Debt - No Room to Maneuver

Every year, we analyze information we collect about our clients to develop an updated profile of the average person filing insolvency. We call this person Joe Debtor. As the economy changes, so too does Joe Debtor. In 2014/2015 we warned that we were seeing an increase in the number of seniors filing bankruptcy. In 2017 we highlighted that, despite a robust economy, we were leaving people behind who were struggling on a lower than average household income and becoming insolvent because they were relying on debt to make ends meet. In 2018 we continued to raise concerns about the payday loan crisis facing heavily indebted borrowers.

While some of those trends continued our recent Joe Debtor study, completed in 2019 based on 2018 insolvencies with our firm, highlighted the plight felt by Millennials. They are the fastest growing cohort filing insolvency. And it's not just that they are aging in - they are dealing with more debt at a younger age than any previous generation. They are filing bankruptcy at a rate that far outstrips their entry into the working world.

I talk with Hoyes Michalos co-founder Ted Michalos as we explore reasons why Millennials are struggling with debt repayment and why they are filing a bankruptcy or consumer proposal so soon.