In the wake of the housing crash and foreclosure crisis, millions of Americans lost their homes. Today, many people are still wrestling with the fallout of the crisis, with their credit all but destroyed. In Episode 5, Helaine explores the depth of America’s housing crisis. Why did so many people lose their homes to foreclosure? Who was responsible for the crisis anyway—individual home owners or bigger institutions? And if the crisis is still happening, why do we hear so little about it? Our guest experts on Episode 5 include Alyssa Katz, author of Our Lot: How Real Estate Came to Own Us; Maya Rockeymoore, president of the Center for Global Policy Solutions; Elyse Cherry, CEO of Boston Community Capital; and Christie Peale, executive director at Center for NYC Neighborhoods.  Access to this Slate Academy is a part of your Slate Plus membership. To learn more, chat in our private Facebook group, and read supplementary materials, visit Slate.com/debt. This episode included music by Kai Engel, Chris Zabriskie, Kevin MacLeod, and Sergey Cheremisinov.

Your health may be your most valuable asset, but for many Americans, it comes at a huge cost. Medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. In episode 4, host Helaine Olen dives into the pile of bills surrounding America’s healthcare system. Why is going to the doctor such an expensive proposition for so many people? Has the Affordable Care Act changed any of that? And is there a realistic way to avoid surprise medical bills?  Lastly - learn why even health insurance won’t keep you from going into medical bankruptcy.  Our guest experts on Episode 4 include Trudy Lieberman, a consumer affairs reporter and longtime expert on healthcare and medical insurance, and professor Joseph Cohen from Queens College at the City University of New York.  This episode included music by Kai Engel, Chris Zabriskie, and Jingle Punks. 

Today, Americans owe about 1.3 trillion dollars in student loans. But how does the impact of those student loans affect our economy?  In episode 3, Helaine takes on America’s student loan crisis. Just how many of us are really burdened by the cost of pursuing a higher education, and is there a way out? Are student loans more common now, and why? Why are student loans such a mess in the United States, compared to other countries? And what do for-profit schools have to do with all of this?  Plus — what do you do if you’re already suffocating under the pressure of your student loans?  Our guest experts on Episode 3 include Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor at Temple University and leading scholar on financing college education, and Robert Lawless, a professor University of Illinois’ law school and an expert on debt.  Access to this Slate Academy is a part of your Slate Plus membership. To learn more, chat in our private Facebook group, and read supplementary materials, visit Slate.com/debt. This episode included music by Kai Engel, Chris Zabriskie, and Sergey Cheremisinov.

Whether you’re struggling to get by on $30,000 a year or living off of a comfortable six-figure income, credit cards have become an inevitable part of American life.  In this second episode of the United States of Debt, a Slate Academy, host Helaine Olen explores why so many of us run up more charges than we can easily pay off. What factors have allowed credit card companies to lend us money so indiscriminately, and could a 1978 Supreme Court decision have something to do with it? How has racial inequality played a role in ensuring that some minorities hold more credit card debt than whites? And are we fully to blame for our credit card bills?  Also tune in to hear Olen give advice about how to get out of credit card debt—including her thoughts on get-out-of-debt organizations, financial coaches, and bankruptcy. Our guest experts on Episode 2 include former CNBC On the Money host Carmen Rita Wong, Arkansas State University visiting associate professor Dr. Rebecca Barrett-Fox, and Dr. Maya Rockeymoore, president of Global Policy Solutions, a Washington, D.C.–based policy firm and nonprofit.   This episode included music by Kai Engel and Chris Zabriskie. 

Credit card debt is on the rise, student loan debt is at record levels, and millions of Americans continue to experience difficulty with housing and medical bills.  In this first episode of the United States of Debt, a Slate Academy, host Helaine Olen begins to explore the state of debt in America. How much debt do we have, and what historical and cultural factors have influenced the recent rise of it? Is there a way that debt can help us get ahead? And why do we judge those who owe money? Olen takes a look into the past to figure out why there’s been an explosion in borrowed money.  Guests on episode 1: Debt expert and former CNBC personal finance columnist Carmen Rita Wong, University of Illinois professor Robert Lawless, and professor Joseph Cohen from Queens College at the City University of New York.  This episode included music Kai Engel and Chris Zabriskie.  Access to all Slate Academies is included in your Slate Plus membership. To learn more and access all features of this Slate Academy, chat in our private Facebook group, and read supplementary materials, visit Slate.com/Debt.

This is a preview of The United States of Debt, our third Slate Academy. In this series, Slate columnist Helaine Olen will take an in-depth look at the realities of debt in America and explore why debt has become a shadow in so many lives—no matter how well things are going in the greater economy. Listen to this introductory episode to find out more.  Access to all Slate Academies is included in your Slate Plus membership. To learn more and access all features of the academy, visit Slate.com/debt. This episode included music by Kai Engel and Chris Zabriskie.