News & Ideas
The story behind the number.
Four paths into family money: wealth, debt, housing, and the research that helps us understand them.
More wealth. The same old bills?
A rise in net worth does not tell us whether monthly payments feel easier.
Debt payments took a bigger bite.
Why 6.5% to 8.6% is a change of 2.1 percentage points.
Home equity is wealth. It is not cash.
Read housing and retirement measures with the right group in mind.
One family. Five versions of the data.
The first rule of reading the public file: rows are not always people.
Consumer Magazine explainers · Published October 18, 2026 · Based on the official 2025 SCF release and documentation. This is an editorial edition, not a live news feed.