Interesting infographic about student debt in America…

Would you take my wampum in exchange for your house? In the 1620′s, the Dutch would have accepted the sacred beads like currency. Debt began way before the Native Americans found their own currency, though. Find out what Hammurabi thought of debt, and when human cages were in vogue for debtors’ jail.

With the recession, it seems like everyone has been cutting back on their spending and ditching the plastic. However, credit card debt is still a major source of stress for many American households. BillShrink took a look at users across the country to see which states were doing the best (and worst) at keeping their spending in check. Did your home state make the list?

Money Debt & Credit have published some statistics with help from Credit Action using an, which highlights the true story of debt in the UK. This graphically highlights the average UK household debt to bankruptcy and personal debt figures.

If managed wisely, debt doesn’t always have to be a negative thing. Simply stated debt can be good when it produces a positive return or cash flow and bad when it does not. The following guide will help you differentiate the good from the bad, so that you can get a feel for the type of debt you hold.

The debt held by U.S. consumers plays an important role in today’s economy. In fact, a huge portion of the economic growth factor, or GDP, relies heavily on consumer debt. What follows is a dissection of consumer debt, showing how much we owe, who owns our debt, and America’s favorite credit cards.

The debt you carry is not simply made up of your monthly payments and interest rates. Many other factors should be considered when you think about the real cost of your debt, including your cash flow, the terms of your loan and your borrowing behavior. Do you know what it really costs when you finance your life?

Forget credit card debt, our educational loan industry is producing a generation of students shackled with exploding and uncompromising debt. The federal government has stripped students of all consumer protections and rights and when they default, it’s a feeding frenzy for collection agencies. With default rates higher than subprime mortgages, debt that is inescapable, and collection powers only a mobster would envy, the future for our freshman could be disastrous.