--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not surprising so many people end up…" description: "\"It's not surprising so many people end up with credit-card debts. Saving for your retirement and buying a house are difficult things, and we don't educ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2e/niall-ferguson-3627_about_it-s-not-surprising-so-many-people-end-u_2697244.png" --- # It's not surprising so many people end up with credit-card… ![“It's not surprising so many people end up with credit-card debts. Saving for your retirement and buying a house are difficult things, and we don't educate people about them at all.” quote by Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2e/niall-ferguson-3627_about_it-s-not-surprising-so-many-people-end-u_2697244.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2e/niall-ferguson-3627_about_it-s-not-surprising-so-many-people-end-u_2697244.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2e/niall-ferguson-3627_about_it-s-not-surprising-so-many-people-end-u_2697244.png) > “It's not surprising so many people end up with credit-card debts. Saving for your retirement and buying a house are difficult things, and we don't educate people about them at all.” [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He observes that many people accumulate credit‑card debt because society fails to teach essential financial skills like saving and home‑buying. **In simple terms:** Lack of financial education leads to debt. Key Takeaway Improve financial education. Themes finance education debt housing Mood analytical concerned Type explanatory critical When to use this quote - school curricula - government programs - personal budgeting Key Concepts economic literacy personal finance policy social inequality Questions to Reflect On - How can we better teach financial literacy? - What policies could reduce credit‑card debt? A Different Perspective Education alone may not change behavior without incentives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Buying a house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying-a-house/) [Card Debts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/card-debts-2705080/) [Debts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debts/) [Debts Saving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debts-saving-2705079/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-things/) [Educate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educate/) [Educate People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educate-people/) [End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Retirement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retirement/) [Saving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving/) [Saving Retirement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving-retirement-1121759/) [Surprising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprising/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [Americans are not saving enough for retirement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-baldwin/americans-are-not-saving-enough-for-retirement/) [Tammy Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-baldwin/) > [“When, and only when, you’ve gotten rid of all your debt are you truly saving for retirement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-bernstein/when-and-only-when-you-ve-gotten-rid-of-all-your-debt-are-you-truly/) [William J. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-bernstein/) > [I always tell people, it's never too late to start saving for retirement. It's not that important how much you have already saved. What's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-brooks/i-always-tell-people-it-s-never-too-late-to-start-saving-for/) [Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-brooks/) > [Retirement savings is probably behavioral economists' greatest success story. It is a prototypical behavioral-economics problem because saving for retirement is cognitively hard - figuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/retirement-savings-is-probably-behavioral-economists-greatest-success/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [I'm worried we're not saving enough for our retirement alcohol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-worried-we-re-not-saving-enough-for-our-retirement-alcohol/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone's lost a lot of money on their 401k plans. I've heard some people calling them 201k plans. So it's even more important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/everyone-s-lost-a-lot-of-money-on-their-401k-plans-i-ve-heard-some/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [Planning to play: that's what saving for retirement is today - and it is antithetical to the nature of play, fully within the definition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/planning-to-play-that-s-what-saving-for-retirement-is-today-and-it-is/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [“Some consider falling in love, getting married, and buying a house a success, while others consider just making it through one day a success.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-morse/some-consider-falling-in-love-getting-married-and-buying-a-house-a/) [Patricia Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-morse/) > [You know, when I eat three peas, I'm pregnant. When I visit a city, I'm buying a house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-paradis/you-know-when-i-eat-three-peas-i-m-pregnant-when-i-visit-a-city-i-m/) [Vanessa Paradis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-paradis/) > [You see politicians talking about negative gearing or tax on your second home - most people I knew growing up couldn't afford the rent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/you-see-politicians-talking-about-negative-gearing-or-tax-on-your/) [Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/) > [Buying a house in Mumbai is a big deal. Even after a decade of being in Mumbai, there was a time when we didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/buying-a-house-in-mumbai-is-a-big-deal-even-after-a-decade-of-being/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [“There sure are a lot of stairs. Holy crap,will these things ever end? Seriously? MORE STAIRS? This is ridiculous.I'm never buying a house with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/there-sure-are-a-lot-of-stairs-holy-crap-will-these-things-ever-end/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [The only real indulgence was buying a house. That was a pretty big step.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calista-flockhart/the-only-real-indulgence-was-buying-a-house-that-was-a-pretty-big-step/) [Calista Flockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calista-flockhart/) > [Buying a house is not an overnight decision, and people can wait for 3 to 6 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajay-piramal/buying-a-house-is-not-an-overnight-decision-and-people-can-wait-for-3/) [Ajay Piramal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajay-piramal/) > [“Marriage, in short, is a bargain, like buying a house or entering a profession. One chooses it knowing that, by that very decision, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-gold-heilbrun/marriage-in-short-is-a-bargain-like-buying-a-house-or-entering-a/) [Carolyn Gold Heilbrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-gold-heilbrun/) ## More by Niall Ferguson > [“I wrote this book because I had formed a strong impression that the people currently living were paying insufficient attention to the dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-wrote-this-book-because-i-had-formed-a-strong-impression-that-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Consider this: the US economy created 2.4 million jobs in the three years beginning in June 2009. In the same period, 3.3 million Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/consider-this-the-us-economy-created-2-4-million-jobs-in-the-three/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [I think the rise of quantitative econometrics and a highly mathematical approach to risk management was the obverse of a decline in interest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-think-the-rise-of-quantitative-econometrics-and-a-highly/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Is it better today to be in a network, which gives you influence, than in a hierarchy, which gives you power?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/is-it-better-today-to-be-in-a-network-which-gives-you-influence-than/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [As a teacher, my strategy is to encourage questioning. I'm the least authoritarian professor you'll ever meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/as-a-teacher-my-strategy-is-to-encourage-questioning-i-m-the-least/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [Ask me not, 'Are you rightwing,' but ask me 'Are you a committed believer in individual freedom, the values of the enlightenment?' Then, yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/ask-me-not-are-you-rightwing-but-ask-me-are-you-a-committed-believer/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Many historians still tend to assume that the spread of an idea or an ideology is a function of its inherent content in relation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/many-historians-still-tend-to-assume-that-the-spread-of-an-idea-or-an/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“the twentieth century ran a series of experiments, imposing quite different institutions on two sets of Germans (in West and East), two sets of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-twentieth-century-ran-a-series-of-experiments-imposing-quite/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Historians are not scientists. They cannot (and should not even trying to) establish universal laws of social or political "physics" with reliable predictive powers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/historians-are-not-scientists-they-cannot-and-should-not-even-trying/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [You really struggle to be a successful empire if you are also the world's biggest debtor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/you-really-struggle-to-be-a-successful-empire-if-you-are-also-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“One difficulty is that we cannot always reconstruct the past thoughts of these non-Western peoples, for not all of them existed in civilizations with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/one-difficulty-is-that-we-cannot-always-reconstruct-the-past-thoughts/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [If young men have jobs - or the prospects of jobs - they are less likely to take up arms, they are less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/if-young-men-have-jobs-or-the-prospects-of-jobs-they-are-less-likely/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [I think that it is important to be gregarious, and that friendships are not just a leisure pursuit, that they are an integral part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-think-that-it-is-important-to-be-gregarious-and-that-friendships/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“The question was simply this: Would the world be French or British?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-question-was-simply-this-would-the-world-be-french-or-british/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“it is not ‘Eurocentrism’ or (anti-)‘Orientalism’ to say that the rise of Western civilization is the single most important historical phenomenon of the second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/it-is-not-eurocentrism-or-anti-orientalism-to-say-that-the-rise-of/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) [Explore all 124 Niall Ferguson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's not surprising so many people end up with credit-card debts. Saving for your retirement and buying a house are difficult things, and we don't educate people about them at all.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Niall Ferguson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/it-s-not-surprising-so-many-people-end-up-with-credit-card-debts/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/it-s-not-surprising-so-many-people-end-up-with-credit-card-debts/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2e/niall-ferguson-3627_about_it-s-not-surprising-so-many-people-end-u_2697244.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2e/niall-ferguson-3627_about_it-s-not-surprising-so-many-people-end-u_2697244.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2e/niall-ferguson-3627_about_it-s-not-surprising-so-many-people-end-u_2697244.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's not surprising so many people end up with credit-card debts. Saving for your retirement and buying a…” — Niall Ferguson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Niall Ferguson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's not surprising so many people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/it-s-not-surprising-so-many-people-end-up-with-credit-card-debts/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/it-s-not-surprising-so-many-people-end-up-with-credit-card-debts/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```