Lots More Information

• How Credit Cards Work
• How Credit Reports Work
• How Credit Scores Work
• How Buying a House Works
• How Home Equity Loans Work
• How Pawnshops Work
• How Recessions Work
• How Mortgages Work
• How Car Financing Works
• How Bankruptcy Works
• How Banks Work
• How the Fed Works
• How Income Taxes Work

• Bureau of Public Debt
• "Federal Debt: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions"
• CIA World Factbook Public Debt Rankings
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• FTC Facts for Consumers: "Knee Deep in Debt"

Sources:

• "The Code of Hammurabi." Constitution Society.
  http://www.constitution.org/ime/hammurabi.htm
• "The Debt to the Penny and Who Owns It." TreasuryDirect. http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np
• "Exodus 22:22-24." Bible, New International Version. Bible Gateway.
  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+22-24
• "Federal Debt: Frequently Asked Questions." United States Government Accountability Office. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04485sp.pdf
• "Flow of Funds Accounts of the United States: September 17, 2007." Federal Reserve. http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/Current/
• "FTC Consumer Alert: Payday Loans = Costly Cash." Federal Trade Commission. February 2000. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/pdayalrt.shtm
• "Good debt versus bad debt." MSN Money. http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Savinganddebt/Managedebt/P150813.asp
• Gumbel, Peter. "The $915B bomb in consumers' wallets." Fortune, CNN Money. Oct. 30, 2007. http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/29/magazines/fortune/
  ­consumer_debt.fortune/
• "Household Debt Service and Financial Obligations Ratios." Federal Reserve. http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/housedebt/default.htm
• "Knee Deep in Debt." Federal Trade Commission. December 2005. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/kneedeep.shtm
• Knoller, Mark. "Brother, can you spare $9 trillion?" CBS News. Sept. 6, 2007. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/06/notebook/main3238787.shtml
• Markman, Jon D. "The Credit Crisis Could be Just Beginning." TheStreet.com. Sept. 21, 2007. http://www.thestreet.com/newsanalysis/investing/10380613_3.html
• Mecham, Leonidas Ralph. "Bankruptcy Basics." Bankruptcy Judges Division, Administrative Office of the United States Courts. April 2006, Revised Third Edition. http://www.uscourts.gov/bankruptcycourts/bankbasics04606.pdf
• "Money 101: Lesson 9, Controlling Your Debt." CNN Money. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/money101/lesson9/
  index.htm
• Rhode, Steve. "The History of Credit and Debt." Myvesta Foundation.
  http://myvesta.org/history/
• "Risks of Rising Consumer Debt." Money-Zine.com. 2007.
  http://www.money-zine.com/Financial-Planning/Debt-Consolidation/
  Risks-of-Rising-Consumer-Debt
• Schoen, John. "Just who owns the U.S, national debt?" MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17424874/
• "UK debt 'double Europe average.'" BBC News. Sept. 27, 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5380718.stm
• Weston, Liz Pulliam. "The ­truth about credit card debt." MSN Money. http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Banking/creditcardsmarts/
  150744.asp