Death and debt

A new survey on Americans in debt has a good news-bad news vibe.

The good: The report, from financial website creditcards.com, found 22% of respondents say they have no debt. That's up from 14% who were debt-free in 2014.

The bad: A little more than two out of 10 people, 21%, project they will die in debt. That's an increase from 18% in 2014 and 9% in 2013 who believe their debts are insurmountable for eternity.

The data highlight two trends in personal finance. One is that in the six years since the recession, many people have become smarter about financial habits after being overextended on credit, the report states. The percentage of U.S. consumers who pay off credit card balances every month hit a post-recession high in the second quarter, for example, at 30%, according to the American Bankers Association.

At the same time, some people remain unemployed or under-employed, and struggle to pay back long-term debts such as college loans and heath care bills.