If they are such extreme savers, why on earth would they still have student loans?   I paid off my 100k student loan debt years ago.   It was priority #1 to get rid off.  Then came equal spreading of money around, 1/3 retirement , 1/3 car/mortgage and 1/3 living expenses, travel fund.   Now the house is almost done and retirement account is growing.    These people that have the supposed increase in net worth due to realestate, well you only see that once you sell it, if you can now that the downturn is occuring.