Credit cards are no longer the biggest personal debt problem for Americans. As of June, outstanding student loans totaled $829.8 billion, while credit card debt was $826.5 billion. Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org and FastWeb.com, told The Wall Street Journal: “The growth in education debt outstanding is like cooking a lobster. The increase in total student debt occurs slowly but steadily, so by the time you notice that the water is boiling, you’re already cooked.” Kantrowitz estimates college students and/or their parents incurred $300 billion in federal student loan debts in just the last four years.