Young adults showing great resiliency.

• Position: Personal Finances

A study on the financial health of young Americans--Money Under 35--found that most are in "good" financial health, as they are saving money, managing their credit, and looking to buy homes and start families.

The study, conducted by Navient, Wilmington, Del., a Sallie Mae (SLM Corporation) spinoff that is a loan management, servicing, and asset recovery company, and Ipsos, Paris, France, a global market research firm, collected employment information, income data, amount and types of debt, and amount of savings, as well as attitudinal and behavioral predispositions, to determine how young adults are faring financially in the years following the Great Recession.

"Understanding the financial health of young Americans is critical to ensuring our public policies meet the needs of the next generation," says Jack Remondi, president and chief executive officer of Navient. "Despite economic challenges, young adults are exhibiting considerable resilience. A key takeaway is that completing a degree is a more important factor in financial health than whether an individual borrowed for a degree, underscoring the value of educational attainment."

Key findings include:

* Financial health improves with age and education: 63% score in the "good" financial health range, while 20% are in "excellent" and 17% are in "poor" financial health. Age 30 is a turning point in moving from "good" to "excellent," and the higher the educational degree, the more likely an individual is to be in "excellent" financial health.

* Ninety-four percent are saving. The top priority is an emergency fund followed by saving for a home and children's education.

* Among individuals who complete a degree, young adults who borrowed for college are more likely to have a mortgage (35% for borrowers compared to...