The Inheritors

JUST STARING OUT

Students, new grads, early career, building credit, first apartments

What you're seeing

This page is a preview of the Inheritors campaign, not the final product.

After funding, a full creative agency will research, test, and build this out. Below is our strategic framework: who this audience is, what they care about, how we'll reach them directly, and sample messaging.

The Inheritors’ Profile

Who they are

  • Students, recent graduates, early-career workers

  • Building credit, first apartments, entry-level jobs

  • Starting to invest, considering homeownership

  • Some already dealing with unexpected responsibilities (early parenthood, family support)

What they're facing

  • Student loan debt on top of national debt

  • Housing costs outpacing wages

  • Skepticism that Social Security will exist for them

  • First generation to have lower expected living standards than their parents

How they see the debt

  • Abstract until it's connected to their daily life

  • Feels like someone else's problem, until you show them it's already theirs

"I can't afford a house."

Federal borrowing drives interest rates up. Your down payment keeps moving further away.

"Social Security won't exist when I retire."

Trust fund depletion isn't speculation. It's math. The money runs out in 2033.

"My student loans are crushing me."

Government prioritizes debt service over relief programs. You're in line behind bondholders.

Channel Strategy

  • Tik Tok

    REELS

    Short-form explainers, meme-able stats, creator partnerships

  • Instagram

    REELS / STORIES

    Instagram Infographics, stories, polls

  • YouTube

    SHORTS / VIDEOS

    Longer explainers, interviews with young economists

  • Reddit

    AMA

    r/personalfinance, r/GenZ

  • University Campuses

    COMMS

    Ambassador programs, student org partnerships

  • Podcasts

    ON AIR / DIGITAL

    Guest spots on poppods, as well as finance and career shows

Sample Messaging

Tagline options

“You didn't choose it,
but you are inheriting it.”

“The debt came before the paycheck.”

“Born into it.
Expected to pay for it?”

Tone: Direct. No sugarcoating. Speaks with them, not at them. Avoids condescension.

CALL TO ACTION (for the public campaign)

  • Sign the pledge

  • Share your number

  • Tag a friend who doesn't know yet

NOTE

This framework will be validated through focus groups, A/B testing, and audience research in Phase 1. The goal: make the debt feel personal, immediate, and actionable — without fear-mongering or partisan framing.

Sample Content

INTERACTIVE CALCULATOR

How Much Do You Owe?

How much do you owe?

You just don't know it yet.

24 years old
Your share of the national debt
$115,152
Before you earned a dollar of it.
Current national debt $38 trillion
U.S. population 330 million
Your share today $115,152
Projected at retirement (65) $312,000
Where does this money go?
Interest payments now exceed the defense budget.
Social Security trust fund runs out in 2033.
Medicare trust fund runs out in 2031.
Calculations based on $38 trillion national debt divided by 330 million Americans. Retirement projection assumes 2.5% annual debt growth. This is your share of the debt — the amount that would need to be paid if it were divided equally among all Americans.

"What $36 trillion looks like" — visual explainer

  • "Your share of the debt vs. your share of the budget" — infographic

  • Street interviews: "How much debt do you think you were born with?"