DES MOINES, Iowa -- The fastest-growing age group of those carrying student loan debt might surprise you.

Amid calls for the Biden administration to cancel such debt for many Americans, emerging data show it's becoming a growing burden for those 50 and older.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the 50+ age group now represents more than 20% of borrowers in the U.S., up from nearly 10% in the mid-2000s.

Joe Valenti, senior strategic policy advisor for AARP, said it's become an intergenerational issue that presents different problems for older adults.

"It's about being able to retire and have the money that you need for basic expenses," Valenti explained.

He emphasized there are several factors at play, including the exploding costs of higher education making it harder to pay off loans over time.

Older adults going back to school for a second career, or taking out loans to cover tuition for their kids or grandkids are cited as well.

Tracking data doesn't specifically reveal how many older Iowans are affected, but more than 13% of state residents have student-loan debt.

Valenti pointed out the stress is real for older adults who are falling behind on their payments, noting for federally backed loans, borrowers risk losing a portion of their Social Security benefits through collections.

He argued it adds to the financial burden facing many Baby Boomers.

"In past decades, we had certain expectations about retirement; that you would have a house that's paid off, you know, free and clear, and other things," Valenti remarked. "And people have increasingly had to carry debt into their retirement years."

He stressed it's important for all borrowers to know the specifics of their loans and see if they qualify for lower payments or forgiveness.

While it might not be a pleasant thought, the remaining balance for federally backed loans isn't passed down to surviving family members after you die. That, he added, can provide some relief about leaving a financial mess for others to deal with.

DENVER -- The days of exponentially high increases in health-insurance costs may finally be in the rearview mirror. The Colorado Division of Insurance's preliminary plans for 2022 project only slight premium increases.

Gov. Jared Polis credited the state's reinsurance program for helping save consumers money.

Adam Fox, deputy director of the Colorado Consumer Initiative, said the program, which allows insurance companies to defray the costs of the most expensive claims, has helped keep rates stable in the individual market.

"On average, Coloradans are going to see around a 1.4% increase in plan premiums, which is a far cry from some of the double-digit premium increases that we saw several years ago," Fox explained.

Savings from the reinsurance program increased this year. Grand Junction and other parts of the Western Slope, and communities on the Eastern Plains, saw health-insurance premiums drop by more than 35% on average. Rates in Front Range cities dropped between 20% and 30%.

Critics of legislation establishing the program worried the cost of fees collected to finance reinsurance would just be passed along to consumers.

Fox noted so far, there has been little evidence consumers are being negatively impacted by how the program is funded. Even if fees collected from insurance companies were being passed along to consumers, Fox added the program's benefits are far greater.

"On average, Coloradans are saving 24% on their premiums because of the reinsurance program, and the fee is 2% of premiums being collected," Fox outlined.

The reinsurance program is one of a host of policy tweaks state lawmakers have crafted under the Affordable Care Act in an effort to keep costs down and increase coverage.

Polis promised even greater savings when the Colorado Option comes online. The measure requires insurers, health-care providers and hospitals to reduce premiums by an additional 15% by 2023.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- As more North Carolinians resume travel and take vacations this summer, most will be relying on their debit and credit cards, and smartphones, and experts say fraudulent activity from financial data aggregation services such as PayPal and Venmo are a growing concern.

Joe Mecca, vice president for communication at Coastal Credit Union, said criminals can steal login credentials from less secure websites, and then attempt to use them to hack into other accounts or obtain bank information.

"Fraudsters are getting more and more sophisticated in how they target people," Mecca outlined. "They're getting a combination of publicly available information, as well as information that may have been stolen from different data breaches, and they start to cobble that all together to create profiles. "

Mecca advised never using the same password on multiple websites, and emphasized a strong, unique password is your first line of defense.

According to a report from Safety.com, North Carolina ranks fifteenth in the nation for the frequency of cybercrime, with losses estimated at more than $48 million.

Mecca added sharing seemingly harmless information on Facebook such as your first car, favorite pet or second-grade teacher's name may reveal common security question answers.

"What they don't realize is your friends who went to school with you that you're connected with on Facebook that a fraudster can see, might be using that information, or your family members might be using that information," Mecca explained.

Jonathon Striley, vice president for information security at Coastal Credit Union, recommended just like getting your vehicle's oil changed every few months, take the time to regularly update your computer, change your passwords and delete old accounts.

"Security is going to continue to be a major threat, unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it," Striley asserted. "Now everything that we do is entirely dependent on computers. Therefore, our security and our well-being is dependent on keeping them safe."

Losses from identity-theft cases increased 42% to more than $700 billion last year, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Experts say the spike was fueled by the high rate of unemployment identity theft during the pandemic, as increased and extended unemployment benefits became a magnet for fraudsters.

DENVER -- When this winter's power outages in Texas' deregulated electric grid caused shockingly high utility bills for customers, Xcel Energy was also forced to pay inflated prices to continue serving its customers in Colorado, and now, the bill is coming due.

Luke Ilderton, deputy director of Energy Outreach Colorado, explained Xcel and other utility companies across the U.S. had to buy natural gas in the same wholesale energy market that saw large spikes in demand as power stations in Texas not equipped to withstand freezing temperatures went offline.

"And therefore prices increased, and utilities needed to pay the elevated pricing for natural gas, in order to meet the needs of Coloradans to heat their homes that weekend," Ilderton noted.

Xcel has asked the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to approve rate increases to cover this winter's spike in prices, as well as investments it has already been making for improvements and updates.

Residential customers could see an increase of more than $9 on their monthly electric bills, with small businesses paying close to $15 more, starting in September 2022.

Ilderton pointed out for many Coloradans, an increase of $9 a month can force families to make tough decisions about which bills to pay. He emphasized people can find out if they are eligible for assistance by calling Energy Outreach Colorado's Heat Help Hotline, at 866-HEAT-HELP. And he added there are ways for families to reduce energy costs now.

"That starts with evaluating the efficiency of your home," Ilderton outlined. "Determining what energy conservation practices can be implemented in your home, and thinking about what you as a household can do to control your own home energy usage."

If the PUC approves Xcel's request, the company said it will use part of the $343 million generated to prevent wildfires by clearing vegetation near power lines, and will install smart meters to allow families to monitor their energy use in real time. The increase will also support investments in a 500-megawatt wind farm on Colorado's eastern plains.