Speak Out: When Should Singles Settle Down?

When I was growing up, it seemed like the perfect age for people to settle down was 25.  The older I got, the more that age and opinion changed.  While my opinion has changed, I still believe there is a magic number that people should shoot for as far as striving to achieve a certain level of maturity.  Maybe not so much to settle down, get married and have children - but to reach a level of maturity where they can take full responsibility for their own lives.

There are several people I know who are 30 plus years old, can’t balance a checkbook - can’t figure out why they are always overdrawn, have credit collectors calling day and night and are living paycheck to paycheck.

What do you think?  Is there a magic age by which people should be “ready” to settle down if the opportunity arises?