‘My friends and family say I’m rich.’ I’m 26 and make $100K a year living in St. Louis, where I pay $850 in rent. But I can’t afford to buy a home, and am losing money when I invest. Would hiring a financial adviser be a smart move?

Is a financial adviser needed if you feel overwhelmed about money? Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I am a 26-year-old pharmacist earning approximately $100,000 a year — take home pay is about $5600...

Paid Off College and the Mortgage? Here’s How to Allocate Your Freed Up Cash.

Retirement savers who’ve paid off their mortgage or have made their last college payment should take a moment to celebrate. Then they should get busy putting their newfound windfall to work.  Given th...

Borrowers are on edge—will Biden cancel student debt or not? Here’s what’s going on.

The “he” is, of course, President Joe Biden. Some 43 million borrowers are hanging onto hope that Biden will take executive action to relieve at least some of their collective $1.7 trillion debt. Rumo...

Biden open to canceling $10,000 in student loans per borrower — what that means for your budget, credit score and tax bill

If $10,000 vanishes from your student debt, you may want to celebrate. This is a question millions of student loan holders may be facing soon if President Joe Biden proceeds with a controversial plan ...

‘I’d love to be married now. I would love to be a dad by now. I’d love to have a home by now’: The winners and losers in Biden’s plan to cancel $10,000 in student-loan debt

The Biden administration is planning to cancel $10,000 in student-loan debt for borrowers earning below a specific income threshold. But for borrowers like Johnathan Perkins, 36, the amount of debt fo...

‘I have great plans for myself’: My girlfriend doesn’t understand how her student loan works and rents a pricey apartment. What if we marry — and divorce? 

My girlfriend and I have been in a relationship for seven months, and it is getting more serious. I don’t expect us to get married in the next year but I like to plan ahead and if things keep working ...

SoFi shares have taken too heavy a beating ahead of ‘significant earnings momentum,’ analyst says

SoFi Technologies Inc. shares have taken too much of a beating, according to a Piper Sandler analyst who upgraded the stock Monday. Piper Sandler’s Kevin Barker said in a Monday note to clients that t...

Opinion: Our student-loan system needs fixing — and this change would be smarter than just forgiving debt

Most of the recent discussion of student debt has focused on the prospect of forgiving that debt—telling borrowers that they don’t have to repay the funds the federal government provided to help them ...

I borrowed $50K for culinary school, but now owe $90K. How do I get out of debt?

How to get out of student loan debt Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I went to culinary school where I received a bachelor’s degree in culinary management. At the time in 2007, I didn’t know it woul...

I’m 69 and ‘never got a job that paid well.’ How can I tackle student loan debt?

How to get out of student loan debt Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I went back to college to get my degree after my children had grown up and my mother passed away. I left my job as a corporate ch...

‘She has no ambition’: I’m 41 and make $100,000. I’m buying a home before getting married. My fiancée earns $50,000 and has $20,000 in student debt. What’s a fair prenup?

I have been in my current relationship for almost three years. I’m a young woman, 41, have a great, stable career and make about $100,000 a year. I am ambitious and my prospects have me increasing my ...

When Student Loan Debt Paused, These Borrowers Kept Paying

Rather than skipping payments during the Biden administration’s student-loan freeze, a small but committed percentage of borrowers chose to keep paying anyway. As of December 2021, 1.2% of borrowers c...

‘I can’t afford to pay the loan because I’m on a fixed income.’ I’m a 57-year-old widow with $67K in student loan debt. Can you help me get rid of it?

There are some forgiveness and benefit options, including some specific to military spouses that could provide financial compensation. AP Question: I’m a military wife, and my husband died on active d...

‘It is costing more to survive now.’ I owe $109K in student loans, and the balance keeps going up as the loan servicer ‘continuously tacks on more money.’ With high inflation, how can I even cope with my student loans now?

Unfortunately, it is possible for a loan balance to increase, even as you are making payments. iStock Question: I have student loans in excess of $109k.  I am on an income-driven plan but my biggest p...

Will Biden Cancel Student Debt? Two Years In, He’s Still Mulling Up to $10,000

Text size President Joe Biden said Thursday he is “considering dealing with some debt reduction.” Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Two years since candidate Joe Biden tweeted that student borr...

‘I’m spending a fortune on home maintenance. I realize my second husband is essentially living in my house for free’: What is a fair way to split costs?

I am a retired 62-year-old woman. I was widowed in 2006 at the age of 46 and raised my two children (now 24 and 27) on my own. I used my husband’s life insurance money (about $500,000) to maintain our...

‘I feel deceived’: After 20 years of paying my student loan, I discovered I don’t qualify for forgiveness. My loans total $167,000. What can I do?

I took out loans for professional/graduate school during the years 1993 to 1996. I took out about $54,000 in loans. In 2002, I consolidated all my federal loans. The balance is approximately $167,000....

Here’s how to craft student-loan forgiveness in a way that cuts out those who don’t need help

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Thursday released new analyses on student loans, with one blog post focused on who would benefit from various approaches to canceling such debt — as well as eac...

‘Life is measurably better without the burden of this debt’: As Biden reviews student-debt cancellation, young people with debt delay buying a house and even having kids

Young Americans are buckling under the weight of their student debt. A large majority (74%) of Generation Z (ages 18 to 25) and 68% of millennials (ages 26 to 41) who took on student debt delayed a ma...

‘My degree has not led to greater income.’ Can I get rid of old student loans?

How to get out of student loan debt Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I have a degree, and I’ve been paying the student loan for about 25 years. I switched to income-driven repayment in 2011. The loa...

Biden administration launches student loan review, says 40,000 borrowers will see debt canceled

The Department of Education announced Tuesday a new review of its student debt portfolio, which it says will correct for past mistakes that denied 3.6 million borrowers credit toward student loan forg...

My ex-husband encouraged me to drop out of college after a year, and now I’m struggling to repay my student loans. Is there anything I can do?

It’s also important to make sure you don’t neglect the emotional impact of this situation. Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I took out a student loan in 2006, but my ex-husband was very controlling,...

‘Please help!’ It seems like I have been paying my child’s student loan forever. How much longer must I pay it off?

Dear Quentin, It seems like I have been paying my Parent PLUS Loan forever. Someone told me that when my husband passed away, even though we were divorced at the time, I wouldn’t have to keep paying t...

‘The weight of this debt is crushing’: I’m 74, and a retired speech-language pathologist with a student-loan debt of $200K. Am I obliged to pay it off?

Dear Quentin, I have not seen anyone address student-loan debt for people over 70 years of age. I am a 74-year-old retired  speech-language pathologist with a student-loan debt of $200,000.  I’m on a ...

I’ve been paying my student loan for 37 years, but now I’m earning $11K a year

How to get out of student loan debt Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I have a student loan from 1984 that I defaulted on. I am 72 years old and have been paying through a deduction in my Supplementa...

‘It seems a bit like Lucy pulling the football away.’ Student loan borrowers got another break on payments — what comes next?

President Joe Biden extended the lifeline the federal government has provided to most student-loan borrowers during the pandemic. But that doesn’t mean these borrowers are feeling any more assured of ...

I’m 62 with $100K in student loans and $13K in credit card debt. What can I do?

How to get out of student loan debt Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I work as a nurse for a small for-profit agency.  I am salaried and have no option for overtime. I only have every other weekend ...

Do I resist refinancing my $160,000 federal student loan at a lower rate in the hope there will be loan forgiveness? What are the chances it will happen?

I graduated from college in 2017 with more than $210,000 in federal student-loan debt thanks to out-of-state tuition, a master’s program, and not fully understanding this cost at that time. I’ve chise...

We are both doctors but struggle with $472K in student loans. Can we get help?

How to get out of student loan debt Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I have $237K in loans and my wife has $235K in loans. We are not currently making any payments [thanks to government relief] but ...

‘Going to college ruined my life.’ I have $85K in student loan debt for my ‘useless degree’ but only make $16 per hour. How can I cope?

I would give anything to go back and not go to college at all. It wasn’t worth it. iStock Question: I am 32 and got my associates degree in occupational therapy. I owe $25,000 in federal student loans...

I have 4 degrees and owe $197K in student loans. What should I do?

How to get out of student loan debt Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I am 55 and a mental health therapist.  I have $197,000 in student loans that were for four degrees, plus some in Parent Plus loa...

Has the student loan pause done any good?

Two years after the chaos of the pandemic prompted Congress to pause federal student loan payments, new data show many borrowers have used that extra room in the budget to shore up their overall finan...