debt
Owing $40 trillion might sound daunting. But for the American government, ballooning debt has become the new business as usual — even if it takes a bite out of consumers’ wallets.On Wednesday, the Treasury Department announced that the national debt had reached over $40 trillion, up by more than $11…
Before launching The Savvy Couple in 2016, Kelan Kline had reached a breaking point.He and his wife, Brittany, had recently married, bought a starter home, and begun paying down roughly $40,000 in student loans. Brittany was an elementary school teacher, while Kelan worked as a jail deputy.The couple, who grew…
Miguel Marquez has spent years making complex subjects easier to understand.Originally from Spain, the 47-year-old earned a Ph.D. in French linguistics from Indiana University Bloomington and now teaches French, Spanish, and personal finance at a university in Shenzhen, China.Through teaching personal finance and pursuing financial independence himself, Marquez has learned…
When I was growing up, my mom told me that education is never wasted. I was fortunate to grow up in a household where college was on the table.Having graduated from high school one year early, I started my associate degree shortly after my 17th birthday. For two years, I…
My deeply southern family raised me to never talk about money. We were poor, sometimes living in our car, and occasionally hungry. But we never said it out loud.Now, as a single mother of three kids with significant medical needs, I’ve worked several jobs to pay for their childcare and…
Jessica Salmi waited nearly an hour on hold before her call was disconnected. Jason Marques’ servicer can’t say if his next student-loan payment will be $100 or $633. Robin Binkley is struggling to find out which repayment plan she qualifies for.As millions of borrowers navigate President Donald Trump’s sweeping student-loan…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lana Ng, a 35-year-old stay-at-home mother based in Houston. It has been edited for length and clarity.I used to work as a marketing coordinator at a local hospital in Houston. I worked in a hybrid role, spending three days working from…
