It’s the topic of many financial columns, blogs, articles, and even a couple of best selling books. The President of the U.S. wants to take action to help alleviate it. Student debt in this country now tops one trillion dollars and it’s owed by those who have completed college and graduate school as well as the many who took out loans but never earned their degree. Add to this the difficulty in finding high paying and professional jobs after graduation for those who do- and this debt amounts to a life impacting burden that not only restricts a person’s ability to cover basic bills, live independently, and purchase a home- it is also interfering with the dating and relationship lives of those who carry it..
It’s more and more common for young people to be asked by potential mates about their credit score, level of debt and financial health. It’s playing a major role in the marriage and childbirth rates- and certainly the overall health of the economy. Top financial experts are looking for solutions and it may be that the only ones will take a long time and will require those affected to delay the normal next steps that their unfettered peers will be able to take- as they sail past them and into futures where they have more choice and control.
If you are one of those people who carry student debt- dealing with it smartly and efficiently should be one of your most immediate and primary goals. Instead of making a plan to meet new people to date- work on a plan to get out of debt faster. Look for ways you can cut your living expenses and overall spending and use that extra money to lower those loans. Think of it as an investment in not only your financial future- it will also help you to have a more satisfying and successful dating life by increasing your opportunities to connect with compatible singles with whom you will be free to move into a future life with- one that is unencumbered by debt and all the dead ends it can bring with it.