Giving the gift of less debt

Amy Scott Dec 17, 2019
HTML EMBED:
COPY
ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Giving the gift of less debt

Amy Scott Dec 17, 2019
ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Is anyone on your holiday gift list carrying student loan debt? Fintech startup Pillar is launching a new tool Tuesday that helps friends and family make payments on those loans. Just through the holiday season, for now, the service lets users create GoFundMe-style campaigns to raise money. Payments go directly to their student loan servicer.

With outstanding student loans now totaling more than $1.6 trillion, it’s just the latest example of a company trying to capitalize on our collective anxiety about paying for college.

Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.