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Giving the gift of less debt

Pillar lets friends and relatives make student loan payments as a holiday gift.

Giving the gift of less debt
ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

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.

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