If you’ve got student loans and you’re like most students, you try not to think about it.  But at some point you’re going to have to deal with them – and while that’s not going to be pleasant, there are ways to make it easier.

The consequences of student debt go well beyond just writing a monthly check.  A recent article in the Wall Street Journal titled “To Pay Off Loans, Grads Put Off Marriage, Children” took a look at the impact of taking on too much in the way of student loans.  Some of the possible consequences of too much in the way of student loans included:

• Delays in buying a car or purchasing a home
• Postponement of marriage and childbirth for financial reasons
• Parents feel pressure to take out loans or otherwise help with payments
• Risk for parents who co-sign loans of losing homes, cars and other assets
• And there are more….

While we look at this in Chapter 6 of Personal Finance, Turning Money into Wealth we look at student loans, and then in Chapter 7 we take a look at all debt in the section “Tying Things Together: Debt and the Real World,” given its significance for many students, it’s not a bad idea to take another look.

A recent Wall Street Journal article, “The Student-Debt Playbook,” gives a number of ideas to help you work through your student debt.  It presents a number of ideas on how to reduce, rework, and even get rid of your student loans – all things you definitely want to do.