
Q&A: The Case for NOT Paying Off Your Student Loans
From Afford Anything | Make Smart Money Choices by Paula Pant, Personal Finance Expert | Cumulus Podcast Network
April 14, 2026 · 1h 13m · Episode 706
About this episode
This episode discusses the complexities of managing student loans and retirement planning amidst financial uncertainty.
#706: When the numbers look straightforward—but the rules, timing, and future are uncertain—how do you decide what to do next? KJ has $90,000 in student loans, a recent inheritance, and a lot of uncertainty around changing repayment policies, and is trying to decide whether to pay down debt now or hold onto cash in case future payments become unaffordable. Anonymous (let’s call her Andrea) is about seven years away from retirement with $1.9 million saved and is thinking about sequence of returns risk, and is wondering whether working part-time could help protect against a poorly timed market downturn or simply delay the risk. Anonymous (let’s call him Andrew Ryan) is a retired homeowner in their early 70s who recently bought a second home to be closer to family and is planning to rent it out part of the year, and is wondering how to structure it and how taxes work for a property that’s both personal and income-producing. Share this episode with a friend, colleagues, and Ryan Gosling: https://affordanything.com/episode706 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Topics covered
- student loans
- debt repayment
- retirement planning
- real estate investment
Keywords
- financial decisions
- inheritance
- sequence of returns risk
- market downturn
More episodes of Afford Anything | Make Smart Money Choices
- Six Levels of Wealth, with Nick Maggiulli [GREATEST HITS] · June 12, 2026 · 1h 12m
- Q&A: Why Do I Still Feel Anxious When I’m Clearly Doing Well? · June 9, 2026 · 50 min
- First Friday: Fed Rate Hike Coming? Jobs & Housing News · June 5, 2026 · 36 min
- Q&A: When the "Right" Decision Feels Harder Than The Math · June 3, 2026 · 1h 2m
- Your Office Is Making You Sick, with Dr. John La Puma · May 29, 2026 · 1h 24m
- Q&A: The Goalposts Moved — Is That Actually a Problem? · May 26, 2026 · 42 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Afford Anything | Make Smart Money Choices podcast page.