Student Loan Debt Is A Big Problem For Retirees

Student Loan Debt Is A Big Problem For Retirees

Student loan debt is not only a financial burden facing millennials. It's a big—and growing—problem for many older Americans who are near or in retirement.

Student loan balances among borrowers in their 50s or older made up 17 percent—or about $204 billion—of the nearly $1.2 trillion in outstanding student loan debt in the U.S. last year, according to researchers at the New York Fed.

And while student loan balances have grown substantially for borrowers of all ages in the past decade, researchers say the fastest growth has been in total balances held by borrowers age 60 or older, which have increased nearly nine-fold since 2004.

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