Slate’s Pay Dirt Tackles 3 Money Dilemmas, Including $140,000 in Student Debt

3 articles · Updated · Slate · May 13

Slate’s latest Pay Dirt column answered three reader money problems, led by a case involving $140,000 in student loans, chronic illness and fears of falling deeper into debt.
For that reader, the advice was to avoid charging living costs to credit cards and instead explore bankruptcy consultation, possible Total and Permanent Disability discharge, and nonprofit credit counseling.
A separate question from a friend in a four-person group focused on hosts who keep covering food and tickets; the column urged a direct conversation about splitting costs fairly rather than secretly leaving cash.
The column also previewed another family-finance dilemma involving a large inherited house in Germany, extending Pay Dirt’s focus from debt management to shared spending and property decisions.

Your friends insist on paying, but you suspect they're broke. How do you talk about money without destroying the friendship?

The SAVE plan is gone. What is the biggest financial trap awaiting millions of borrowers now being forced into new repayment plans?

Inheriting a German house triggers a huge cash tax bill. What legal strategy can help American heirs avoid a forced sale?