This is NPR's Life Kit and day four of your personal finance tune up.

Good evening everyone.

Thank you for coming.

You know, it's a Monday afterwards.

We appreciate it.

On a beautiful spring night in Washington, D.C.

dozens of people file into this dimly lit room in a government building.

It's a little bleak.

This was in 2019 where you could actually be gathering indoors together safely with no masks.

Anyways, these people are from all different backgrounds and ages ranging from red at a college

and hearing retirement and they're all here because they have one thing in common.

I wanted to start by saying that you're not alone on two and I'm still trying to pay back my loans.

Technically, this is a student loan debt clinic, but it almost feels like a support group too.

I'm all a little confused.

This all sounds quite complicated.

And if I would pay a loan, it says 1918.

I'm looking at this money build up and it's guaranteed.

Because often when you're dealing with student loan debt, you can feel like just this one little person

right facing this complicated mess of loans, servicing companies and payment programs

and choices you have to make, but you aren't sure you really understand.

Then there's the scammy sounding outfits that send you junk mail.

You have always had a agency calling and you'll be falling behind for it.

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