SoFi Blog

Most people think that doctors have it pretty easy when it comes to paying off medical student loans. Sure, they rack up six figures worth of student debt—but their outsized salaries should help them decimate those loans in no time (not to mention set them up for life).

However, if you’re a doctor, you know the reality of having medical school loans is more complicated than people might think. For one thing, you don’t start making “student loan payoff money” until you’re out of residency, which—depending on your focus—can take 3, 4, 5, even 10 years. During that time you have to juggle a big student loan balance with a relatively small paycheck, learn the nuances of various medical school loan repayment programs, and stay on top of changing student loan legislation that can impact your payments or potential student loan forgiveness.

Move over, workplace yoga—the latest employee benefit du jour is financial wellness.

With Americans under extreme financial stress, a growing number of employers are adopting corporate financial wellness programs to combat the resulting absenteeism and loss of productivity. According to NPR, about half of US employers now offer these programs.

It’s time once again to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, which means a lot of people have luck on the brain. Well, luck and green beer.

But if you’re one of the 37 million Americans making a student loan payment this month, you know it’s going to take more than a few four-leaf clovers to get out of debt any time soon. Wondering how to pay off student loans fast without having to win the lottery? Make your own student loan luck with one of these student loan repayment options.

You may have seen recent headlines about the hottest new employee benefit since the 401(k): student loan assistance. Whether it’s helping employees pay student loans or subsidizing an interest rate discount on student loan refinancing, a growing number of employers are offering some kind of student debt assistance as a tool to recruit and retain talent in today’s competitive job market.

Ready to make your debt sweat in the New Year?

Whether it’s a credit card carrying around extra poundage after the holidays, a student loan that sweats when it walks up the stairs, or a mortgage that requires multiple airplane seats, we’ve got a plan that will whip your debt into shape by making it so skinny, it literally disappears.

Read on for our 5-step debt shape-up guide, and make 2016 the year you shed some serious debt.