ACCORDING TO ONE FINANCE EXPERT I TALKED TO, AMERICANS HAVE $1.8 TRILLION IN STUDENT LOAN DEBT AND HE SAYS FOR ANYONE THAT HAS A STUDENT LOAN, THE FIRST THING TO DO IS TO CHECK THEIR BALANCE. STUDENT LOAN PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN PAUSED FOR THREE YEARS. SOME COLLEGE GRADUATES HAVE NOT EVEN STARTED PAYING OFF THEIR DEBT. ECONOMIST RILEY WHITE SAYS THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO START. IF YOU’RE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE AND YOUR ABILITY TO PAY. THERE IS A SERIES OF INCOME DRIVEN REPAYMENT PLANS THAT LIMIT THE AMOUNT THAT YOU HAVE TO SPEND TO ABOUT 10 TO 20% OF YOUR DISCRETIONARY INCOME ON YOUR LOANS. FOR SOME WHO HAVE PAUSED THEIR NORMAL PAYMENTS, WHITE SUGGESTS PAYING OFF HIGHEST BALANCES. FIRST, IT MAKES MORE SENSE FOR YOU TO PAY OFF THOSE LOANS IN A SHORTER AMOUNT OF TIME, PAY LESS INTEREST, PAY DOWN THOSE HIGHER INTEREST LOANS FIRST, OR LOOK AT THE POTENTIAL IF YOU’VE DEVELOPED A HIGH ENOUGH CREDIT SCORE TO GET A CONSOLIDATED LOAN. ANOTHER OPTION, HOW OFTEN YOU MAKE PAYMENTS. THINK ABOUT MAKING YOUR STUDENT LOAN PAYMENTS BIWEEKLY RATHER THAN MONTHLY. THIS HELPS SHAVE OFF SOME OF THOSE EXTRA INTEREST PAYMENTS THAT YOU CAN YOU CAN USE AS WELL. WHITE SAYS THE RESUMPTION OF STUDENT LOAN PAYMENTS WILL LEAVE MORE PEOPLE ON A TIGHTER BUDGET. IT’S A HUGE HUMAN IMPACT AND I DON’T WANT TO UNDERSTATE THAT, BUT IT DOES SHIFT FUNDAMENTALLY THE WAY PEOPLE WILL BE SPENDING MONEY GOING FORWARD. WHITE ALSO SUGGESTS SETTING UP AUTOPAY FOR THOSE LOAN PAYMENTS IN ORDER TO TRY AND GET A LOWER INTEREST RATE OR LOWER PAYMENTS. REPORTING LIVE AT UNM CAMPUS, STEPHANIE MUNIZ, KOAT ACTION 7 NEWS WHITE SAYS REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOUR BUDGET IS, IT’S IMPORTANT TO COME UP WIT