Debt

Currently, I am thinking about going back to school for a graduate degree to change my career entirely. It would be hard to do this while working full-time. I think that if I stick out this job for another 15 years, I should be OK to retire. (It's just me -- no husband or kids -- and I owe about $80,000 on my house.) I would LOVE to quit and go back to school (maybe with a loan?) for an "encore" career. It's amazing how much more expensive school is now. It's crazy. I know that I will be able to find a position once I have the degree. It may not be earning as much as I do now, but that's OK. Is this even something I should entertain? Jackie, Columbus, GA

More and more, people with outstanding debts are finding themselves in the crosshairs of swarms of collections agencies.

Total outstanding student loan debt is expected to surpass a trillion dollars in 2012. So what does that mean for education and the economy?

Living debt-free is a good thing, right? Those with little or no credit history are finding out you really can be "too thin."

College dropouts don’t get the job, earnings and career benefits of postsecondary education, but they do get a student loan repayment book.

Reporter Mitchell Hartman discusses the need for Marketplace's new Wealth & Poverty desk.

Tess talks with David Lazarus of the the Los Angeles Times about how to cope with possible identity theft, the tax implications of airmiles and handling your credit profile when collectors come calling.