Keeping student loans from becoming the next ‘debt bomb’ - Michelle Singletary, Boston Globe

Come graduation time next month, there will be many grandparents - many with student loans themselves - sitting at the ceremonies for their grandchildren, who will leave college with their own education loans. Some in both groups will take those loans to their graves. The balance of student loans outstanding in the United States has been growing for years. Until the Great Recession, people thought the level of debt being carried by borrowers was manageable. They thought the good jobs would come, making the debt a good investment. This sentiment is changing in the face of the reality that the loans are a hardship for many, especially seniors who either took out loans for themselves or borrowed and or cosigned for their children or grandchildren.