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Jillian Berman

@jillianberman.bsky.social
226 followers 57 following 23 posts

Deputy enterprise editor at MarketWatch, covering student loans, consumer debt and more. Get in touch! jberman@marketwatch.com.

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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
Skepticism has been growing not just of higher ed, but of the BA. There are reasons to be worried: debt + unemployment. But the data on short-term programs shows the benefits can be fleeting. TLDR: There's no route to a decent financial life without risk. www.marketwatch.com/story/theres...
marketwatch.com
There’s a war on the bachelor’s degree. Can anything replace it?
The share of Americans with a bachelor’s degree has been going up for years. That’s about to change, if politicians get their way.
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
"I feel very powerless in this situation, which is a shame because I followed everything" and "It’s just a battle between presidents" -- these are 2 sentiments that sum up a lot of what I've been hearing from student loan borrowers over the past few years. www.marketwatch.com/story/millio...
marketwatch.com
Millions of student-loan borrowers have no idea how much they’re supposed to pay
Balances increasing, forgiveness paused — the “level of confusion is just crazy.”
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Student loan interest rates are starting for millions today + they're sorting through their options amid a lot of challenges in the system. As one told me "I just feel really stuck." www.marketwatch.com/story/studen...
marketwatch.com
Student-loan interest restarts today for millions. This is what you can do.
Borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan will see their balances start to tick up
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Thanks to ex-ED undersecretary James Kvaal and @washingtonmonthly.com for this insightful discussion of my book, Sunk Cost! I particularly appreciate the comments on my approach to the stories of borrowers who so generously shared their time with me. washingtonmonthly.com/2025/06/18/s...
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
The House version of the megabill is proposing major curbs to federal student lending + private lenders are 'very happy to step in for the government.' At a recent student loan industry conference it was a big topic of discussion. marketwatch.com/story/republ...
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
Thanks for reading and sharing @dcollier74.bsky.social! bsky.app/profile/dcol...
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Reposted by Jillian Berman
Melissa B. Jacoby @mbjacoby.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
Were I in the DC area you would find me here. Book events at public libraries are a special thing. And opportunity to hear from a journalist with extensive experience reporting on student loans.
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
DC-area! I'll be talking about student debt tonight at the Shepherd Park library. Excited to share insights from my book SUNK COST at a local public library! Details here:
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Excited to see you there! If you're in Philly and interested in learning more about our student loan system, come by Making Worlds this Friday! bsky.app/profile/bake...
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Before leaving office the Biden admin quietly announced it took steps to protect more of borrowers' Social Security benefits from being taken over a defaulted student loan. Now, as debt collection resumes, the Trump admin is reversing the policy. www.marketwatch.com/story/studen...
marketwatch.com
Student-loan borrowers in default could see Social Security benefits cut to $750
The Trump administration is reversing a Biden-era policy that would have protected a larger portion of monthly checks for some defaulted student-loan borrowers
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
I spoke with @thecut.com about the challenges some student loan borrowers are facing right now and their options for dealing with them: www.thecut.com/article/stud...
thecut.com
Student-Loan Debt Collectors Are Coming for Your Paycheck
Forced collections on student loans in default start next week. Some borrowers might be in for a nasty surprise.
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
Excited for this tonight! bsky.app/profile/peop...
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
If you’d like to hear more about the book and student debt more broadly, I’ll be at the Corner Bookstore in NYC on April 15 and @peoplesbooktakoma.com in Takoma Park, MD on April 16.
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
I’m extraordinarily grateful to everyone who lent their voices and time to me in the reporting of this book and I’m so excited to have it out in the world. Read more about one of the borrowers featured in Sunk Cost here. www.marketwatch.com/story/she-th...
marketwatch.com
She thought student loans would support her dreams. Now they’re a ‘nightmare.’
A new book explains the $1.6 trillion student-loan crisis
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Today is pub day for SUNK COST, my book on the student debt crisis! It chronicles how a policy aimed at helping low- and middle-income Americans afford college became one of the biggest consumer finance challenges of our time. Order it here! press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
press.uchicago.edu
Sunk Cost
Exposes the forgotten origins of the student loan system, how politicians have attempted to fix it, and the life-altering damage borrowers face.   Student-loan horror stories are a dime a dozen. But s...
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Excited to be at my neighborhood bookstore, People’s Book, on April 16 talking about SUNK COST. bsky.app/profile/peop...
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
With millions of borrowers behind on student loan payments + applications for affordable repayment plans unavailable, the Trump admin is looking to slash customer service as part of its bid for efficiency. www.marketwatch.com/story/studen...
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Had fun answering some questions for @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social's newsletter! yourfirstbyline.substack.com/p/my-first-b...
yourfirstbyline.substack.com
My First Byline: Jillian Berman
Deputy Enterprise Editor, MarketWatch
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
“There’s not an articulation of exactly what is likely to return and what might continue to be frozen, and that’s just a very difficult place for any organization to operate, much less every aspect of American society.” www.marketwatch.com/story/from-m...
marketwatch.com
From Medicaid to student loans, scope of Trump budget gambit leaves Americans scrambling
Move to halt federal grant funding will create a “constitutional crisis,” a top Senate Democrat said.
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
My book Sunk Cost is coming in April! It exposes the forgotten origins of the student loan system, how politicians have tried to fix it, and the life-altering damage borrowers face. Pre-order here! press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
press.uchicago.edu
Sunk Cost
Exposes the forgotten origins of the student loan system, how politicians have attempted to fix it, and the life-altering damage borrowers face.   Student-loan horror stories are a dime a dozen. But s...
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Pumped for this! bsky.app/profile/dali...
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
MarketWatch is on BlueSky! Follow @marketwatch.com for the latest on investing, personal finance and more!
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
He fought for years to win the disability benefits he was eligible for + a judge agreed the government owed him $97,000 in backpay. Then the check was stolen from the mail, putting him at risk of homelessness. www.marketwatch.com/story/a-stol...
marketwatch.com
A stolen $97,000 check, a bureaucratic nightmare — and an unlikely happy ending
Todd Kahler was on the verge of homelessness after his Social Security disability-benefit check was stolen from the mail. He got the money back, but it took tenacity and some outside help.
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Jillian Berman @jillianberman.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
Trying this out! I'm reporter/editor with an expertise in student debt, sharing my latest: Tens of thousands of student loan borrowers were promised relief, they're still waiting and their worried about what the Trump admin will mean for the future of their loans. www.marketwatch.com/story/their-...
marketwatch.com
Their student loans should have been canceled already. What happens under Trump?
Pressure is building on the Biden administration to process promised student-loan cancellations in its waning days.
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