It happened overnight. I awoke yesterday morning, got ready for work and logged into my Mint.com account. And there it was, staring me in the face. Taunting me, mocking me, asking me in a teasing voice: “So whatcha gonna do now, financial genius?”

$13K in my SmartyPig savings account. $13K in student loan debt

The amount of money I have saved up for my long-term financial goals now equals the balance I owe on my student loans.

I could wipe out all of my debt with one stroke of the keyboard.

It’s so tempting, it’s not even funny.

My Financial Goals vs. My Hatred of Debt

Ever since I started working, I’ve socked away money for some important medium and long-term goals: my wedding (someday in the to-be-determined future), my on-going education (a degree or otherwise), my trip to South Africa and Mozambique next year. I even have a “whenever I quit my job and I want to travel for a year” fund.

But one of my biggest financial goals is to pay down my student loans as quickly as possible. I’m not one to care about comparing interest rates, but I am one to compare opportunity costs. At the rate I’m going, I still have a few years until I’m finally debt free.

What Should I Do with My Debt?

Deciding what to do with my money is always a thoughtful and hugely emotional decision. That’s why I need some outside counsel 🙂

So what should I do? Do I keep plugging away at my debt and wait another two or three years to pay it off? Should I cash-in all or some of my savings to accelerate the process?

What would YOU do?

Interested in refinancing your student loans?

Lender	Rates (APR)	Eligible Degrees	More Info
	2.47% - 7.80%	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Sofi
	2.47% - 6.32%	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Earnest
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	2.80% - 7.02%	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Laurel Road
	2.48% - 6.25%	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Commonbond
	2.57% - 8.69%1	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Citizens