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Julia Schiff

Latest Stories (4)

Education support specialists keep schools running, but their pay doesn't reflect that

May 27, 2022
ESPs, or classified employees, are a chronically underpaid part of the education system. Low wages are driving them out of the profession.
Education support specialists on average make $35,000 a year, but they often go the extra mile to help students succeed.
Illustration by Julia Schiff

Can you negotiate your credit card rate?

May 20, 2022
Credit Counselors can work with banks to bring down interest rates in order to get debt paid off.
Your credit card interest rate is negotiable — in a way.
Creative/Getty Images Illustration by Julia Schiff

What happens when we run out of sand?

May 2, 2022
We’re depleting the natural resource at an alarming rate, which means higher costs for building, the environment and mining communities.
Excessive mining is driving up the cost of sand, but it's also devastating the environment and mining communities. Above, a sand mining site along the Gambian coast in 2021.
John Wessels/AFP via Getty Images

The jury's still out on that $1.6 trillion in student loan debt

Mar 15, 2022
“We’ve passed the point where nothing can be done on student debt," one expert told us.
Millions of student loan borrowers are waiting for a decision on debt forgiveness.
Mandel Gnan/AFP Getty Images Illustration by Julia Schiff