Student Loan Uncertainty and Household Decisions

Welcome back to the Fintech Takes podcast. I’m Alex Johnson, joined by Jennifer Tescher, founder and CEO of the Financial Health Network (who’s spent the last two decades measuring, defining, and holding the industry accountable for consumers’ financial well-being).

We dig into the latest FinHealth Spend Report, which found that U.S. households paid $455B in interest and fees last year (a $100B jump in just two years!), and unpack what that says about the fragility of American households.

From student loans and BNPL to agentic AI to the design of financial products, this conversation covers the hidden costs of “frictionless” finance … and why real innovation might mean adding friction back in.

Highlights include:

• Why the $455B consumers paid in fees and interest is a canary in the coal mine for the economy (and how credit card debt and student loans are driving the jump)

• How the uncertainty around student loan forgiveness has frozen households in place, changing decisions about careers, housing, and family

• Whether BNPL helps or harms consumers (and why frictionless payments may have gone too far)

• Why agentic commerce risks turning AI into a 24/7 sales engine (and what it would take to build AI that actually improves financial health)

• How Financial Health Network’s new product design standards are nudging banks and fintechs to compete on doing right by customers

This episode is a sweeping, candid look at the real state of consumers’ financial health (and how design, data, and AI could either fix it or make it worse).

Thanks for listening!  

This episode was brought to you by Marqeta. Don’t sacrifice agility for stability. With Marqeta, launch payments experiences that perform at scale and flex with your business. Learn more at https://marqeta.com/ftt

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Follow Jennifer Tescher:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifertescher/

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