By George Erb – Special to The Seattle Times
“Like many young adults, Tacoma graduate student Taylor Reyes is pursuing her dreams of a career and a home while college debt piles up around her.
She’s worried whether she can earn enough money as a school counselor to buy a house and pay off student loans that could hit $50,000 by the time she graduates in May. “I had felt so weighed down by these things,” the 25-year-old Fircrest resident said.
But two volunteer financial planners showed Reyes that her ambitions can become reality. They also gave Reyes a plan for starting her career, managing her student loans and owning a home. Reyes could achieve all of those things by the time she’s 30.
Her story is also a case study of how young people can navigate the treacherous path from school to career and homeownership without getting swamped by debt.
The Puget Sound Chapter of the Financial Planning Association voluntarily connected Reyes with two pro bono advisers at Blue Canoe Financial Planning in Seattle. They were reassuring about Reyes’ financial condition. “It’s generally good, given that she knows where she wants to go,” said Nancy Dienes, a registered financial adviser and Blue Canoe’s CEO. “She’s taken some risks, but it’s reasonable.”
Dienes and her colleague, financial planner Holly Davis, developed a road map for Reyes that has tips for other young adults in similar circumstances…..”