I am not currently working due to ill health, and can see no light at the end of the tunnel, sadly (I would love nothing better than to have my illness sorted out). I am therefore eligible to defer my student loan repayments (I owe about £4k).
However, DH recently inherited some money when his DGF died. We could now afford to pay off the loan, with plenty of cash to spare. I feel that we should, because I don't want younger people to struggle because of a high default rate on loan payments. My argument is that even though I am not able to benefit from the education myself at present in employment terms, I am benefiting by how much it has enriched my life.
However, a close relative says that this is crazy and that the money just goes to a private company and not the state where it will help other people. She says that we should take what we are entitled to and defer for as long as possible, and use the money for other things. She points out that the money is DH's (though our finances are very much treated as in common) and that we could give it to charity instead.
WWYD?