{
  "id": 9119247,
  "title": "I'm 41 and plan to retire at 65. My first step was paying off over $55,000 in credit card debt — here's how I did it.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/im-41-and-plan-to-retire-at-65-my-first-step-was-paying-off-over-55",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-22T09:05:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Insider",
    "slug": "business-insider",
    "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/how-hr-manager-cleared-55k-debt-planning-ahead-retirement-2026-9"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Michelle Gudiño Prestamo, a 41-year-old HR manager, successfully paid off over $55,000 in credit card debt and plans to retire at 65 to open a coffee shop. She discovered her spending problem, which led to the debt, and turned to her company's employee assistance program for help. Through this program, she learned to redefine her budget and joined a three-year debt repayment program, paying $1,077 monthly. After completing the program, she now focuses on saving money. She and her husband also have a mortgage, and she aims to build an emergency fund for her son.",
  "summary": "Michelle Gudiño Prestamo is an HR manager at a footwear company. To prepare for retirement, she cleared her debt and is building an emergency fund.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}