Jill Green made a bold decision when faced with the dilemma of whether to pay off her student loans first or take out another loan to buy a house while carrying a burden of about $1 million in student debt. According to a report by Business Insider, Green graduated from medical school with a six-figure student loan debt, with a net worth at one point hovering around negative $1 million. Instead of waiting to pay off all her debts before starting to invest, she and her husband decided to leverage funds from their 401(k) retirement account and purchased their first real estate property.
By 2026, she revealed to the media that she is now debt-free and has a net worth of around $3 million. Starting from a negative $1 million in 2019, her net worth increased by approximately $4 million over a span of 6 to 7 years. What was her mindset at that time?
After graduating from university, Green initially worked in mergers and acquisitions at an investment bank before deciding to switch careers and pursue medicine.
The cost quickly reflected in her balance sheet. When she graduated from medical school, she was saddled with a six-figure student loan debt, putting her net worth at roughly negative $1 million, with her primary asset being her own home.
However, this student loan also brought her a new career path. Green later became a family physician and an emergency room doctor, with her husband also being in the medical field. As their incomes rose, they faced a choice: with extra money, should they focus on paying off the student loans quickly or start accumulating assets while still repaying debts? They chose the latter.
Upon diving into real estate investments, the Green couple set their eyes on a medical office building, but they didn’t have enough cash on hand to close the deal.
Thinking outside the box, Green turned to her 401(k) retirement account. Rather than taking an early withdrawal, she borrowed from her 401(k) and combined it with a loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to complete the transaction. She mentioned that the SBA loan offered a locked-in interest rate of 4%.
The borrowed funds from the 401(k) were slowly repaid from their salaries. Green opted for a 5-year repayment period, with around $200 deducted from each paycheck.
After their initial investment, the couple continued to expand their portfolio with rental properties, adding approximately one property per year.
What makes Green’s story intriguing is that she wasn’t avoiding debt altogether but rather chose not to wait until all debts were cleared before beginning to build assets. Both being doctors with stable incomes, they could strategically pay off debts while also investing in income-generating real estate properties.
The lower financing costs at the time played a crucial role in their decision-making. Green mentioned that the interest rate for the initial property financed with the SBA loan was just 4%. If borrowing costs are low and the acquired assets yield higher long-term returns, mathematically speaking, paying off all low-interest debts early might not be the only choice.
Of course, there is a significant assumption in this equation: the success of investments. While loan interests are a definite expense, rental income and property value appreciation are not guaranteed.
Speaking to Business Insider, Green shared that her net worth had increased by approximately $4 million since 2019, shifting from negative $1 million to positive $3 million. During the interview in 2026, she proudly stated that she is now debt-free.
However, this success story should not be interpreted as “borrowing money while in debt leads to making millions in seven years.” Both Green and her husband being doctors, the continuous income, repayment of existing debts, and subsequent real estate investments all contributed to the change in net worth.
Her circumstances are not easily replicable by an average household. The income and financing capabilities of two doctors differ greatly from those with unstable incomes and lacking emergency savings. Real estate investments carry risks such as vacancy, maintenance, and price fluctuations, while borrowing from a 401(k) means temporarily withdrawing funds from a retirement account, potentially missing out on market gains.
Therefore, Green’s story doesn’t advocate for “borrowing money for investments even in debt” or imply that accumulating more debt leads to easier wealth-building. The real question to ponder is: when you have extra funds, should you use them all to pay off debts early or start building assets while still repaying debts?
Green opted for the latter. She mentioned that approximately 6 to 7 years later, the debts were paid off, and her net worth shifted from negative $1 million to around $3 million positively.