(KCEN) -- Struggling with debt is a problem many Americans face. And military families are no exception.
Military wife Olivia Williamson took out a loan to help her family of three.
Now she's saying the high interest is making it hard to pay off.
She was lucky to steer clear of pay day loans, which are illegal to give to the military, though they find ways around it.
A loan expert says military families and people with low income are targeted for pay day loans.
According to the Pew Research Center, about five-and-a-half percent of adults in the nation have taken out a pay day loan in the past five years and borrowers take out eight loans a year.
Bankruptcy attorney Erin Shank said, "If you're desperate and think you have to have one, it's probably going to make your financial situation worse not better."
If you are in the military and in need a loan, Shank recommends an Army emergency relief loan.
They are interest free loans for military members and their family members.
