Spending time at the local library won’t make your student loans disappear overnight. However, it will help borrowers struggling with student debt in a number of different ways. Not only is the local library free, but it is an excellent resource in eliminating student loans. The many wonderful services of …
Personal Finance Lessons to Learn BEFORE College
In many ways college is the perfect environment for learning. Most students are on their own for the first time, and the lessons they learn, both in and out of the classroom will last a lifetime. Unfortunately, many recent college graduates learn some very expensive lessons too late. While millions …
Student Loans, Rent, and Retirement: How to Build Wealth and Fight Debt
Paying off student loans is an uphill battle. Interest rates work against you and loan servicers frustrate the process. Making things even more complicated is the fact that we do not pay off student loans in a vacuum, life goes on during repayment. There are other expenses, and far off …
Retirement Planning for IBR and PAYE borrowers
Planning for retirement always seems to take a backseat when it comes to dealing with student loans. In many ways the debts of the past make planning for the future difficult. The many variables of IBR and PAYE make planning even more difficult. At present, loans can be forgiven after …
Is there a penalty to paying off my federal student loan early?
Federal student loans can be a huge headache, but fortunately, penalties for paying off the loans early are not an issue. There are no prepayment costs and the interest rate does not go up if you pay early. In fact, with the interest rate compounding on a daily basis, the …
Retirement, Taxes and Student Loans
Retirement, taxes, and student loans are a horribly unpleasant trio for most millennials. For many, taxes are too high, student loans will never be paid off, and retirement is a far away dream at best. In short, it is bad news, bad news, and more bad news. The good news …
Should I pay off my credit cards or student loans first?
Generally speaking knocking out your credit card debt before you pay off your student loans is the smartest financial move. This is because most credit card interest rates greatly exceed the interest rates on most student loans. That being said, before you decide on a strategy, there are a few …
How to Consolidate Navient Student Loans
(Article Updated 6/29/17 to include the latest interest rate information) If you are unhappy with your repayment plan, interest rates, or Navient customer service but unable to pay off your loan, consolidating your loan could be the solution to your problems. The consolidation process is fairly simple. At its most …
What is the Obama Student Loan Forgiveness Program?
More and more companies are advertising services to sign people up for the Obama Student Loan Forgiveness Program. The sales pitch makes it seem as if making a simple phone call can fix all of your student loan programs. The truth is that there are some student loan forgiveness programs …
Should I sell my stock to pay off my student loans?
The other day I had a strange conversation with someone. They owed about $20,000 to one lender at 11% and had a few other loans in the 2 to 4% range. As we discussed things, this bombshell was dropped, “I have like $30,000 in IBM stock, should I think about …