We received an email from Steve with an interesting tax question. Steve writes: I have $30,000 left on school loans I’ve been paying on for years (no late payments). My family wants to pay them off for me so it’s done with. What is the best way to do this? …
Mailbag: Fixing FFEL Issues with Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Though discontinued, FFEL loans continue to cause significant issues for federal student loan borrowers seeking Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program loans not federally held are not eligible for PSLF. However, borrowers can convert them into eligible loans through Federal Direct Consolidation. Unfortunately, this fix …
Does Deferment or Forbearance Time Count for Student Loan Forgiveness?
Federal student loans have excellent perks like Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Forgiveness. Borrowers who work for an eligible employer can have their student debt forgiven after just 10 years. Those who don’t work for a public interest employer have to wait for 20 years for …
Politics, Student Loan Planning and Refinance Strategy
The 2020 presidential race has made student loan planning very difficult for borrowers. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are both promising student loan forgiveness. Should borrowers adjust their student loan strategy and refinancing decisions because the student debt might get canceled? Student loans could be forgiven as a result of …
Public Service Forgiveness for Parent PLUS Loans
Parent PLUS loans are in many ways the black sheep of the federal student loan system. Federal loans are usually considered to be far superior to private loans, in part because of the great repayment plans and forgiveness programs that are available through the federal government. Unfortunately, many of these …
Parent’s Guide to Finding the Best Student Loan for Your Child
A parent trying to help her child find student loans to cover the remaining cost of school sent us the following email: My son has taken out subsidized and unsubsidized federal loans, and he has much in scholarship and grant money. He still needs about 14K for the school year. …
Loan Payoff Date When Switching Repayment Plans
We received an interesting email from Don, a reader who is switching his federal loans from the Extended Repayment Plan to the Revised Pay As You Earn Plan (REPAYE). Don is getting some confusing information from Navient and wants to know when his loans will be paid in full if …
Dropping Income Repayment Strategy: Chase PSLF or Get Aggressive?
In this edition of the Sherpa Mailbag, we will take a look at a very interesting student loan dilemma. For the next year, Tony may have an excellent salary, then he may be making a shift to a lower paying government position. He may be in the lower paying government …
Ask Sherpa: Dealing with Massive Federal Debt and No Hope
In today’s Ask the Sherpa, we hear from a reader who is paralyzed by her massive federal student loan debt and feels like she had no hope of ever paying it off or retiring. To help with the hopelessness of the situation, we will take a look at the worst …
Is It Possible to Earn Too Much To Qualify for PSLF?
In this edition of the Student Loan Sherpa Mailbag, we take a look at Steve’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness dilemma. Steve is just a few years away from qualifying for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). A big jump in salary, however, has him questioning whether PSLF has an income limit …