How does student debt affect the U.S. economy?

We know student debt affects millions of individuals negatively. But how does student debt impact the overall U.S. economy? Read on for 3 big ways student loan debt creates problems for the U.S. economy, as reported by the Washington Post. Problem # 1 Small business decline According to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank […]

Kamala Harris on Student Loan Debt

Kamala Harris on Student Loan Debt By most polls, California Senator and former state attorney general Kamala Harris is currently running third in the Democratic primary. She’s behind former Vice President Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders. She’s ahead of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren in some polls and behind in others.  We tackled Biden’s track long […]

Senator Bernie Sanders’ Student Loan Plan

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has rolled out his plan to address student loan debt, and it’s a doozy. First, Sanders proposes we cancel all $1.6 trillion of outstanding student loan debt outright – including both federal and private loans. This would directly affect about 45 million Americans. The direct savings for the average student loan […]

Student Loan Tax Elimination Act Introduced in Senate

A new bill in the Senate, the Student Loan Tax Elimination Act, would eliminate student loan origination fees on federal loans. If approved, the measure could save borrowers billions over the next five years. Supporters say that origination fees on student loans amount to a “hidden tax” on student loan borrowers. And since the Department […]

4 Totally Free Ways to Combat Financial Stress

Money is a top cause of stress for Americans, with 72% of Americans feelings stressed about money at least once a month, according to the American Psychological Association.  However, finding ways to relax, unwind, and combat stress is crucial to maintaining physical, mental, and emotional health. If you’re currently stressed about your student loans, debts, […]

Joe Biden and His Controversial History With Student Loans

Under current law, federal student loans are generally not dischargeable in bankruptcy. Borrowers have Joe Biden to thank for that. In contrast, most other forms of consumer debt can be discharged through the bankruptcy process.  Only a limited number of debts, such as child support payments, alimony, overdue taxes, and criminal fines, are non-dischargeable. But […]

Do you regret your college degree?

Do you regret your college degree? A shocking new statistic finds that many Americans do, in fact, regret their college education. According to a PayScale survey of 248,000 respondents, almost two-thirds of employees have regrets about their degrees. In fact, almost 27% of workers with college degrees stated that their student loan debt was their […]

Renting an Apartment With Student Loan Debt Problems

You want to rent an apartment, but you’ve got oodles of student loan debt. Maybe you’ve been late on some payments. Maybe you’re even in default. Can you still rent an apartment with student loan debt headaches? Probably. But it might not be easy. Here’s the scoop: What landlords want Landlords have two basic priorities: […]

How To Improve Your Credit Score

Good news for the country: The average credit score is at a record high of 704. That’s according to the Fair, Isaac Corporation, the company that produces the most commonly used credit scoring product in the U.S. today, the FICO Score. If you’ve had credit issues in the past, or if you are simply new […]

Consolidation Loan Separation Act May Provide Relief to Victims of Domestic Violence and Abuse

Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act Aims to Help Divorced Joint Borrowers Get Back on Their Feet. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Shannon DeBlieck and her then-husband used a now-defunct federal program to consolidate their separate loan amounts together into a single payment. She owed $4,000, and he owed $19,000. The balance […]

Pros and Cons of Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs)

No matter how you slice it, college is expensive. The average debt load per student borrower reached $37,000 in 2017 and most proposals floating around Washington involve managing that debt, not making college cheaper. College costs keep climbing and will probably continue on that track for the foreseeable future. However, student loans aren’t the only […]

LGBT Graduates and Student Loan Debt

Now that Pride Month is in full swing, we turn our attention to a topic that doesn’t get talked about very much: LGBT people and student loan debt.  LGBT people face some unique challenges in dealing with student loan debt due to the fact that, as young students, they were statistically more likely to be […]