The Perils of Navigating Federal Debt Forgiveness Programs on Your Own

On the surface, student debt relief programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness look like win-win projects. With Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), students who accept in-demand jobs in public service fields can have their federal student loans forgiven after 10 years of on-time student loan payments. If you meet these qualifications, your loans will be […]

Republican Senator: Make Colleges Pay Half of Graduates’ Defaults

If a college or university alumni defaults on student loans, the college should pay at least half of the amount in default. That’s the premise of the latest student loan bill on the Senate floor, the Skin In The Game Act, courtesy of Senator Josh Hawley (R – Missouri). The bill would also prevent educational […]

Percentage of Employers Offering Student Loan Repayment Benefit Doubles

The percentage of U.S. employers who provide student loan repayment assistance to employees has doubled. Employers are now twice as likely to offer a student loan repayment benefit as they were just a year or two ago, according to a survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). While SHRM data records the number […]

Understanding the Risks of Refinancing Your Student Loans

When you have student loans, you have a lot to worry about. Tracking your spending and keeping payments on schedule can be difficult enough, especially if you need a mountain of documentation for a federal relief program like PSLF. Relief options like consolidation, refinancing, and income-driven repayment are a big boost for borrowers, but doing […]

Student Loan Debt Deferment and Forbearance: FAQ Guide

Student loan debt deferment and forbearance are two options borrowers have to temporarily delay their loan payments. Under specialized circumstances, student loan debt deferment or student loan debt forbearance allows borrowers to: Temporarily stop making federal student loan payments Temporarily reduce the amount of your federal student loan payments Private lenders have different rules and […]

Maryland SmartBuy Program Will Pay Off Up to $40,000 in Student Loans If You Buy a House There.

The Maryland SmartBuy Program Looking to buy a home with student loan debt? Consider moving to Maryland. A government initiative there will pay off and eventually forgive up to $40,000 in student loan debt. The catch: You have to buy a home in Maryland. And you have to live in it for at least five […]

Student Loan Assistance Ranked #1 Benefit Option for Open Enrollment

You’ve heard it before and chances are you’ll keep hearing it: millennials really need help with their student loan debt.  The national student debt figure has risen to over $1.5 trillion – a staggering figure by any measure.  Is it any wonder that employees with student debt are approaching their job options with a sense […]

It’s 2019. Have you checked on your PSLF eligibility status?

Make sure your PSLF eligibility is on track at least every year. Don’t rely on people you’ve never met to win a lawsuit in order to qualify for public service loan forgiveness. You can’t control what happens in a courtroom, and you can’t control what a judge says. If you want to ensure you receive […]

Student Loan Debt Statistics in 2019

Student loan debt has ballooned to its highest levels ever in the United States. In 2019, 44 million U.S. borrowers collectively owe $1.5 trillion in student loan debt, according to Forbes. This is the highest amount ever owed before. It’s no wonder experts agree, “America’s $1.5 trillion student-loan crisis has spiraled out of control.” Read […]

Feds May Crack Down on Student Loan Fraud

This here is why we can’t have nice things. At least two of ‘y’all tried to reduce your monthly student loan payments by reporting a household size of 93. And the federal General Accounting Office is calling BS. That’s one of the more egregious findings from a recent GAO report. The gist: Thousands of student […]

Disabled Veterans May Receive Automatic Student Loan Forgiveness Under New Bill

‘FREED Vets Act’ Would Provide Average Benefit of $24,000 in Loan Forgiveness Per Eligible Disabled Veteran Nearly 34,000 disabled veterans may receive automatic and total forgiveness for federally-guaranteed student loans. That’s the object of new legislation introduced in the House. The bill, entitled the Federally Requiring Education Debt Discharges for Veterans Act, or FREED Vets […]

Teachers Union Sues Dept. of Education Over Denied Public Service Loan Forgiveness Claims

Imagine being a schoolteacher, cop, firefighter, social worker or some other public service worker with a big student loan debt. You went into the field a decade ago knowing the pay wasn’t the greatest. But you expected you’d be able to discharge your remaining student loan debt after ten years in public service. That was […]