California May Join List of States With “Student Borrower Bill of Rights”

California may be about to become the newest in a growing number of states to have passed a “Student Borrower’s Bill of Rights.” About 3.2 million Californians currently owe a total of $133 billion in outstanding student loan debt. Nationally, the average balance for those who owe student loans is $37,429. One out of every […]

Julian Castro’s Student Loan Plan

Former Obama housing Secretary, San Antonio mayor and Democratic Party presidential candidate Julian Castro has proposed a detailed plan for student loan forgiveness. It’s part of what he calls his “People First” plan for education reform. Since this is primarily a student loan blog, we’ll focus first on the aspects of his plan specific to […]

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Ends “Gainful Employment Rule”

In 2014, the Obama Administration attached some strings to federal student loan aid going to for-profit colleges and universities. This was the deal: In exchange for continued access to student loan dollars, for-profit schools had to show that students were finding gainful employment upon graduation and paying off their loans. Additionally, the new standard required […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

You Could Soon Use a Section 529 Plan To Pay Off Student Loans. Here’s Why That Might Be a Bad Idea.

You may soon be allowed to use Section 529 plans to pay up to $10,000 in student loan debt. Earlier this month, the House Ways and Means Committee unanimously passed a bill called the SECURE Act. That is, “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement.” Among other things, this bill expands Section 529 plans to include […]