5 Tips for Managing Student Debt
Heather loves National Public Radio and offering free advice to student loan borrowers and their families. She got to enjoy both last week as she sat down with Public Radio International's nationally-syndicated talkshow host Tavis Smiley to discuss how to avoid student loan debt or what to do once you’re in student loan debt. Listen to the interview here. Heather's Five Tips for Managing Student Loan Debt: 1. Everyone should fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). 2. Students should choose…
Fed’s Debt Collector Scrutinized for Overly Aggressive Tactics
As many of you know by now, Heather is not a big fan of private student loans, considering their lack of borrower protections and flexibility when it comes time for repayment. Borrowers of federal student loans enjoy many benefits including fixed interest rates and a number of income-based repayment plans to select from for repayment. Bottom line, federal student loans are almost always preferred to private ones. For a more complete comparison of federal versus private student loans, click here. But, as with everything…
Teachers Don’t Need Lip Service, They Need Cash Money!
Teachers need a whole lot more than a few narrowly targeted and not particularly generous student loan forgiveness programs. Here in North Carolina, teachers haven’t received a meaningful raise for the last seven years. During the 2013 legislative session, North Carolina lawmakers decided to keep teachers’ pay frozen, eliminate master’s degree supplemental pay, strip teachers of tenure and dramatically underfund instructional supplies and teacher assistants. Ugh. Student loan forgiveness programs for the benefit of…
How to Get Started Dealing with Student Loans
Most student loans have a six-month grace period before you have to start making payments. If you graduated this past spring, that means now is a good time to get a grip on your student loans. Here’s how: Figure out which loans you have. You’ll find all your federal student loans listed in the National Student Loan Data System. Check for private student loans by pulling a free copy of your credit report using AnnualCreditReport.com. Decide whether consolidation makes sense for you. Some student loan…
CFPB Does it Again! New Toolkit Aims to Help Educate Borrowers on PSLF Options.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), our new BFF, launched a toolkit yesterday to empower school districts and other public service organizations to help their employees pay off student loan debt. The CFPB is asking these employers to make a pledge to inform their employees of their options. According to a report released yesterday, the CFPB estimates that more than 25 percent of the U.S. labor force is in public service. This includes teachers, librarians, firefighters, military personnel, law enforcement, first responders, nurses,…