Student Loan Planner

Are private student loans worth it in comparison to federal loans? In this episode, learn how your degree path and future plans affect whether private loans should be on your radar, whether they’re a good idea for parents and grad students, and situations where they’re the worst option. In today’s episode, you'll find out:   How credit risk impacts your private student loan interest rate How your degree path affects whether private loans are a good decision Why you might take out a private loan instead of waiting to refinance Borrowing limits for Stafford Loans How Parent PLUS Loans come into the picture Why Parent PLUS Loans are such a burden Is a private loan better than a Parent PLUS Loan? Should private loans be used for graduate school? A rule of thumb for how much private loans can save you vs. Grad PLUS How a private loan payment could affect your financial goals Why an additive payment is bad news Fields with higher Stafford Loan limits Situations where private loans are the worst option Why overestimating your potential earnings can hurt you Why private loans might make a big comeback How an interest rate offer shows whether a degree choice is sound Full show notes at: http://studentloanplanner.com/34

Jordan Lee is the CEO and co-founder of CollegeBacker, a startup that helps people start 529 college savings plans. In this episode, learn what a 529 plan is, why it’s so important and how to get started. In today’s episode, you'll find out: What led Jordan to co-founding CollegeBacker How a 529 plan works The impact of saving when your child is young What counts as a qualified expense for a 529 Tax benefits of a 529 What’s a good annual contribution Should a 529 be priority over retirement savings? What superfunding is How to calculate what to save in a 529 How friends and family can contribute to your child’s 529 Which states provide income tax benefits with 529 plans What happens if your child decides not to attend college Differences between adviser-sold and direct-sold plans How you might choose where to house a 529 plan How prepaid tuition plans work Can you save too much to a 529? Why every parent should contribute a 529 plan Full show notes at https://studentloanplanner.com/33

Dr. Zachary Kingsberg is a dentist who, after graduating from the very expensive Nova Southeastern University, is now running his own dental practice startup in Dallas alongside his wife. In this episode, see how Zach began his startup journey, how he handled his student loans and the advice he’d give for an up-and-coming dentists on starting your own practice. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Zach’s journey into dental school How his associateship period played out How he and his wife prepared themselves to become startup practice owners How Zach went about acquiring patients The process of getting funding from a bank for a dental startup How demographics played into how Zach started his practice The issues he ran into trying to secure a mortgage Zach’s advice for refinancing student loans and getting a mortgage What he learned about running a dental practice in the first year How he handled marketing for his practice How running a bread-and-butter clinic has kept costs low Why Zach’s practice focuses on simple dentistry over cosmetics How income-driven repayment could have helped Zach’s loan applications His long-term goals for his practice Zach’s experience with hiring (and firing) employees The advice he’d give to a dentist associate considering a startup The importance of being willing to work hard as a new dentist Full show notes at: http://studentloanplanner.com/32

Chad Carson is real estate entrepreneur who has worked in real estate investing for 16 years. In this episode, learn how he got started on his entrepreneurial journey, how real estate investing really works, and whether it’s a good idea for your situation. In today’s episode, you'll find out:   • Chad’s background a college football player • How he got started in real estate investing • What Chad’s first rental was like • What a house hack is • How REO (real estate owned) property works • Whether real estate is a good tax shelter • How depreciation on property affects taxes • What a 1031 Exchange is • How many properties to start off with • The importance of having a CPA (certified public accountant) to help you with real estate taxes • How using a house hack can help you qualify for a better mortgage loan • Chad’s view on real estate crowdfunding • How active of investing real estate really is • What commercial house hacking is • Chad’s experience living abroad on his rental property income • How investing can pay off in the long term   Full show notes at: http://studentloanplanner.com/31 

Many student loan borrowers are worried about the risks of relying on Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). In the episode, find out why these risks are vastly overestimated as well as the histories of PSLF repeal attempts and taxable loan forgiveness. Also learn what you need to do in the extremely unlikely case that forgiveness programs are eliminated. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Other programs like PSLF that haven’t been repealed, despite massive costs The history of PSLF repeal attempts Why politicians are unlikely to try to have PSLF completely taken away What would happen in the unlikely event that PSLF was repealed How your savings rate affects how long you’d need to work before retiring The two kinds of people worried about PSLF going away The history of taxable loan forgiveness Government approaches to tax bombs Why having a high savings rate means you don’t need to worry about suddenly owing your forgiven loan balance How Congress might deal with taxable loan forgiveness in the future The history of income-driven repayment plans The idea behind the possible new Pay As You Earn plan What could happen if any of these programs were eliminated   Full show notes at: http://studentloanplanner.com/30 

The Student Loan Planner consultants — Travis Hornsby, Justin Harvey, Rob Bertman and Lauryn Williams — discuss cases they’ve had, with amazing success stories as well as financial catastrophes. In today’s episode, you'll find out: ▪ Fun background stories from each of the Student Loan Planner consultants ▪ Cases from each of the consultants — success stories and ones where they were too late to stop someone from making a huge financial mistake ▪ Why banking on Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) isn’t risky for current borrowers ▪ How student loan forgiveness instead of refinancing, depending on the situation, might save someone money ▪ How, even on the verge of default, taking the steps to address your student loan situation can turn everything around ▪ Why Parent PLUS Loans can lead to financial disaster — and strained relationships ▪ How parents end up in PLUS Loan situations while trying to provide for their children ▪ Another PLUS Loan situation — and why pursuing grants and scholarships is better ▪ Why having tough conversations about student loan debt and budgeting is important ▪ How extensive budgeting allowed a parent to stay home with her child ▪ Why it’s imperative to make sure you’re on track for PSLF ▪ Travis’ thoughts on reaching out for student loan help as soon as possible ▪ How income-driven repayment could save end up saving someone money versus staying on the Standard Repayment Plan ▪ More interesting background stories from the consultants
 Full show notes at: http://studentloanplanner.com/29 

Dr. Mark Ard is a resident psychiatrist who finished medical school with roughly $330,000 of debt. Learn how he’s working toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness, how refinancing his loans has helped him and what his tips are for optimizing loan forgiveness. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Mark’s background and education journey as a resident psychiatrist His family situation and how it’s affected his student loan repayment How he’s approached retirement accounts and buying a house Why purchasing a home is usually not the best decision for someone in residency How moonlighting has affected recertification with Public Service Loan Forgiveness How the breadwinner loophole can help people in community property states Why tax accountants might not know to equally distribute your income in you live in a community property state How much the breadwinner loophole can save someone on student loan payments How Mark refinanced his student loan debt How cashback bonuses with refinancing companies work How consolidating right after graduation can give medical students $0 payments their first year out of school Why putting loans in deferment or forbearance right out of school isn’t the best idea How a solo 401(k) could help someone with 1099 income Why life insurance and disability insurance are so important Mark’s long-term plans when it comes to retirement His advice for other residents entering student loan repayment Full show notes at: http://studentloanplanner.com/28 

Robert Farrington is the founder of The College Investor, a site that’s helped people with their student loans for 10 years and counting. He worked as an executive at Target before making his way into the personal finance blogosphere following a horrible experience with FedLoan Servicing. Learn about Robert’s thoughts regarding Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), the student loan crisis and his advice for getting out of debt. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Why Robert founded The College Investor Why articles claiming PSLF will have a 99% rejection rate are misleading How a lack of education regarding student loans hurts borrowers How a side hustle can help you pay off your student loan debt more quickly Robert’s advice for student loan borrowers considering whether to buy a house His thoughts on whether the student loan crisis will eventually crash How trying to unwind the credit in the student loan marketplace could negatively affect graduate programs Why Robert is a fan of borrowing caps for student loans What order financial savings should be put in, in terms of debt Extreme stories Robert has heard in regards to student loan borrowers The financial stressors he saw in employees while working at Target Robert’s thoughts on the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement What percentage people should be saving of their income His advice for setting up your own professional website — and why it’s important The best financial advice Robert has ever received
 Full show notes at: http://studentloanplanner.com/27 

Are you familiar with shady student loan practices versus legit ones that actually help student loan borrowers? In this episode, the Student Loan Planner consultants — Travis Hornsby, Justin Harvey, Rob Bertman and Lauryn Williams — discuss what type of strategies to steer clear of and which ones could potentially save borrowers both money and stress. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Whether a borrower should claim that they can’t access their spouse’s income information How student loan repayment strategies can sometimes lead to divorce If starting your own 501(c)(3) for loan forgiveness is a good idea How being small business owners can affect student loan repayment Should you use your pay stub or your tax return to recertify income? How a sudden change in salary could affect your income certification Why researching any financial adviser you plan on working with is critical Can you use last year’s tax returns to certify income? What the breadwinner and reverse breadwinner loophole is Is moving abroad to avoid student loan payments a legit strategy? What the die-with-your-debt strategy is Full show notes at: http://studentloanplanner.com/26 

How familiar are you with investing? Are you prepared for retirement? You may be surprised to learn that, according to a recent Student Loan Planner investing survey, many in the SLP community are not financially ready for retirement. Learn why your investing plan is just as imperative as paying off your student loans if you want to retire at a reasonable age (or even make work optional). (Plus, learn how to sign up for Student Loan Planner’s investing course, available until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time tonight!) In today’s episode, you'll find out:   Why your investing plan is just as important as your student loan payoff plan Why putting all your money into paying your student loans can impede your retirement How financial advisers have changed from the era of pensions to now Why so many financial advisers don’t understand the nuances of student loans What the Student Loan Planner survey said about attitudes toward investing How many respondents from the SLP community are using investment products The difference between maxing and matching with retirement accounts Three main questions survey respondents had about retirement and investing How investing and student loan payoff plans would look in a real-world example Why millennials have struggled with finances more than previous generations How technology has shaped millennials’ finances for the better Why the “Six-Figure Debt to Six-Figure Net Worth” investing course is worth it   Full show notes at: http://studentloanplanner.com/25