Jake wants to attend dental school while Carissa has enrolled in an occupational therapy program. See how they plan to finance their educations and why going for student loan forgiveness is a better option than Carissa’s parents paying for grad school. In today’s episode, you'll find out: How Jake and Carissa decided on their specific programs How their choice of schools affects their future student debt Their plan for future work post-graduation Carissa’s plan for financing her degree Why paren...
Aug 20, 2019•53 min•Ep. 38
We can sweat the small stuff — like Netflix subscriptions or gym memberships or daily lattes. But sweating the big stuff — like housing and car purchases — is most important for your financial health. See how these big-ticket items can affect your finances — and what to do about it. In today’s episode, you'll find out: How buying too much house leads to financial train wrecks Why having too many cars isn’t a good financial decision Why buying a latte every day doesn’t have much of an impact How ...
Aug 13, 2019•40 min•Ep. 37
Most people don’t seem to like their student loan servicer — and for good reason. Here are the 10 most common student loan servicer mess-ups and why they happen. In today’s episode, you'll find out: The 10 most common student loan servicer mess-ups Why servicers urge switching to Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) How switching to REPAYE can hurt some borrowers Why inaccurate payment counts for loan forgiveness happen How to get your payment count fixed Why inaccurately reporting your spouse’s inc...
Aug 06, 2019•41 min•Ep. 36
Do you have a good savings rate? What is a good savings rate anyway? In this episode, learn why a high savings rate is so critical — and how to secure one for yourself. In today’s episode, you'll find out: How do you define a savings rate? The history of savings rates in the U.S. How advertisements might have affected savings rates Where the current average national savings rate has settled How having six figures of student loan debt should affect your savings rate The saving statistics of the S...
Jul 30, 2019•49 min•Ep. 35
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 in...
Jul 23, 2019•51 min•Ep. 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 savi...
Jul 16, 2019•47 min•Ep. 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 prepa...
Jul 09, 2019•36 min•Ep. 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 ...
Jul 02, 2019•51 min•Ep. 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 at...
Jun 25, 2019•41 min•Ep. 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 (P...
Jun 18, 2019•42 min•Ep. 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 purch...
Jun 11, 2019•53 min•Ep. 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 Colleg...
Jun 04, 2019•50 min•Ep. 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 rep...
May 28, 2019•39 min•Ep. 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 ...
May 21, 2019•49 min•Ep. 25
If you’re heading into a career in dentistry, medicine or pharmacy, is a residency worth it? What are the differences in requirements, and how do those affect your salary and student loan repayment? Here’s what the economic value of a residency could look like for you, and how it varies by profession. (Also learn about Student Loan Planner’s brand-new investing course, launching alongside our podcast for one week only !) In today’s episode, you'll find out: How residency programs have proliferat...
May 14, 2019•40 min•Ep. 24
Mark Strucker is an educational consultant based in Atlanta, Georgia. He’s worked in boarding school admissions and then the college admissions space for 19 years. After working in the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Schools, he founded School Match 4U, a full-service educational consulting company that helps future college students and their families with the college admissions process. Learn how Mark’s educational consulting company works, what his advice is for getting good financial aid an...
May 07, 2019•44 min•Ep. 23
Alan is a national security specialist living in the D.C. area. He graduated with $120,000 of student loan debt, which had now climbed to $160,000 with interest. His wife is a vice principal with about $40,000 of student loan debt herself. Both are working toward student loan forgiveness — Alan with Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and his wife with Teacher Loan Forgiveness. Learn about Alan’s struggles with FedLoan Servicing (the servicer in charge of all things PSLF) and how loan forgive...
Apr 30, 2019•55 min•Ep. 21
Alex Barnette is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) who graduated from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. She currently has about $115,000 in student loan debt that she’s paying off. She’s also launched her own practice — Alex Barnette Counseling, also located in Austin. In today’s episode, you'll find out: What schooling looks like for someone wanting to be an LMFT The breakdown of various license abbreviations in the therapy world The tuition to expect in a master’s program...
Apr 23, 2019•52 min•Ep. 21
Have you ever thought about being a millionaire — even if you have student loan debt? Then this episode will be powerful for you. Most people want to earn enough to retire comfortably and to live their dreams, but they aren’t sure how they can do it. If you’re wondering how to prepare for the future when you’re dealing with a ton of student loan debt, here’s how you can hit a seven-figure level net worth. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Is it possible to become a millionaire with student lo...
Apr 16, 2019•45 min•Ep. 20
Tim Ulbrich graduated from the Ohio Northern University Doctor of Pharmacy program — which he decided on straight out of high school at age 18 — with $200,000 in student loan debt. After three years of Tim and his wife being on the Standard Repayment Plan and feeling like they were living paycheck to paycheck, they began aggressively paying back on the loans and were able to pay off the last of the debt in the fall of 2015. Now Tim is a clinical professor of pharmacy and program director for the...
Apr 09, 2019•39 min•Ep. 19
Justin Harvey is a brand new team member here at Student Loan Planner. As a student loan consultant, he’s hit nearly a hundred consults. He’s been in the financial industry since graduating from Villanova University in 2010. After seeing the student loan debt his wife had as an anesthesia resident and how it’s impacted their lives, he launched his own firm in 2017, Quantifi Planning, which focuses on anesthesia and pain physicians with student loan debt. In today’s episode, you'll find out: How ...
Apr 02, 2019•44 min•Ep. 18
Dr. David Donelson graduated from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine with $330,000 in student loan debt. After practicing in New York City for two years, he felt compelled to find a brand new environment and found himself in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The foreign earned income exclusion has allowed him to tackle his student loans more aggressively. He still currently practices in Dubai, where he’s been located for seven years. He plans to return to the U.S. in the next few years and to...
Mar 26, 2019•47 min•Ep. 17
Lauryn Williams isn’t just a student loan consultant here at Student Loan Planner. She’s also a four-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist who grew up learning to save and work hard for what she had. Though she graduated without student loan debt, she had many friends who struggled under the pressing weight of it. At only 20 years old, she began earning a $200,000 income, and she trusted financial advisers to sort out what to do with her money. But when those advisers didn’t end up havin...
Mar 19, 2019•53 min•Ep. 16
Dr. Amanda Endsor graduated from vet school with $168,000 in debt. She worked through school to make ends meet while accruing fewer student loans, and she had little support from her school when it came to handling her loans after graduating. She also continued her education into veterinary dentistry, and she’s now working to pay off her debt. She currently practices veterinary medicine in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she’s also involved with Vinea, a women’s mentorship program. In today’s episod...
Mar 12, 2019•47 min•Ep. 15
If you have student loan debt and want to work either part time or not at all, this episode will blow your mind. Most people want to work less than they currently are, but they aren’t sure how they can afford to do so. No matter your life situation, it can be confusing to know how you can make your payments while working less. The strategies I’ll share in this episode will help you know how to approach both federal and private student loan debt if you want to cut your work hours — and how to liv...
Mar 05, 2019•44 min•Ep. 14
Jessica Cox found herself in $300,000 of student loan debt after attending law school in New York. She went through many trials like losing her scholarships after her first year of classes. Despite the struggles during the first year, she was able to come back the next year and make the dean's list. It wasn’t easy, but Jessica graduated from law school and is now working to pay back her debt. She's currently working in legal marketing and business development in Houston, Texas. In today’s episod...
Feb 26, 2019•48 min•Ep. 13
If you are over 50 years old with student loan debt or know someone who is, this episode is going to be life-changing. There are 1.9 million people over the age of 50 who still have student loan debt. It's no secret that the information surrounding most student loan debt is pretty bad and somewhat confusing. When you're in your 50s, 60s, and 70s dealing with student loan debt, it can be even more confusing as you deal with Social Security and different issues with Parent PLUS loans. The student ...
Feb 19, 2019•44 min•Ep. 12
Eric Meissner is a Marine JAG who knew there would be financial benefits to joining the military. Eric had some good mentors and family members who encouraged him to attend law school. He went in with the intention of getting a portion of his loans forgiven on behalf of the military. Eric graduated from law school with a little over $120,000 of student loan debt and his loans just came out of deferment. In this episode, we'll be discussing his repayment options, what led to his career path as a ...
Feb 12, 2019•35 min•Ep. 11
Is student loan debt good or bad? This is a controversial topic because we hear all the time from colleges and universities that student loan debt is 'good'. Still having loan debt can be stressful, especially if you owe six figures. If you've ever wondered is student loan debt was better or worse than others or even how to turn your loan debt from bad to good, this episode is for you. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Which debt is worse, credit card or student loans? What is negative amorti...
Feb 05, 2019•42 min•Ep. 10
Let's go back to the beginning when I landed my very first student loan consulting client. I’ve been very fortunate to have Elaina as a friend over the years and helping her with her veterinarian student loans is where it all began. We met on a grouper date when a bunch of us got together and hung out. I actually was just helping out as a friend and didn’t take any sort of payment until I finally caved when she forced me to take some compensation. Going through veterinary school, her student loa...
Jan 29, 2019•52 min•Ep. 9
