Is there anything scarier than student loans? With Halloween just around the corner, student loan experts Lauryn Williams and Meagan Landress share scary updates from 2020 and terrifying student loan stories. In today’s episode, you'll find out: An update on student loan changes so far this year If student loan payments will be suspended after December 31 Should you recertify your income-driven plan before the end of the year Why recertifying your income now could be a smart strategy What to do ...
Oct 13, 2020•40 min•Ep. 98
We have seen a lot of changes to the student loan system over the last few months. The Student Loan Planner team of consultants - Meagan Landress, Lauryn Williams, Justin Harvey, and Rob Bertman - are following the changes to keep you up to date. In this episode, they’re answering your questions to give you the low-down on student loans. In today’s episode, you'll find out: How your payments are calculated if your income goes up How a partial financial hardship factors into your payments Can you...
Oct 06, 2020•42 min•Ep. 97
Student Loan Planner consultants Rob Bertman and Meagan Landress share their best tips to find balance with budgeting, saving, investing, and paying off debt without sacrificing your quality of life. In today’s episode, you'll find out: The right balance between paying off debt and saving for the future The one thing you need to set yourself up for financial independence Why Landress thinks zero-based budgeting is exhausting and what she does instead Bertman’s 3-step process to setting up the pe...
Sep 29, 2020•56 min•Ep. 96
Physicians often ignore their student loan debt because so much of their brain space and emotional energy is dedicated to their vocation of medicine. In this episode, Student Loan Planner consultants Lauryn Williams and Justin Harvey explore unique student loan considerations and strategies for physicians. In today’s episode, you'll find out: An inside look at Justin and Lauryn’s personal lives How Justin and Lauryn each met their spouses Mental health challenges and compartmentalization physici...
Sep 22, 2020•42 min•Ep. 95
With Travis on paternity leave, the consultants are taking over the Student Loan Planner Podcast. All four consultants come together to share the good, the bad, and the ugly about student loans and your personal finances. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Who are the Student Loan Planner consultants How to make a career change when you have student loans How bad advice from a friend cheated a client out of qualifying for PSLF Sometimes letting your balance grow over time makes sense How to pi...
Sep 15, 2020•44 min•Ep. 94
If you’re frustrated with your job and dreaming about making a change, this episode is for you. I’ll show you the 3 traits you need to learn to love your job. And if you can’t? That’s okay because we’ll talk about the steps you can take to leave your job and do something you love. In today’s episode, you'll find out: How to boost your happiness long term instead of just temporarily How to find gratitude despite student loan debt Why comparison is the thief of joy Why you shouldn’t worry about im...
Sep 08, 2020•44 min•Ep. 93
The pandemic has brought a significant amount of stress into our lives. For borrowers already feeling pressure because of high student debt balances, this might be the breaking point. Which professions regret their career the most? And is it because of the pandemic or because of student loan debt? I reveal what our listeners say are the best and worst jobs during the pandemic. In today’s episode, you'll find out: “Career regret” survey results from 3,000 professionals Why 3x as many people regre...
Sep 01, 2020•51 min•Ep. 92
From the perspective of what you’ll have to pay on your student loans, the worst that can happen isn’t any different than being a resident of California or New York City. Student loans aren’t a debt sentence. If you have a plan in place, life can be pretty good with student loans. I explain why student loans are like a tax, and also answer a few listener questions about student loans. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Listener question: Should you take out the max student loans this year? Lis...
Aug 25, 2020•51 min•Ep. 91
In addition to Joe Biden announcing Kamala Harris as his running mate, President Trump issued a student loan order. Trump’s order extended some of the relief of the CARES Act but it also comes with some confusion. In this episode, I’m giving a rundown of the impact it could have and what the order means for you. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Overview of recent events in Washington, DC What Kamala Harris thinks about student loans Which programs Harris thinks should be expanded What I thin...
Aug 18, 2020•39 min•Ep. 90
Knowing how to handle your student loans is only part of the equation. You must also know how to invest so that, one day, you’ll have so much net worth that having student loans is irrelevant. Join me as I go through several listener-submitted questions about how to invest with student loans, and how the pandemic recession might impact your strategy. In today’s episode, you'll find out: What to do if you don’t have access to a 401k or 403b When I don’t recommend becoming a landlord My advice for...
Aug 11, 2020•44 min•Ep. 89
Changing jobs can lead to more than changes in your income. It could disqualify you from PSLF. But what if you’re in a job that makes you unhappy? Should you stay? In this episode, I answer those questions and more to help you decide if moving to the private sector is worth it. In today’s episode, you'll find out: What to do if you feel trapped in your public sector job When is staying with a not-for-profit the best choice How to decide if abandoning PSLF is a financially sound decision The valu...
Aug 04, 2020•36 min•Ep. 88
Investing is a crucial part of building long-term financial stability. Even if you have student loan debt that tops $500,000 or more, here’s a look at how our flagship course, Six Figure Debt to Six Figure Net Worth, can teach you to invest and transform your life. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Why you should be investing even with student loan debt What you’ll learn in our Six Figure Debt to Six Figure Net Worth course Why the stock market crashed 30% when the pandemic hit What the Fed d...
Jul 28, 2020•48 min•Ep. 87
Dr. Carrie Jurney joins me in this episode to talk about mental health challenges of veterinary professionals. She is the board president of Not One More Vet, Inc, which is the largest profession-specific mental health advocacy organization that I’m aware of, and helps to foster a community of over 25,000 veterinarians, support staff, and vet students to promote better mental health and self care. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Why compassion fatigue is a real issue How Not One More Vet go...
Jul 21, 2020•45 min•Ep. 86
Big changes are coming to student loan servicers and I’m talking about what it means for your bottom line, your life, and your anxiety levels. I’ll give you a rundown of who the new servicers are and my predictions on what will happen when they take over. I also answer listener questions about PSLF payment caps, 1099 vs W2 earnings, and what happens to your credit score after student loan forgiveness. In today’s episode, you'll find out: The federal student loan program pre-2010 How the direct s...
Jul 14, 2020•49 min•Ep. 85
Nicole Hatcher is a physician assistant and the personal finance expert behind Frugal Chic Life. She shares her story of becoming a PA and her experiences with racism and bias as a professional. We also talk about degree creep as a hurdle for Black people getting a college education and how to make healthcare professions more accessible to minorities. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Why Nicole chose to go into the medical field Why she decided to become a PA instead of a doctor The ways bei...
Jul 07, 2020•54 min•Ep. 84
The student loan interest freeze is set to expire on September 30. Even if Congress passes a bill to extend the relief, you’ll have to start repaying your loans eventually. But there’s an election coming that could change the future of student loan refinancing. Join me as I talk about what refinancing might look like after the pandemic and how the election could impact your decision to refinance your federal loans. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Why common student loan repayment strategy i...
Jun 30, 2020•43 min•Ep. 83
Lauryn Williams, CFP, CSLP, shares why investing in real estate might be more work than you think, how to grow passive income streams with alternative investments and tips for student loan borrowers that want to invest in real estate. In today’s episode, you'll find out: How Lauryn became an accidental landlord What she learned about owning a rental property Costs people forget to include in the rental price Lauryn’s bad experience with selling her rental home What return Lauryn got in 16 years ...
Jun 23, 2020•45 min•Ep. 82
Meagan Landress, CSLP and owner of Financial Coach Meagan, shares the best way to plan for the cost of undergrad and grad school, the importance of understanding how the federal student loan system works, and why you don’t have to feel embarrassed or sad about how much you borrow. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Meagan’s advice to find the true cost of attendance What loans you can get for undergraduate school How your dependency status impacts your borrowing limit Meagan’s thoughts about w...
Jun 16, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 81
Lauryn Williams, CFP®, is one of our student loan consultants and the owner of financial planning firm Worth Winning. In this episode, we talk about the racial wealth gap, the impact it has on communities of color, and how black people are disproportionately impacted by student loan debt. Williams also shares her thoughts about how to make the financial industry more welcoming to black communities. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Who Lauryn Williams is How Williams became aware of race and ...
Jun 09, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 80
Many student loan borrowers struggle with their mental health. If you’ve ever felt stress, anxiety or worry about your student loan debt, you’re not alone. Student loan debt shouldn’t stop you from living your best life. I can’t wave a magic wand and make it all go away but, in this episode, I share some tools to help. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Results of our recent student loan mental health study Why 90% of our listeners have severe student loan anxiety The top 6 things borrowers wo...
Jun 02, 2020•53 min•Ep. 79
One of the weirdest student loan repayment loopholes that I know of is the double debt loophole. It only works for married couples, but it can change the way you think about your student loan debt. In this episode, I talk about that and 7 other loopholes we use to save you money on your student loans. In today’s episode, you'll find out: What is the double debt loophole and how does it work Why the loophole doesn’t work with all repayment plans Examples of the double debt loophole in action The ...
May 26, 2020•44 min•Ep. 78
As practice owners struggle to get through this tough time, I sat down with Tom Bodin, CFA, CFP®, and a Practice Integration Advisor for Buckingham Strategic Wealth. He shares how business owners can best address financial planning amid the pandemic. In this episode, you'll find out: How Bodin’s background in legislative analysis helps his financial planning clients Roadblocks dentists, optometrists, veterinarians, and lawyers are facing because of COVID-19 Best ways to maximize tax savings to l...
May 19, 2020•59 min•Ep. 77
Most financial experts are telling you to pay extra on your student loans right now because of the 0% interest rate through the end of September. But I think that’s terrible advice! Find out why and what I think the unintended consequences will be of Congress trying to rescue borrowers amid the coronavirus outbreak. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Why you should pay nothing on your student loans How you could be a victim of a strategic layoff How to lower your payment if you have private st...
May 12, 2020•56 min•Ep. 76
To help combat the doom and gloom that is the coronavirus, I’m bringing you some positive energy. Today, I talk with Meagan Landress, Certified Student Loan Professional™ and founder of Financial Coach Meagan, about some good news regarding student loans. In today’s episode, you'll find out: How Landress has been handling social distancing The repayment plan that cut a couple’s payment in half The trick to free up cash flow on student loans A strategy for student loans specifically for people ne...
May 05, 2020•58 min•Ep. 75
I did a second survey of our 20,000-plus email subscribers to find out how the pandemic and economic shut down is affecting different professions. The results aren’t what I expected. Today, I’m sharing survey findings, quarantine stories from our subscribers, and an update on the CARES Act and how it might impact the future of student loans. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Why the $350 million funding for PPP loans was a disaster Who I think should apply for a PPP loan if there’s more fundi...
Apr 28, 2020•57 min•Ep. 74
You might not know what to do if you’re facing default or having trouble paying your student loans. Or maybe you’re curious about what happens to your student loans when you stop paying. To find out that and more, I turn to two experienced student loan attorneys: Adam Minsky and Jay Fleischman. They share their best tips for dealing with student loan default and how to get help. In today’s episode, you'll find out: What to do if you default on your student loans The two options you have for fede...
Apr 21, 2020•59 min•Ep. 73
Diana Care is a veterinarian for the federal government who is passionate about taking advantage of PSLF. She shares how to best take advantage of forgiveness with a job in the non-profit or government sector, why employer-paid student loan benefits are a bad idea, and reasons you might not want to pursue a career as a vet. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Why vet school debt keeps growing Why veterinarian student loan debt studies are deceitful How 20% of vet school graduates don’t have any...
Apr 14, 2020•42 min•Ep. 72
In this episode, I’m getting to the truth behind the Stimulus Bill that was just passed and what it means for your student loans. Spoiler alert: It’s more than a suspension of payments and interest. I’ll help you cut through the noise so you can save money during this crazy time. In today’s episode, you'll find out: How to take advantage of student loan payment suspension Whether you should buy stocks right now or save What the student loan payment suspension means if you’re still in school Why ...
Apr 07, 2020•40 min•Ep. 71
Stephanie Bousley talks about how to get rid of student loan debt to live your best life in her new book Buy the Avocado Toast. This week, I talk with Stephanie about how she accumulated $300k of student loan debt while going to film school in one of the most expensive cities in the world, and how she’s paying it off while living a comfortable life. In today’s episode, you'll find out: Why you can’t work your way out of student loan debt How having six-figures of debt doesn’t make you irresponsi...
Mar 31, 2020•43 min•Ep. 70
A lot of people have had significant changes to their incomes as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. If you’ve had a drop in pay, you could get some relief by lowering your student loan payment. I sat down with our very own Meagan Landress, CSLP®, to walk you through how to recalculate your student loan payments during an economic disaster. In today’s episode, you'll find out: How to lower your student loan payment without making a single phone call Which application to use to recalculate your...
Mar 24, 2020•55 min•Ep. 69
