Student Loan Planner

Jesse Mecham is the founder of YNAB (You Need a Budget). Referring to the business as "an education company that masquerades as a software company," Jesse created YNAB as a guide to money and an accountability tool that helps its users improve their spending habits, eliminate debt, and save more money. Listen in as Jesse shares his path to success and lessons learned as an entrepreneur. We'll also...

FedLoan, one of the government's biggest servicers, is ending its contract with the Department of Education in December 2021. What does this mean for you? Travis gives practical advice to get ahead of the problem. We encourage you to send in your questions so we can answer them on the show: https://studentloanplanner.com/voicemail

As investing becomes increasingly popular and accessible, especially with cryptocurrency and NFTs, young adults and students are becoming more interested in making a passive income. But should you really be investing while in school? If so, what are the best ways to invest as a student? Join Rob Bertman, CFA, CFP®, and Molly Laughter, MBA CFA, CFP®, to discuss whether or not investing while in col...

Side hustles. Why are they getting more popular by the day? Is it worth the extra time, effort, and even money outside your primary job or business to get a side hustle? What's the best way to start one as the economy opens back up? And how can the right side hustle serve as a great vehicle toward paying down your student loan? Listen in as consultants Molly Laughter, MBA CFA, CFP®, and Dan Rooker...

Historically, the American Dream was to simply own your own home. But in this day and age, is getting out of debt the new American Dream? Our consultant takeover continues this week with Meagan Landress and Dan Rooker who unpack that very question. They break down current attitudes—many of which came about as a result of the pandemic—toward purchasing a home, investing, and paying down different k...

With Father's Day just around the corner, Lauryn Williams sits down with Meagan Landress and Rob Bertman to offer advice to dads who are in the process of helping their kids with their student loans—whether by helping to pay them down or taking on the loan in their name altogether. In today's episode, you'll find out: When and how to take on a Parent PLUS loan Why you don't need to pay extra towar...

Only a small number of people were approved for PSLF in the first year of eligibility; I expect the 1% acceptance rate for PSLF is the lowest we will ever see and we should look forward to an increase each year. The media has put out quite a few clickbait headlines on PSLF while sharing plenty of inaccurate information. PSLF became a major story in 2018, but I feel despite the backlash that the pr...

Join consultant Lauryn Williams, CFP®, CSLP®, as she addresses the two most common "frequent fails" around handling student loan debt and answers frequently asked questions from clients and podcast listeners. You'll also learn more about Lauryn, her background, and how she went from Olympic medalist to financial planner. In today's episode, you'll find out: What our consultants can help you with,...

In celebration of May being Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, Dan Rooker, CFP®, CSLP®, and Lauryn Williams, CFP®, CSLP®, talk about the "Model Minority" Myth. As they unpack the cultural stereotypes, they dive specifically into how certain long-held beliefs and stigmas among the Asian American community tend to lead to costly education decisions which negatively affect their stud...

As much as we're all itching to get back to normalcy in our day-to-day lives, we need to think about how we can ease back into spending on a daily basis without sabotaging the financial goals we've set for ourselves throughout the past year, particularly around student loans. In today's episode, Rob Bertman, CFA, CFP®, sits down with Lauryn Williams, CFP®, CSLP®, and Dan Rooker, CFP®, CSLP®, to di...

Have the chances of student loan debt cancellation increased in recent weeks? Yes. But it isn't that simple. Join me as I discuss the possibility of student loan debt cancellation, what it could mean for your repayment strategy, and why I think the looming legal battle over cancellation would create chaos. In today's episode, you'll find out: Listener question: How your income impacts your IDR pla...

It's a consultant takeover! All of the ladies of Student Loan Planner, Lauryn Williams, Meagan Landress, and Molly Laughter, are talking more about the mental health survey. There's more to student debt than managing the numbers, and they're going to unpack the challenges women face when they are up against student loan debt and while navigating life in general. In today's episode, you'll find out...

Want the secret to life with student loans? Join me as I talk with senior consultant Lauryn Williams on seven key life goals that should take priority over your student loans, whatever your circumstances in life. That's not to say you should let your loans go into default while going after your goals, but we don't recommend you sacrifice your dreams because of student loans. There is a better way!...

Student loan borrowers face enormous mental health challenges. Our mental health survey of student loan borrowers found that 1 out of every 14 borrowers considered suicide because of their student loans. Listen in as Student Loan Advisor and consultant Meagan Landress CSLP® and I tackle the tough topic of mental health burdens that many borrowers experience. We're discussing the results of our sur...

Join me and special guest Christie Arkovich who has specialized in helping clients get through financial hardships since 1995. Christie was a champion of the student loan system working for Sallie Mae during the early stages of her career but came to realize that the system is broken. We talk about her work for Sallie Mae and why she "switched sides" to help borrowers navigate the many complexitie...

If you're someone with a lot of student loan debt, you're probably more familiar with the negatives around interest rates. But borrowing money isn't necessarily a bad thing, and interest rates are a much more interesting and important topic than you might think. I'll break down what interest rates are, why they've been rising steadily in recent months, and give you some guidance on making big deci...

With so much conflicting information out there about the student loan crisis, it literally pays to have some healthy skepticism when asking for guidance on your specific situation. Listen in as I share the five types of groups who you should be slow to trust when it comes to their advice on your student debt. In today's episode, you'll find out: Why some businesses don't prioritize finding you the...

The American Rescue Plan, signed into law on March 11, makes student loan forgiveness tax-free until the end of 2025. That's a big deal for borrowers on long-term forgiveness. I talk about the implications of this game-changing provision and addresses several potential questions and concerns from our listeners. In today's episode, you'll find out: What to know about the American Rescue Plan as it...

Wondering what's going on with the financial markets? I'm joined by consultants Rob Bertman CFA, CFP® and one of our newest consultants, Molly Laughter MBA, CFA, CFP® to examine whether we're in a bubble. The three of us have a variety of experiences handling billions of investment dollars. We're doing a technical deep dive into what is going on with the financial markets and what the investment l...

Did someone say "tax party?" I'm joined by Lauryn, Meagan and Dan, one of our newest consultants, on the podcast to discuss taxes. We talk about 2020 taxes and things to keep in mind as 2021 unfolds, including the student loan interest deduction, best practices for your traditional or Roth IRA in 2021, how to make full use of the small business deduction, what you need to know about married filing...

When President Biden was asked at his first town hall whether he would forgive at least $50,000 of student loan debt, he quickly responded, "I will not make that happen." The president is in support of canceling $10k for borrowers, but there's a catch. Student Loan Planner Consultant Meagan Landress joins me to unpack why the president said what he did, what it means and what borrowers might expec...

Do you wonder if you made the right decision to go into the field you did? After investing years of time and effort, along with hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt, do you ask yourself "is the grass greener on the other side?" Join me as I take a deep dive into what peak happiness might look like, how to deal with job regret and the perfect income to achieve maximum happiness as...

A big focus of our podcast is maximizing loan forgiveness when you owe a lot more than you earn in student loans. But what if your income grew to a point where it would cost more if you stuck with forgiveness? Should you abandon student loan forgiveness? Join me as I discuss all you need to consider when making the decision to pay off your loan and abandon forgiveness. In today's episode, you'll f...

What do student loans have in common with the Budweiser Clydesdales? You know, those massive and powerful bay-colored draught horses that you see in Bud advertisements? Forgive the analogy, but you are a Clydesdale. You have more power than you think to steer your professional and, yes, financial destiny. Join me as I make the case that you may be underestimating your ability to handle the load of...

President Biden extended the student loan interest and payment freeze for federal student loans on the first day of his presidency. Find out what the freeze means and how you may be affected by it. I'll also talk about the long- and short-term implications of refinancing your student loans in this environment and if you should take advantage of the low interest rates and break down the student loa...