The College Investor Audio Show

When families weigh their options for paying for college, the question “ What’s the best student loan? ” seems straightforward. But as we learned after asking five leading AI models (ChatGPT, Grok, Perplexity, Copilot, and Google Gemini) the answers can be incomplete, sometimes unclear, and occasionally misleading. Each tool offered a broad framework: start with federal loans, then consider ...

Demonstrated interest refers to the ways a student indicates interest in a specific school. This includes visiting campuses, reaching out to admissions officers, participating in prospective student events, and even interacting with the school’s online resources. Let’s face it: the  college admissions process  is notoriously competitive. Over the past few decades, getting into college ha...

Taking money out of a  529 plan  is more complicated than putting money into a 529 plan. If you do it incorrectly, you may owe taxes and a 10% tax penalty, plus recapture of state income tax breaks attributable to the distribution. If you're getting reading to take 529 plan distributions to pay for college (or K-12 tuition, student loans, or even a Roth IRA rollover), here's what you nee...

As someone who spent her freshman year at the University of Alabama (UA), I know firsthand how costly simply attending two semesters of classes can be there. Add to that the experience of Greek life, and your social circle isn’t the only thing that suddenly expands. Sorority hashtags and content exploded on social media, as universities eased Covid-19 restrictions and let students resume fall recr...

There are three main options for  college admissions  applications: early action, early decision, and regular decision.  Early decision  applications involve a commitment to enroll if admitted. In contrast,  early action  is non-binding. Students who are admitted early action are not required to accept the offer of admission. They may  accept or reject the offer...

Economic uncertainty has been known to drive adults back to school to boost their educational credentials. Now, that the pandemic is over but there is still a lot of economic uncertainty, and student loans are restarting, more and more adults are wondering if it makes sense to go back to school. If you're considering going back to school as an adult to earn a higher education degree, you'll want t...

The PSLF Buyback Program allows you to "buy" missing payments that would have allowed you to qualify for loan forgiveness. To qualify for the Public Student Loan Forgiveness, you must have 120 months of qualifying payments made while employed in a qualifying public service job.  Here's what you need to know.

When students prepare to apply for college admissions, they should start to  make a list of colleges  they want to apply to. When crafting a well-balanced college list, students should apply to a variety of colleges, considering financial fit in addition to academic fit. They should also include at least one financial aid safety school and pick three dream schools instead of just one. He...

Wondering which students and families actually get  merit-based scholarships  and grants at private colleges? We have the data. Parents of college-bound children who are considering high-cost private  non-profit colleges  often wonder how to qualify for institutional financial aid. These grants and scholarships may or may not really be based on merit, but rather function as a d...

Student loan forgiveness  applies to a variety of degrees, even trade schools. So even if you went to a trade school, vocational school, or apprenticeship program, you could be eligible to get your student loans forgiven.  If you attended school for HVAC repair, cosmetology, the culinary arts, or any other trade program, your student loans could qualify for one of these student loan forg...

Paying for college isn’t just about covering tuition. It’s about understanding what happens when life takes a turn and what protections exist if it does. Each year, families across the country commit thousands of dollars toward college without fully understanding the terms behind the payment. If a student gets sick or has to take a leave during the semester, even for a serious medical reason, many...

After years of payments, pauses, and paperwork, many public service workers are confused on what payments and time periods may count for  Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) . However, there are also more options to have qualifying periods count - thanks to the PSLF buyback program. If you've been stuck in the  SAVE forbearance , served in the military, or paused your payments for eco...

College move-in day is filled with excitement, but new students often learn quickly that shared living spaces come with unexpected risks. And if you’re not careful, even small accidents can be expensive. From laptop spills to missing laundry, a range of common mishaps can cause financial stress.  In partnership with  GradGuard , we’re going to highlight the most common dorm disasters you...

Robert was on MoneyLife with Chuck Jaffe this week talking about the current status of student loans. Tune in to hear Robert's thoughts on what's going on with student loans today.

Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans  provide affordable monthly student loan payments by basing the payments on a portion of the borrower’s discretionary income, as opposed to the amount they owe.  Generally, IDR plans will yield lower student loan payments when the borrower’s total student loan debt exceeds their annual income. However, there are ways to decrease the student loan paymen...

Many families assume that once a student accepts admission to a college, the financial aid offer is final. In most cases, that’s true. Schools often budget tightly and expect students to commit based on the information already provided. But there are exceptions. Appealing a financial aid award after committing to a school is uncommon, but not impossible. In some cases, families report success in s...

The latest  reconciliation bill  set for review in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce proposes some of the most extensive changes to higher education funding and student loans in decades.  This is the papered proposal, it's NOT law yet. If enacted, the legislation would limit federal borrowing, end  Parent PLUS loans , change repayment options, and reshape ...

Student loan debt is  not  fun to have. While it may have been necessary to pay for school, now that you’re graduated, it’s time to think about ways to pay off your student loans faster. If you’re looking at  your repayment plan options  - even the shortest term is usually around 10 years. That can seem like forever! At the same time, looking at these long time frames could als...

With the stock market fluctuating and new tariffs raising concerns about family finances, some families are re-thinking the college decision (at least in the short term). While it might not be off the table, taking a gap year or deferring enrollment is an option for some. But what happens to financial aid if my child takes a gap year? While taking time off before starting college has its benefits,...

Have you heard the phrase "Sell In May And Go Away"? There are many  weird stock market indicators  that pundits try to use to explain what you should be doing in the stock market at any given time. There seems to be many ideas that people will suggest to determine your investing strategy including the January-effect, the presidential cycle, which team wins the Super Bowl, and how well s...

For high school seniors navigating  college admissions , few emails inspire more confusion than a notice of being "deferred" or "waitlisted." While neither outcome is final, each comes with distinct meaning, timeline, and next steps. Being deferred means your early application wasn’t denied, but it wasn’t accepted either. Instead, the admissions committee will evaluate your application again...

Today's episode is an interview Robert had with Jack Wang from the Smart College Buyer podcast. He talks about how to think about college costs, making smart student loan decisions, and how to have open and honest conversations with your family about money and education. We hope you enjoy the episode. If you want to learn more about the Smart College Buyer podcast , check it out on your favorite p...

There are multiple ways to invest in real estate. And believe it our not,  90% of the world's millionaires have created wealth through real estate.  At least that's what Andrew Carnegie said at the turn of the century.  Maybe you love investing, and at this point nearly all of your money is in the stock market. You know it’s important to diversify, but aren’t sure if real estate inv...

There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to the best investment strategy. But it's one of the questions I receive almost everyday. From what do I invest in, to how to get started investing, to picking individual stocks, everyone is looking for a magic investment strategy that will make them millionaires overnight. The truth is that doesn't happen. You invest in stocks because over the long ru...

With the stock market down almost 10% this year, more and more investors are looking for alternative investments outside of stocks and bonds. Diversifying an investment portfolio  means not putting all your investment dollars into the same asset.  Some people view a few dozen individual stocks as a diverse investment portfolio. Others want to buy broad-based  index funds  that...