The College Investor Audio Show

The Department of Education moved this week to counter a wave of online claims about how the federal government will classify nursing programs under new student loan limits taking effect next year.The guidance, released in a post titled "Myth vs. Fact: The Definition of Professional Degrees", attempts to clarify how the term “professional degree” will be used under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and why certain nursing programs are not included in the category eligible for the highest borrowing cap.The answer, the agency insists, has little to do with whether nursing is considered "professional" and everything to do with how federal loan limits have ballooned over time.

House Democrats are moving to curb the benefits of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), arguing that the popular tax-advantaged accounts increasingly double as investment vehicles for the wealthy rather than a way for families to pay medical bills.Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a longtime Texas Democrat and the ranking member on the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, has introduced the Health Savings Accounts (HSA) Consumer Protection Act.The bill arrives just as millions of Americans are facing some of the largest health care insurance premium increases ever. While HSAs are a great tool to invest and build wealth - their key benefit is to help families afford the high cost of healthcare in America.Democrats point to a new Government Accountability Office report (PDF File) and other analyses showing HSAs skew heavily toward higher-income, healthier, and disproportionately White and Asian account holders. They also highlight projections that HSAs will reduce federal tax revenues by roughly $180 billion over the next decade.But it's important to note that wealthier families opt towards HSAs because they have to - not by choice. These plans are typically the cheapest option in the face of ACA penalties. And this potential fix would punish everyone due to changes in qualifying expenses and reimbursement options. In short, this proposal is bad for everyone except the government. All it would do is increase taxes for Americans, while providing no benefit to those who are trying to pay for the excessive healthcare costs created by the current healthcare system. It's even bad for health insurance companies and HSA providers, who'll be subject to more record-keeping and potential taxes. It's actually pretty wild to see such a terrible bill proposed.

Giving a gift of stock is a fantastic way to help a child (or anyone) learn about the power of investing to build wealth. Plus, there are some really fun ways to gift - such as a framed stock certificate.When you ask a parent what their kids want for Christmas, they’ll likely start with a long sigh followed by, “Well… She really likes K-Pop Demon Hunters and Dress Up.”If you press further, you’ll find out that the parent is overwhelmed by the toys that the kid has, and they really aren’t all that excited about giving more plastic crap to their kid.Enter, the gift of stock and investments. Giving a share of stock to kids is a fantastic way to avoid stressing out parents, help prepare a kid for their financial future, and teach a few lessons along the way.Plus, as a millennial family, I'm personally tired of receiving all this junk. Think about it. Your child might receive upwards of 20 gifts every holiday season (Mom, Dad, Siblings, Grandparents, Santa, etc.). But by the middle of January, what they actually play with is down to 1-2 toys.So, instead of wasting all that money on gifts (and then having a bunch of junk lying around the house), why not use that same money to invest in your child's future. This is a great option for extended family who may want to gift.If that's you, then these are the best ways to give a share of stock to a kid, gifting investments, and even teaching them financial literacy topics in a fun way!

Would you rather have a penny that doubles each day for a month or 1 million dollars? I saw this question the other day, and it reminded me of one of my favorite stories from high school math (yes, that's pretty nerdy, but this is a personal finance blog).So, before I tell the story, think about it:If a genie appeared and gave you a choice, what you would choose: would you rather have a penny today, that doubled everyday for a month, or $1 million today? The fact is, a lot of people get caught up in the initial amounts: $1,000,000.00 versus $0.01.But let's share the story of the The Grain of Rice, a mathematical fable from India. And then we can break it down.

The student loan debt tax bomb can happen when you have to pay taxes on the student loan forgiveness you received. However, most people will avoid the tax bomb due to a tax process called insolvency. While some student loan forgiveness programs, like Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) are tax-free, others - like when you get your student loans discharged under Income-Based Repayment, are potentially taxable. However, there's one big exception - insolvency. Insolvency is a tax situation when your liabilities (such as forgiven student loan debt) exceed your assets (like the money in your savings account). If you are technically insolvent, you may avoid some or all of the taxes associated with your loan forgiveness.That is a big win for borrowers getting their loans forgiven under IBR, PAYE, or ICR. Let's break down what that looks like. 

When families talk about the rising cost of college, tuition tends to dominate the conversation. But for many students, tuition isn't the largest expense. Room and board, which covers housing and meals, often makes up the majority of the bill.Even at the most expensive colleges ranked by tuition, room and board adds a significant price.Recent data show that at public four-year colleges, room and board now accounts for about 45% of total expenses, while tuition makes up less than 36%. At San Diego State University (SDSU), a popular in-state option, tuition is only 25% of the total cost of attendance if you include on-campus living. Room and board, meanwhile, makes up more than 62%.Let's look at some raw numbers using SDSU as an example:In-State Tuition: $9,180Out-of-State Tuition: $13,320Room and Board: $23,736It's also important to note that SDSU requires students not in the service area to live on campus for two years. That can really add up!That gap raises a tough question: Is living on campus worth the price, even more so if you're going into debt?

More than one in three students who enroll in college never complete their degree. That figure is not just a statistic - it represents millions of families who invest time, money, and hope into higher education, only to see it fall short of its promise.Only 62% of students who start college earn a degree within 6 years, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse. That number has held relatively steady, and reminds families of a truth: one in three students don't finish.As college costs continue to rise, this is an important aspect to plan for. With student loan borrowing rising, the students who struggle the most to repay their debt are the ones that never graduated.Here's why 38% of students never finish college, and ways that you might be able to protect yourself.

California families have more tools than ever to save, invest, and build long-term financial security but many people don’t know these programs exist or how to use them. In this episode, Robert Farrington sits down with California State Treasurer Fiona Ma and Thomas Martin, Executive Director of CalABLE, for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about college savings, disability savings, and the mission to make financial empowerment accessible to every household.Treasurer Ma shares how her career (from licensed CPA to Assembly Speaker pro Tempore to her current role as Treasurer) has shaped her push to expand economic opportunity. She breaks down what the Treasurer’s office actually does and why the programs it oversees matter for everyday Californians.From ScholarShare 529, to CalKIDS, to CalABLE, this episode covers how these programs work, who they help, why participation matters, and what changes might be coming. Treasurer Ma also talks about ongoing efforts to introduce tax incentives for 529 contributions, her personal ethos on saving and investing, and the role early savings can play in shaping a child’s educational path.Thomas Martin joins the conversation to explain CalABLE, a program designed to help people with disabilities save money without jeopardizing important benefits. He shares how CalABLE works, how accounts can support both college and independent living, and how CalABLE and 529 plans can complement one another.The episode wraps with personal stories and practical advice — including money habits, favorite financial tools, and a myth the Treasurer wishes every Californian would leave behind.

The Trump administration has escalated its campaign to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - setting in motion what could be its effective closure within a year.In a court filing (PDF File) this week, the administration said the CFPB cannot seek additional money from the Federal Reserve - its usual source of operating funds. The bureau said it has enough reserves to continue through December but “anticipates exhausting its currently available funds in early 2026.” Without congressional action, that timeline would mark the end of the CFPB’s ability to function.The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued the legal opinion underpinning the decision. The OLC argued that under the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFPB can only receive funds from the “combined earnings of the Federal Reserve System.” Because the Fed has posted losses since 2022 (about $77.6 billion last year) the administration contends there are no “earnings” to transfer.“The Federal Reserve currently lacks combined earnings from which the CFPB can draw,” the opinion stated. If the Federal Reserve has no profits, it cannot transfer money to the CFPB.That interpretation redefines “combined earnings” to mean net profits rather than total income, a reading that may be up to interpretation. The Supreme Court upheld the CFPB’s funding structure as constitutional in 2024, without adopting that definition. What happens next is yet to be seen.

For nearly two decades, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program has offered a straightforward promise: make 120 qualifying payments while working full-time for a government agency or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and any remaining federal student loan balance will be forgiven. The idea helped schools, hospitals, local governments, and nonprofits recruit workers who might otherwise avoid lower-paying public-service roles.That certainty shifted when the Education Department finalized a regulation allowing the Secretary to declare an employer ineligible if it “has a substantial illegal purpose.” Though the Department says the rule targets organizations that knowingly engage in conduct that violates federal or state law, the standard is broad, unclear, and open to interpretation.The rule is currently scheduled to take effect July 1, 2026. Borrowers don't have anything they can do to prepare - except to watch and wait...

The Trump Administration continues its efforts to hollow out the U.S. Department of Education by sending six programs to other federal agencies. The U.S. Department of Education announced the changes in a press conference on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. Although federal law assigns responsibility for these programs to the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is making an end-run around the law by entering into contracts with the other federal agencies to operate the programs under U.S. Department of Education oversight.These interagency agreements (IAAs) send the six program to the following four agencies:U.S. Department of Labor (DOL): Elementary and Secondary Education Partnership and Postsecondary Education Partnership. DOL will be responsible for grants relating to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutes (MSIs), as well as grants focused on improving student success for college studentsU.S. Department of the Interior (DOI): Indian Education PartnershipU.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): Foreign Medical Accreditation Partnership and Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS)U.S. Department of State (DOS): International Education and Foreign Language Studies Partnership, including programs administered under the Fulbright-Hays grantU.S. Department of Education staff who manage these programs will be transferred to the four federal agencies. The agreements were signed on September 30, 2025, but not announced until now. It will take several months to transfer the programs to the other federal agencies. 

In 2011, some protestors encouraged borrowers to refuse to repay their student loans as part of Occupy Wall Street. They said that if enough borrowers joined this protest, the lenders would have no choice but to cancel the student loan debt.Few people participated, and even those that did only lasted for a month or two. Nobody went into default as part of this protest.More recently, after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked President Biden’s broad student loan forgiveness plan, some student loan protestors are once again urging their fellow borrowers to intentionally default on their federal student loans as a form of debt disobedience.This kind of strategic default on federal student loans was a dumb idea then and it is a dumb idea now.When a borrower defaults on their federal student loans, the only one hurt is the borrower, not the federal government. Borrowers can’t force the federal government to forgive their student loans by refusing the repay them. Borrowers have no leverage, not even if they act together as a collective.Even if the borrowers had some leverage, the U.S. Department of Education does not have the legal authority to forgive student loans, just as it doesn’t have the authority to incarcerate defaulted borrowers. Only Congress has the ability to pass laws to forgive student loan debt.

We live in a world of unprecedented consumer guarantees. When you buy a t-shirt online, you expect to be able to return the shirt if it doesn’t suit you.If your pineapple from Aldi turns out to be rotten, you can get your money back and get a new pineapple for free. We’re used to guarantees that protect us from all kinds of minor financial setbacks. Unfortunately, guarantees don't work the same way when it comes to investing.If you expect a guaranteed return on your investment, your portfolio could end up underperforming (or even worse, you fall victim to an investment scam). Here’s what you need to know about guarantees when it comes to your investments.

Investors have likely heard that investing in stocks is a smart move for your financial future. But that’s only true if you build an investment portfolio that aligns with your financial goals. Unfortunately, the process of investing in stocks seems shrouded in mystery for many beginners. The good news is that researching stocks doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Like all skills, you’ll need to learn the basics to get started.

Robert was on Money Life with Chuck Jaffe this week discussing how Google AI overviews get the answer wrong over one-third of the time. This has serious consequences and you need to be mindful about what you're reading.

Being on top of your finances means that financial mistakes become fewer and farther between. But tax filing happens just once per year, and it’s easy to make mistakes that lead to overpaying the IRS. When that happens, filers have the opportunity to correct their mistakes by filing IRS Form 1040-X. Once the amended return is processed, the IRS cuts overpaying taxpayers an extra refund check.If you’ve ever made a mistake on your tax return, you may have the opportunity to correct it. We dive into how to file an amended tax return.

College tuition can vary widely between in-state and out-of-state rates — often more than double the cost for nonresidents. To make higher education more affordable, many states have entered regional tuition reciprocity agreements.These programs allow students from participating states to attend public colleges in neighboring states at discounted rates. While programs vary, these options offer matching in-state tuition or other big discounts to make college more affordable.There are four major programs that serve clusters of states:Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)New England Tuition Break (NEBHE)Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP)Souther Regional Education Board's Academic Common Market (ACM)For many families, understanding these programs can open the door to colleges beyond state lines without the steep price tag.

President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that his administration plans to send “a dividend of at least $2,000 per person” to most Americans, excluding high-income households. The payments would allegedly be financed entirely by tariffs collected on imported goods, rather than through borrowing or new taxes.Trump described the initiative as both a payment to everyone and a tool to reduce the national debt, now approaching $37 trillion. This post comes after a tough week for Trump at the Supreme Court, where his tariffs faced skepticism from multiple Supreme Court Justices.

Starting July 1, 2026, the federal student loan system will enter a new era.A sweeping set of federal policy changes will reshape how families and graduate students borrow for college starting in 2026. The legislation, passed this summer, eliminates some long-standing loan programs and replaces them with new caps and repayment plans.While the reforms aim to contain debt growth and improve accountability for colleges, they also mark a clear shift away from the flexible borrowing model that has defined federal student aid for years. The Result: fewer borrowing options, stricter limits, and new tradeoffs for both students and parents.

For decades, earning six figures was seen as the turning point between “getting by” and “getting ahead.” But today, more Americans are discovering that $100,000, or even $200,000, no longer feels like financial security.Between rising living costs, disappearing tax credits, health insurance subsidy cliffs, and inflation that still lingers, many millennial and Gen Z households earning well above the median income are wondering: Where is all the money going?When you combine the math of what these families actually take home with other statistics, like dropping homeownership and lower savings rates, the picture becomes clear: outdated tax policies and benefit cliffs, combined with higher costs of living, are holding families back.

You can potentially use a 529 plan to pay for trade school, vocational school, and apprenticeships.If you or your family have saved money for your education within a 529 plan, you can use those funds to pay for qualified education expenses without tax implications. But how about students who opt to attend a trade school instead of a traditional college or university? Can you still use the funds in your 529 to cover college costs?We explore what the funds in your 529 can be used for, whether apprenticeships are eligible, and share some tips of how to fill any potential funding gaps. 

At first glance, the Trump administration’s push to privatize federal student loans might look like a political calculation. But the economics behind recent policy changes tell a subtler story.Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the administration’s sweeping higher-education and tax package, the federal government is tightening who can borrow and how much through programs like Parent PLUS and Grad PLUS. These loans have long been among the government’s most profitable, often taken out by creditworthy parents in the middle or late stage of their careers, or graduate students pursuing high-paying careers like medicine and law.Now, new borrowing limits and the elimination of Grad PLUS for future students are changing that dynamic. Families and graduate borrowers who once relied on federal programs for large sums may soon find themselves turning to private lenders instead.It’s a structural shift that accomplishes, in practice, what privatization would have done politically: it moves the most lucrative borrowers (and the profits that come with them) into the private market, while leaving the federal government with the less profitable parts of the student loan portfolio.

The final version of the One Big Beautiful Bill is going to reshape the future of student loan repayment.Starting July 1, 2026, all new federal student loan borrowers will only have two options: the revised Standard Plan or the newly introduced Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). For current borrowers, the transition comes between 2026 and 2028, when legacy plans like SAVE, PAYE, and ICR will be phased out and borrowers will be forced to move into either the RAP plan, or the IBR plan.The RAP plan calculates monthly payments on a sliding scale, ranging from 1% to 10% of adjusted gross income. A key feature is that unpaid interest is forgiven, and a $50 monthly principal match helps chip away at the balance. Loans are forgiven after 30 years of payments.IBR, the other remaining option for existing borrowers, retains most of the features of Old and New IBR, depending on loan origination date. Those with loans from before July 1, 2014, pay 15% of discretionary income and receive forgiveness after 25 years. Borrowers with loans after July 1, 2014 will pay 10% of discretionary income, with forgiveness at 20 years. Discretionary income is defined as earnings above 150% of the federal poverty level.

When debt is cancelled or forgiven, the general rule under IRS Topic 431 is that the cancelled amount counts as taxable income (unless an exception applies). For student loans:If you receive forgiveness of a federal student loan (or discharge) and no exception applies, the amount may be reported on a Form 1099-C and taxed.However, most forgiven student loans from 2021-2025 are excluded from federal income tax. After December 31, 2025, the exclusion will expire, and forgiven amounts may again be taxable. However, there are some programs that are always tax free federally. And when it comes to state taxes and student loan forgiveness, there are a whole lot of exceptions.

The American Federation of Teachers and the U.S. Department of Education have temporarily resolved key disputes in a major federal lawsuit challenging the handling of income-driven repayment and forgiveness programs.In a joint status report filed Friday (PDF File) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, both sides asked Judge Reggie B. Walton to deny, for now, the union’s motions for a preliminary injunction and class certification. Those motions sought immediate relief for borrowers who said they were wrongly denied or delayed in receiving debt cancellation.The agreement allows the Education Department to continue processing student loan forgiveness under the Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR), and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) programs while the lawsuit remains pending.The AFT had filed suit earlier this year, alleging that the Department was failing to provide legally required repayment plans and loan forgiveness. The lawsuit has a potential impact on millions of borrowers navigating overlapping repayment rules and deadlines.

Google AI overviews are misleading or inaccurate in 37% of finance-related searches, according to The College Investor's latest analysis. This is an improvement from last year, where 43% of AI Overviews were inaccurate - but a one-third error rate is troubling when it comes to personal finance.This is causing consumer confusion, and potentially harming Americans' finances. The overviews were especially bad when it comes to tax, insurance, and financial aid related queries.What's Happening: Over the last several years, Google has been rolling out AI-driven answers in search results. At the top of the search results they show AI Overviews, and they're now expanding the use of AI Mode. The problem is they are plagued with inaccurate answers. And experts say it's a serious issue.

The goal of test prep is to learn tips and tricks that help maximize your time and performance on a college admissions test. Students are taught best practices for creating a study schedule, pacing themselves during the test, and using process of elimination to narrow down the answers. While not required, test prep can certainly help put you at ease on test day – and it is commonly correlated with higher test scores.SAT test prep could be free through online quizzes and books from the library to thousands of dollars for one-on-one tutoring. 

U.S. citizens are eligible for U.S. federal student aid regardless of where they live. This means that expats can qualify for federal student loans. But there are a few complications and opportunities when borrowing and repaying federal student loans for expats. Here's what you need to know if you're a U.S. citizen living abroad and you're hoping to take out federal student loans for yourself or for your children.

You have graduated college and are getting ready to start paying off your student loans.You are getting the check ready to start the process of paying off your student debt when it hits you that you don’t actually know who owns your student loans or how much you owe exactly?What to do?The first step to becoming financially free is figuring out the exact amount of debt you are carrying so you can work towards paying it off.And since student loans are a debt that affect lives greatly, it is important to know who owns those loans and how much you owe.How you do that is the topic of this post.

You are ready to go back to school and so you go to apply for a student loan with the best rate.The problem?Someone already took out student loans in your name and now you, the real you, cannot take out any more money for school.Education is expensive enough when you take out loans on your own! And now you have to deal with a mess somebody made when you were not looking?Unfortunately, student loan identity theft is a real problem that happens and continues to happen. It's hard to prevent because so much personal information about you is already "out there".Let's talk about what you can do to prevent this from happening in the first place and what you can do if you find out someone took out student loans in your name.

If you've recently graduated college and started full-time employment, you will start entering the repayment phase of your student loans. Even though payments on many student loans were paused during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is wise to make sure that you are ready for when student loan payments unpause.Hopefully you were able to minimize your use of student loans for living expenses while you were in college. Now it's time to take a look at how to handle your living expenses as you start to repay your student loans.The good news is that there are plenty of options to fit your student loan payments into your ongoing budget. The important part is to make sure that you are proactive and reasonable about how you will handle your basic living expenses during your student loan repayment.

There are a variety of programs that can provide non-profit student loan forgiveness for individuals working for a 501(c)(3) or other nonprofit organization.By participating in these programs, eligible borrowers can have their student loans forgiven or significantly reduced after meeting specific requirements. However, the onus is always on the borrower to make sure they find, apply, and maintain eligibility for these programs.Here’s what you need to know about the different ways to get nonprofit student loan forgiveness.

Two weeks ago, I was chatting with a reader who was researching low cost index funds. I was so excited because he wanted to learn about expense ratios, commissions, fees, and more. Although I talk about finance all the time, it's still rare to have someone interested for long periods of time.After chatting for a bit, I got around to asking him what made him so interested in the topic. He seemed like he was doing well enough. He definitely had some investable funds, was on his way to retirement, and everything seemed good.He told me - "I feel like my advisor isn't steering me in the right path based on what I read online on sites like yours." I asked him to elaborate a little bit for me.He said - "My advisor consistently talks about how he's the top performer in North Carolina. However, everywhere I read online says to invest with low cost Vanguard funds. When I mention that to him, he changes the subject or diverts to other topics. It makes me feel off..."Beyond the fact that you shouldn't feel this way with a financial advisor, I firmly believe that your financial advisor should be very transparent with costs for you. When this reader shared his portfolio with me, I was so sad...

Savvy investors are always looking for ways to reduce their tax burdens. Although no one can completely avoid taxes, harnessing the power of tax-loss harvesting is one smart way to save.No one buys an investment with the expectation that it will lose money. But tax-loss harvesting provides a unique opportunity to benefit from downturns when they occur. Through tax-loss harvesting, you can use losing investments to offset your realized capital gains and/or some of your ordinary taxable income. Keep reading to learn all about how it works!

If you’re a recent college graduate with limited cash flow, paying off student loans can feel like an insurmountable task. It’s easy to feel trapped, as you feel the pressure to pay off your student loans as quickly as possible.But while eliminating your student loans is an admirable goal, some sacrifices aren't worth it. For example, if you’re considering using your 401(k) to pay off your student loans, you may want to reconsider.In this article, we cover the various 401(k) taxes and penalties, and present some alternative ways to eliminate your student loans.

The average student graduates college with over $30,600 in debt. If you went to a 4-year nursing program (or its equivalent), you have probably accumulated around this amount as well.Tack on grad school costs in case you want to advance your nursing career and you could be looking at around $60,000 in student loan debt.Even if you do get a well-paying job as most nurses tend to get once they are out of school, a $60,000 loan hanging over your head is still stressful considering that paying back student loans will not be the only responsibility you have after you graduate.If you are a nurse or healthcare worker who would really like those pesky student loans gone for good, this post is for you. In today’s post, we will provide you with some great resources that will help you get most if not all of your loans forgiven.This guide is specific to nurses, but you might also find this guide helpful: 80 Ways To Get Student Loan Forgiveness. Let's dive in!

It should be a simple question - does the government profit off of student loans? But depending on who you ask, the federal government either earned a profit or lost money on federal student loans prior to the pandemic. The answer depends on political and accounting perspectives. During the pandemic, however, the payment pause and interest waiver has caused the federal government to lose money on federal student loans, regardless of the method used to calculate the subsidy rates. By forgoing nearly $5 billion a month in interest, the federal student loan program swung from a profit to a loss even in the most optimistic of projections. Let’s take a tour of how the federal government’s budget calculates the subsidy rates for various federal programs. But, before we do this, let’s review the concept of net present value accounting.

Choosing the right school for you can be difficult. Not only does the decision come while you’re still fairly young, but it can also be heavily influenced by external factors that end up not aligning with what you want. Take it from someone who’s been there.In fact, about one-third of college students transfer schools at some point before finishing their degree. And total transfers represented over 13% of all continuing and returning undergraduates last year.This article walks through the top reasons students choose to transfer, how to identify when the time is right, and what to do to set yourself up for success at a new school.

Older workers nearing retirement have long enjoyed a valuable benefit: the ability to make additional, tax-deferred contributions to their workplace retirement plans. But under a new federal rule taking effect in 2026, that benefit is changing for many.Beginning January 1, 2026, employees age 50 or older who earn more than $145,000 in the prior year will no longer be able to make pre-tax catch-up contributions to 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b) plans. Instead, these contributions must go into a Roth account, meaning they’ll be taxed upfront but grow and withdraw tax-free later.The change stems from the SECURE 2.0 Act, which included dozens of provisions designed to expand retirement savings and modernize plan administration. The Roth catch-up rule was one of the most debated, prompting the IRS to delay its start date from 2024 to 2026 to give employers time to update payroll systems and plan documents.In fact, just this month we've seen solo 401k plan providers update their plans to provide more options as well!

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program requires 120 qualifying monthly payments while working for an eligible employer. But many borrowers are falling short because months spent in deferment or forbearance (even while employed full-time in public service) did not count. This is specifically harmful because of the SAVE forbearance, which found 8 million borrowers in forbearance due to court rulings outside of their control.The buyback provision was introduced to address this gap. It allows borrowers to make a lump-sum payment covering past periods of deferment or forbearance, effectively turning those months into qualifying payments. For someone sitting at 117 or 118 payments, buyback could push them over the forgiveness threshold.In theory, it’s a practical fix for years of technical disqualification. In practice, the process is opaque and there's currently a backlog of 74,000 PSLF buyback requests while the Department of Education is only processing about 5,000 per month.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) has long been a lifeline for teachers, nurses, social workers, and other public sector employees carrying student loan debt. But the rules around consolidation (the process of combining multiple federal loans into one Direct Consolidation Loan) have shifted over time, often leaving borrowers confused.Under earlier rules, consolidating wiped out your progress entirely, resetting your PSLF payment count to zero. Then came a one-time PSLF waiver, which let borrowers lock in the highest count from any loan - a major win for those with older debts.That waiver ended in 2023. Now, as of Sept. 1, 2024, the Department of Education has adopted the weighted average rule as the default. This new rule assigns a weighted average of your PSLF payment count to your new consolidation loan.

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), representing 1.8 million members, has escalated its legal battle with the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Earlier this year, the union sued ED and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, alleging the agency unlawfully froze access to income-driven repayment (IDR) plans after a court blocked parts of the Biden-era SAVE plan.Last month, AFT filed an amended complaint seeking to certify the case as a class action, potentially extending relief nationwide to impacted borrowers. If granted, the preliminary injunction could force ED to resume processing applications and cancel loans under longstanding repayment and loan forgiveness programs.Meanwhile, the Department insists its pause was necessary to comply with litigation, and earlier this week began processing IBR-based student loan forgiveness again.

Student loan scams are surging in 2025. Policy changes, repayment restarts, and nonstop headlines give fraudsters the perfect chance to trick borrowers. Every day, fake “debt relief” companies and government impersonators are stealing money - or worse, hijacking borrower accounts.Before you get overwhelmed, remember three things:You never have to pay to manage federal student loans. Enrollment in student loan repayment plans or loan forgiveness programs is always free at StudentAid.gov.Never share your FSA ID. That login is your digital signature. Handing it over is like giving someone power of attorney on your finances.Verify everything at the source. Ignore texts, ads, or calls. Log in at StudentAid.gov or call your loan servicer using the number listed in your secure dashboard.This guide breaks down the most common scams in 2025, the red flags to watch for, and exactly what to do if you think you’ve been targeted.

Cash App, a popular mobile financial services platform used by millions of Americans, has prevented more than $2 billion in potential scam payments since launching a real-time scam warning alert in August 2020. In partnership with Cash App, let’s break down the most common types of banking scams, how people are falling victim, and how Cash App is helping users stay safe.With artificial intelligence and machine learning analyzing transactions almost instantly, the app's system flags suspicious activity and provides users with immediate alerts. It's a safeguard that has helped Cash App users avoid losses that often result from peer-to-peer payment scams.

For the first time in nearly a year, federal student loan borrowers are seeing their balances forgiven under the Income-Based Repayment plan. On Tuesday September 30, 2025, the Department of Education sent out a wave of approval notices to borrowers who had crossed the 20- or 25-year repayment threshold under IBR.The emails, which many borrowers referred to as “golden letters,” confirmed that the borrowers had met the timeline required for loan forgiveness, and that the Department of Education would begin the process of loan forgiveness. 

At first glance, banks and credit unions look alike. Both offer checking and savings accounts, loans, credit cards, and certificates of deposit. But the difference lies in their structure.Credit unions are cooperative financial institutions owned by their members — the people who use their services. Instead of aiming to generate profits for shareholders, they return earnings to members in the form of lower loan rates, reduced fees, and sometimes higher savings rates.Membership is typically based on a “common bond.” This can mean working in a certain profession, living in a specific area, or being related to someone who is already a member. In practice, eligibility requirements are broad, and many people can qualify without difficulty.Like banks, credit unions are safe. Deposits are insured up to $250,000 per account by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) (unless you happen to be in one of these states that allow credit unions NOT to be NCUA insured), just as banks are covered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

Federal student loan borrowers are under intense financial strain as serious delinquencies hover near record levels, according to new data released by TransUnion this week.In July 2025, 29% of federal student loan borrowers in repayment, or about 5.4 million people, were at least 90 days behind on payments. While this figure is slightly lower than the April 2025 peak of 31%, it marks the fifth consecutive month with more than five million borrowers past due.The modest improvement suggests that some households are managing to catch up, but the overall level of delinquency remains historically high. For comparison, delinquency rates prior to the pandemic hovered around 10% to 15%, depending on income and loan type, according to The College Investor's Student Loan Statistics.“While the percentage of federal student loan borrowers who are seriously delinquent has slightly subsided in recent months, it continues to remain decidedly elevated,” said Michele Raneri, vice president and head of U.S. research and consulting at TransUnion, in a statement. The proportion of borrowers in serious delinquency is extremely elevated, and once they reach 270 days, they will be in default and face wage garnishments, tax offsets, and more. This comes right before tax season, when millions of Americans will be depending on their tax refunds.

For months, federal student loan borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan have faced a decision: should I leave SAVE now, or should I wait out the forbearance longer?The Department of Education, of course, has been very forceful in their messaging encouraging borrowers in SAVE to change repayment plans now. On the other hand, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) gave a more measured timeline - possibly until 2028 to make the switch. Furthermore, the OBBBA implemented a new repayment plan called the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), but that doesn't go live until 2026.Nelnet, one of the major loan servicers, has even started moving borrower's SAVE forbearance dates out until 2028.The uncertainty has left many borrowers asking the same question: should I leave SAVE now, or wait to see what happens? For most, the choice depends on financial circumstances, forgiveness timelines, and long-term repayment goals. But it would be rare for any borrower to want to stick around until 2028. Most should have a clear path no later than mid-2026.

It seems more likely that we will see a government shutdown on October 1. It's clear our government is mismanaged, but what does that mean for you and your student loans?There have been 20 "funding gaps" and 4 full government shutdowns in the last 50 years. The last shutdown happened in December 2018 and January 2019. But the threat of a shutdown seems to loom every budget cycle.Well, it really depends on what happens. For short government shutdowns (which might last the weekend or a few days into the week), nothing. For longer shutdowns (like we saw in 2013 or 2018), all the good stuff our government offers - like national parks, military death benefits, etc - stop, but all the "bad stuff" our government does, like collect taxes, and deal with student loans, keeps on keepin' on.In fact, the Department of Education has a detailed government shutdown contingency plan (PDF File) because this happens often enough. This is from the last potential shutdown, but we would expect a similar plan this year.As of right now, the last day that the government is funded through is September 30, 2025. So the earliest the government would shut down is October 1, 2025. As of today, it appears this might happen.If you're curious about how the government shutdown will affect your investments, check out this article. However, one area that has not been discussed at great length is the impact that this shutdown will have on your student loans.

Ever wonder which schools are considered "Ivy League", and where the term came from?Ivy League schools are an elite group of eight private universities based in the northeastern U.S., best characterized by their historical campuses, rigorous academic programs, and strong alumni networks.From explaining the term “Ivy League” to discussing the current global influence of this network of schools, we’ll walk you through the history of Ivy Leagues over time, including how they’ve impacted higher education and how relevant they are in the current age of expanding access to college.