What the Green Party Means for Your Money—and for the Election
When the Green Party decried the Louisiana flooding as further evidence of climate change’s threat to the planet, it didn’t get too much news coverage. But even though the Greens may be flying under...
View ArticleWill Paying Off Our Daughter’s Student Loans Trigger a Gift Tax?
Q: My wife and I want to help our daughter pay off her student loans. Will that trigger the gift tax? If so, is there any way to avoid it? A: You should be able to avoid the gift tax if you help your...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ask The Expert: Should We Charge Our Daughter Rent?
Question: My daughter will graduate from college in December, and she’s already asked to live at home. She has a job offer locally as a teacher and wants save money to pay down her student loans. My...
View Article7 Ways You May Be Getting Into Debt Without Even Realizing It
Americans have $12.25 trillion in debt. That amount is actually 3.3 percent lower than the all-time high set in 2008, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Even so, it’s worth considering...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Don’t Put College On Your Credit Card
Just because you can pay for college with a credit card doesn’t mean you should. The vast majority of colleges accept credit cards to pay tuition, but many charge extra for those credit card payments,...
View ArticleWhy Attending a Private College Might Not Be Worth the High Cost
In a finding that raises questions about the return on investment at many expensive private colleges, a recent study reports that graduates of most kinds of public colleges had better luck finding...
View ArticleWells Fargo and Amazon’s Student Loan Deal Ends Just 6 Weeks After It Was...
Wells Fargo and Amazon appear to have ended their private student loan partnership. Just six weeks after announcing that Amazon Prime members were eligible for interest rate discounts on the bank’s...
View ArticleToday’s Sudden Shutdown of ITT Technical Institutes Offers a Lesson for All...
If your college abruptly shuts down amid investigations—as ITT Technical Institutes announced it was doing today—your student loans won’t necessarily be canceled, student debt experts warn. While the...
View ArticleHow to Graduate From College Debt-Free (and Regret-Free)
Heeding the classic advice to write what you know, Kristina Ellis wrote her first book, 2013’s Confessions of a Scholarship Winner, about how she raked in a reported $500,000 in scholarships to put...
View ArticleThe 28 Best Colleges for Need-Based Financial Aid
More than 140 colleges in the U.S. claim to provide enough grants to meet at least 90% of the “demonstrated financial need” of their undergraduates. But each school decides for itself what a student’s...
View ArticleITT Tech Closes – How to Get Your Student Loan Debt Forgiven
ITT Technical announced in September 5, 2016 they were closing their doors. “It is with profound regret that we must report that ITT Educational Services, Inc. will discontinue academic operations at...
View ArticleHow the Latest MONEY and U.S. News College Rankings Compare
With the growing number of college rankings, it can get confusing to try to figure out which colleges offer the best education—or which publishers the best rankings. But experts such as Ben Miller,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Parents of College Students Should Be Especially Wary of These Risky Loans
Student loan debt is out of control, but really it is the parents we should be most worried about. There is only one type of educational loan available to families that has no restriction on how much...
View ArticleThe White House May Soon Help You Avoid Crummy Colleges
Building on the College Scorecard program it launched last year, the U.S. Department of Education announced today that it may soon start providing “cautionary indicators” to warn students about...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why October FAFSA Deadine Could Help College Students Make Smarter Choices...
A new change to the process of applying for federal financial aid could lead students to make smarter choices when borrowing for college. Starting this year, the Free Application for Federal Student...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What A Millennial Thinks Is His Generation’s Greatest Weakness
Zachary Rothman is a junior at Florida Gulf Coast University. He’s interned the past two summers at Consolidated Credit, where he wrote and researched financial issues. What he learned is below. As a...
View ArticleSmart Advice for College Parents—From Parents Who’ve Been There
Even with the deluge of college data that’s available today, there’s nothing like getting the scoop from a fellow parent—especially one whose kid or kids are a few years further along in the process....
View ArticleElizabeth Warren Wants Debt Collectors to Stop Hassling Corinthian College...
Students duped into taking out loans for classes with a defunct for-profit college are getting a voice. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth took up the fight for over 80,000 former Corinthian College...
View ArticleParents Are Saving Better for College
Millennial parents may still be paying off student loans when their kids get to college, but they’re going to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself. To avoid driving the $1.3 trillion in student loan...
View ArticleFAFSA Forms for 2017-18 Are Available Starting Today
October 1 marks the beginning of a new chapter in college financial aid: Early FAFSA is here. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2017-18 academic year is available today, officially...
View Article