resources Archives - Page 2 of 8 - Student Debt Diaries

Make a Plan For Student Loans

September 20, 2021 Jordan RothmanRepayment Strategies

When people are high school students thinking about college, student loans may seem like a distant challenge. Indeed, high school students usually did not need to borrow debt for anything else before in their lives, so it can be difficult to evaluate the consequences of student loans and how educational expenses should be covered. However, everyone should make a plan for student loans as soon as possible, preferably as soon as they know that they… Continue Reading Make a Plan For Student Loans

Making Money on Student Loans

September 6, 2021September 6, 2021 Jordan RothmanEarning Extra Money

As many people can attest to from firsthand information, numerous companies and individuals make money on student loans. Lenders charge high interest rates on student debt borrowers, and this can be good business for such lenders in the right circumstances. Moreover, colleges and universities also make big money on student loans since they are largely funded by debt borrowed from students. However, other individuals are making money on student loans in different ways, and it… Continue Reading Making Money on Student Loans

Defaulting on Student Loans Can Be Advantageous

August 30, 2021August 30, 2021 Jordan RothmanRepayment Strategies

If you have read prior articles on this website, you probably know that I typically suggest paying off your student loans and staying current on student debt at all costs. Indeed, making late payments on your student loans or no payments at all can jeopardize your credit and your financial future. However, in certain situations, defaulting on student loans can be advantageous. Although, it usually does not make sense to purposefully default on student loans,… Continue Reading Defaulting on Student Loans Can Be Advantageous

Car Loans Are Different From Student Loans

August 23, 2021 Jordan RothmanRepayment Strategies

After borrowing student debt, I did not want to borrow money for anything else I needed in life. I was able to overcome this aversion to debt when buying a home, and I took out a mortgage to purchase a condo several years ago. More recently, I purchased a car, and I had an extreme aversion to borrowing money to purchase this vehicle. However, car loans are different from student loans, and student debt borrowers… Continue Reading Car Loans Are Different From Student Loans

Thoughts on Another Student Loan Pause

August 16, 2021 Jordan RothmanRepayment Strategies

Anyone who has been following the student loan industry in the past few years should know that federal student loan payments have currently been paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers understand that student debt borrowers may have difficulty making student loan payments if they are dealing with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally, the federal student loan pause was due to expire in September, but this date was recently extended to January. I… Continue Reading Thoughts on Another Student Loan Pause

Interviewing for Jobs on a Budget

August 2, 2021August 7, 2021 Jordan RothmanSaving Money

During the last year of college or graduate school, a student typically needs to interview for jobs that they hope to enter after they graduate. Some interviews may take place virtually, but some employers may wish the candidate to travel to them to interview in person. Students who are living on a modest budget may not have too much cash available to pay for travel and other costs related to interviewing. Nevertheless, interviewing for jobs… Continue Reading Interviewing for Jobs on a Budget

How Student Loans Have Changed Over the Years

July 19, 2021 Jordan RothmanRepayment Strategies

I originally borrowed student loans in 2005 to finance my first year of college. It is almost hard believe it has been sixteen years since I first started my student loan story, and this was half a lifetime ago. As I reflect on what student debt was like decades ago, there are definitely several ways how student loans have changed over the years, and the student loan landscape is in many ways better now than… Continue Reading How Student Loans Have Changed Over the Years

Self-Employment and Student Loans

July 12, 2021 Jordan RothmanRepayment Strategies

During my student debt repayment saga, I always had a main job working for other people. As mentioned in numerous prior articles on this website, I also had several part-time jobs that allowed me to generally work at my own pace and not deal with bosses and the other challenges of working for someone else (however, my main job always involved working for other folks). Years after I paid off my student loans, I decided… Continue Reading Self-Employment and Student Loans

Higher Tuition Costs May be Worth It

July 5, 2021 Jordan RothmanChoosing Schools

As discussed in several prior articles on this website, tuition costs at many colleges and universities are astonishingly high. Indeed, tuition costs have been increasing more than the cost of inflation for decades, and as a result, the tuition and fees for a year of college or graduate school may be more than an individual earns in a year. However, higher tuition costs may be worth it in certain circumstances because schools may use tuition… Continue Reading Higher Tuition Costs May be Worth It

Attending School for a Challenge

June 7, 2021 Jordan RothmanChoosing Schools

I recently had a number of conversations with one of my friends who was thinking about attending law school about a decade after he graduated from college. This friend makes a great living in his current career, but he felt that his job was easy and that he was not getting too much mental stimulation with the work he performed on a daily basis. As such, this friend decided to apply to law school, not… Continue Reading Attending School for a Challenge