Finally Some Action on Consolidation and Rehabilitation?

We have written a number of posts about ongoing operational problems at the Department of Education.  We received some encouraging news this week that some of these problems may be fixed, including: 1.  We wrote earlier about problems with borrowers seeking to consolidate out of default.  The Department was placing borrowers in ICR even if they selected IBR as their preferred payment plan.  This has been a huge problem, especially since IBR monthy payments are much lower in most cases. Department staff tell us that this has been resolved and that borrowers selecting IBR in these circumstances will in fact be placed in IBR if they qualify. 2.  The Department has acknowledged a failure to complete the rehabilitation process for Direct Loan borrowers who have made the required reasonable and affordable payments.  Many borrowers have been stuck in limbo for months; still required to make payments and still in default. Department staff claim they have fixed this problem too and are addressing the backlog. Please let us know your experiences.  Are these fixes for real? Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

May Gruaduates – Grace period almost up. Consolidate Now?

    Student loan consolidation So it’s already October and May graduates are about to start paying off their federal student loans. Your grace period is about to end and you are considering all the options available to you. If consolidation is one of your options, I can imagine you going hysterical not knowing if you can still consolidate now that your grace period is almost up. It is always advisable to consolidate your student loans before the end of your grace period. Doing so gives you certain benefits. For example, if you were given a federal student loan before July 1, 2006, you should consolidate before the end of your grace period. This is because the interest rates on your loans will move up to 2.48% from 1.88% at the end of your grace period. For those of you who have federal loans that you received after July 1, 2006, you will receive no interest rate benefit for consolidating before your grace period expires. The rates on these loans are fixed and will not change. You only benefit here is the extended time and lower monthly repayments you’ll receive for consolidating. No related posts. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

New Web Site for Borrowers in Default: Is it an Improvement?

The Department of Education posted a new web site for borrowers in default.  It is intended to be a central point of entry for borrowers in default with information about consequences of default and on-line access to account information. The new site allows borrowers to request collection hearings on-line.  This includes garnishment and offset hearings.  There is also an on-line complaint form. Much of this information can only be accessed by borrowers with student loan accounts.  We urge you to check out this new system and let us know if it is an improvement.  Please share your experiences. It is especially important to let the Department know if you are experiencing problems with collection agencies.  Are the collectors providing accurate information about your options to get out of default?  Ideally, a loan holder or collector should review all options with you and let you choose the program that works best for you, not for them! Check out our information sheet comparing rehabilitation and consolidation.  It is important to learn about your rights because collectors often provide inaccurate information about these options.  They too often seek to maximize their own profits rather than provide neutral information to borrowers. We hope this new on-line system is an improvement.  Please let us know. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Is Student Loan Consolidation Alone Enogh For You?

    When you have several thousands in student loans to pay back, there is little doubt that consolidating your student loans will help you reduce your monthly payments.  By consolidating your loans, you reduce all your loans into a single loan therefore having to only pay one lender.  Consolidating your loans also extends the amount of time you have to repay you loans thereby making a significant reduction in the amount you have to pay each month. Nevertheless, for some people, consolidation alone might not be enough to bring down your monthly payments to a level you can afford. If you find yourself in such a situation, you might consider taking an income-based repayment plan. This plan is an new payment plan for holders of federal student loans. This works by offering payment caps based on your income and the size of your family. In general, your repayments will be less than 10% of your income and if after 25yrs you still have repayments to make, those will be forgiven. This plan is more suitable for people who owe large amounts of student loan debts and have low income. For example, students who owe debt from undergraduate and graduate schools. This has become very popular with medical and law students. The income-based repayment plan is not for everyone. If  loan consolidation is OK to bring down your monthly repayments to a level you can afford, then there is no need to go for IRB. But if you find yourself in the situation where even after consolidation you still can’t afford you monthly repayments, then you should apply for income-based repayment plan. No related posts. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Federal Student Aid and Financial Need: Are Pell Grants Sustainable?

As Stephen Burd of Education Sector writes in a recent report, the federal student aid programs initially focused on providing resources to those who would not be able to attend college without the help.  This has changed over time to a point where government funds increasingly subsidize higher education for upper-middle income families who are more able to afford sending their children to college without the help. For those interested in this topic, one good place to find more information is the Education Sector’s new report, “Moving On Up:  How Tuition Tax Breaks Increasingly Favor the Upper-Middle Class.”   The report recommends that instead of making further cuts to Pell eligibility, reducing grant amounts, or eliminating interest subsidies for student loans, Congress should allow the American Opportunity Tax Credit to expire at the end of this year, eliminate all of the other tuition tax breaks and use the savings to keep the Pell grant program alive and sustainable. This is one of a number of new ideas floating around to help solve the “Pell grant problem.”  The Education Sector also sponsored a forum on April 11 to discuss these issues. The Pell grant program has many benefits, including that it does a good job of targeting needy students.  According to the Education Sector, in the 2010-11 academic year, approximately 74 percent of the nearly 9 million Pell Grant recipients had family incomes of $30,000 or less. The problem is that the cost of keeping the grants at current levels keeps growing.  And stagnant grants fail to keep up with the increasing costs of college. The Obama Administration has made it a priority to support the Pell program, but temporary funding solutions only go so far.  The hope is that policymakers and advocates can come up with creative solutions so that targeted aid for financially needy students can survive. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

The best time to consolidate is now

    sleepless nights over your debts? Things are tough all over. Money is tight, jobs are scarce. The economy is on the mend, but it looks like it might take a while to recover. Faced with money worries, those with student loans may be wondering how to keep themselves above water, making their monthly payments without sliding toward default. Student loan consolidation is an option strongly worth considering. Those with one or more student loan payments are eligible for consolidation. Under consolidation, your school loans are refinanced into a single loan, often with much lower monthly payments. Some calculations made by private consolidators estimate up to 53% lower monthly payments, depending on your loan situation. Other benefits of consolidation include the option to renew loan deferments, protecting some borrowers against interest accumulation during a period of nonpayment. This can be helpful for those looking to regain employment or strengthen their employment options. There are four plans available to those looking into student loan consolidation. These plans can shorten or lengthen your repayment period, lowering or raising your monthly payments depending on your current financial situation. Those with student loan consolidation can switch among these plans over the course of repayment to reflect their changing needs. Some student loans have variable interest rates, which fluctuate over time. With consolidation, the rate remains fixed for the life of the loan. This can lower your overall payment and provides for stability and fewer surprises: you will know how much your payments are, now and in the years to come. As the economy works to rebuild, you can take steps to secure your own financial future. Lowering your monthly payments through student loan consolidation might be one great way to do so. Check with the Federal Direct Consolidation Loan website or your private lender to see if student loan consolidation is right for you. No related posts. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

U.S. Department of Education Collection Complaint System Needs Massive Improvement

Today, the National Consumer Law Center’s Student Borrower Loan Assistance Project released a new report: Borrowers on Hold: Student Loan Collection Agency’s Complaint Systems Need Massive Improvement.    Overview: The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) relies on an increasing number of private collection agency contractors to recover defaulted student loans. By contracting out its defaulted loan portfolio and failing to provide effective oversight, the Department has abdicated its responsibility to uphold the borrower protections in the Higher Education Act. These protections include affordable payment plans and loan cancellations in circumstances such as disability or death. The Department has created financial incentives for its contractors that encourage high collections at the expense of borrower rights. There is growing evidence that borrower dissatisfaction with collection agencies has increased. The report focuses on the inaccessibility of agency complaint systems and poor agency tracking of complaints. It also offers recommendations to create a complaint system that works for borrowers. NCLC found that contractors do not maintain accessible complaint systems and some agencies ignore the Department’s minimum requirements for handling borrower grievances. Overall, the complaint systems used by some collectors display a haphazard approach to resolving borrower disputes. The Department also has failed to inform borrowers of the resources available through the agency to address complaints. As long as the Department and its contractors can deploy extraordinary collections tactics to recover federal loans, borrowers must have an accessible way to register their dissatisfaction. A long‐term solution is that the Department should simply stop using collection agencies to provide assistance to struggling borrowers. In the meantime, it is essential that the government aggressively oversee agency performance, evaluating agencies not only based on dollars collected, but also on service to borrowers. Tax dollars should not reward collectors who abuse borrowers, break debt collection laws, or who fail to inform borrowers of their options under the Higher Education Act.   Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Video-Loan Consolidation And Better Debt Management Tips

    This is a very interesting video gives out a few well known tips on dealing with mounting debt situations. With the current times we are in, many are finding it difficult to deal with their debts. In my personal opinion, I will put most of the blame on the financial institutions for creating the situation where people are able to borrow more than can actually afford to pay back. Although loan consolidation is an obvious choice for a lot us, people tend to leave that in the table until it’s too late. Often, people even neglect their debt situations until it’s just too late to do much about it. I believe colleges should be educating their students on debt management and how to pay off their student loan debts once they leave school. In this video, Barbra Carvalho talks about how to simplify your debts whiles cutting down your costs. Barbara talks about the how you should be cautious when choosing to consolidate your loans. Consolidating loans will often  end up more expensive in the long run. But to me that is not really very relevant depending on the situation you find yourself in. If your debts are strangling you at the moment, why not consolidate and spread the payment over a longer term. This can mean you getting a better interest rate for your loans and reduced monthly payments. This frees up some cash for you to use on other important things instead of using all your money on refinancing your loans. If I’m going to struggle to pay off $100000 in 10yrs, I’ll definitely prefer to consolidate and pay off $150000 in 20yrs. Barbara gives you tips in the video about how to generally manage your finances and save on your credits. You can get lower interest credits from you local unions than the banks and she also mentions how you should consolidate your credit card debts into one or two the better manage your repayments and also to better keep track of your spending. No related posts. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Follow-up to Mr. A’s Story

Thanks to all of you who have responded to the story about my client Mr. A.  Many of you have asked why Mr. A has not tried rehabilitation or consolidation to get out of default.  We have discussed these options with Mr. A many times.  They are useful for many borrowers, but there are drawbacks.  Most important in Mr. A’s case, he does not believe he owes the loans and does not want to take any action that would appear to revive the debts.   Further, consolidation creates a new loan and borrowers generally lose rights and defenses, such as forgery, related to the underlying loans.  This information sheet reviews the pros and cons of rehabilitation and consolidation. Mr. A could consider applying for a disability discharge, but he believes, whether realistically or not, that he should still be able to work.  In any case, this is hardly a straightforward process in our experience and the government denies many meritorious claims.  Mr. A might be able to meet the heightened bankruptcy student loan discharge standard.  Discharging a student loan in bankruptcy, however, is difficult both procedurally and substantively.  Mr. A is not prepared to go to court and present the detailed evidence of his medical condition and other personal testimony required to prove the common sense argument that he simply cannot repay these loans. We will keep working with Mr. A, but these are the main reasons he remains in default.   However, we encourage you to review these various options as they do work for many borrowers.  The available options are far from perfect.  For example, loan cancellation or discharge applies only in limited cases.  But getting out of default if possible, even though the debt survives, is generally preferable to facing a life time of collection. We also appreciate the comments about V.A. services.  Mr. A does get some very limited prescription drug benefits and other medical assistance from V.A., but not enough to pay for all of his health care needs. Please keep sending comments and your own experiences.  We appreciate hearing from all of you. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

How to turn variable-rate student loans into one fixed-rate loan?

    If you have several student loans with variable interest rates and if you are facing problems in making the payments on these loans of yours, you can consolidate your student loans in order to solve this problem. If you have federal student loans, you can try to make the payments through Income Based Repayment plan or IBR or else if you have private student loans you can take the help of online debt settlement and consolidation companies who will help you in consolidating your private student loans. How to turn variable-rate loans to fixed rate loan? You can turn the variable-rate student loans into fixed-rate single loan by taking out a consolidation loan. You can take out a consolidation loan all by yourself. For consolidating your loans you will have to negotiate with your lenders. However, if you think that you need help to consolidate your student loans, you can take the help of an online debt settlement and consolidation company. The consolidation company will first thoroughly analyze your financial situation and then help you in preparing a budget according to your family ad your income and expenditures. The online debt counselor will then enroll you into a debt consolidation program. The counselors of the consolidation company will then talk to your lenders and negotiate a lower interest rate. You will have to make a single payment to the online debt consolidation company each month. As all the debts are consolidated into a single loan, all the variable rates of the loans that you previously had are changed to a fixed-rate loan. Thus, with the consolidation the interest rate is lowered and thus your monthly payment is lowered too. Benefits of private student loan consolidation 1. Lowered interest rate : When you consolidate your private student loans, the interest rate is lowered. Generally, debt consolidation loans are available at lower interest rates. Thus, paying off your loans becomes easier.2. Monthly payment is reduced : As the interest rate is reduced, the monthly payment is reduced too.3. Late fees may get waived off : The counselor may even negotiate with your lenders to waive off penalty charges like late payment fees.4. Managing the debts becomes easier : Managing your payments becomes easier as all of the loans are grouped as a single debt. Instead of making several payments in a single month, you will have to make a single payment each month.5. Flexible repayment period : In a debt consolidation program you can choose to pay off the debt over a certain period of time according to your situation. Some lenders even allow you to make the payments for 10 years. However, if possible you can pay off the loan faster than usual. Debt consolidation also helps you in avoiding credit card debt. Rather than using your credit cards to pay off your student loans, you can try to pay off the debts through debt consolidation. Credit card debt will hurt your credit score all the more and your debt problems will go in increasing. Thus, it is better to use debt consolidation instead of making the loan payments using your cards. No related posts. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Student Loan Consolidation: How can it Help?

    Put all your student loans in one bag Student loan consolidation is the solution for career minded students who are losing sleep over their debts and are worried about all the loans they will need to pay after the conclusion of their studies. As young people leave college and are venturing into the world of work, the last thing they need to be worrying about is how they are going to pay back all the student loans they have accumulated over the past few years. Student loan consolidation is the answer to this problem and they are proving to be very beneficial to students all over the country. During their studies, a student will tend to accumulate a few different loans which all have individual and varied interest rates and terms. The idea of student loan consolidation is to take all of these separate loans and create a single easy and affordable monthly payment which will cover all of them at once. This allows the student to concentrate on their career and avoid further debt and financial concerns by allowing them to save more money on their interest rates and not to have the hassle of paying multiple companies and deal with several different banks and accounts at the same time. In today’s market, student loan consolidation programs are becoming more popular as the number of providers is increasing all the time. A range of rates and schemes are available so that each student is able to find the most appropriate and suitable program for their specific circumstances. The flexibility and lack of extra charges and fees allow for these schemes to help students enter their new lives after education with a stronger financial base and less stress, paperwork and lenders to deal with on a monthly basis. By allowing students to free up more available cash each month, they are able to save, invest and budget their finances in a more secure and reliable way for the future. As well as having no fees and charges attached to them, student loan consolidation schemes also have the added benefit of being available for students without a cosigner or credit check taking place. Anyone who is a student is eligible for these programs and can apply for the debt consolidation program from their local government. There is no early payment charges included which allows students to pay the loans in full whenever they may wish without incurring any penalties. The interest rate of the student consolidation programs is comprised of an average taken from all the current loans a student has and what their individual interest rates are. Although they will vary depending on the figures pertaining to the individual, they are unable to be set above 8.25% and so the student consolidation loan interest rates will never be above this figure. If you are close to paying off your loans or you only have one or two with low interest rates already then student loan consolidation schemes are not likely to be the best option for you, it is important to make sure that you perform comprehensive research and decide which is the most advantageous path for you to personally take in your specific situation. No related posts. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Older Borrowers and Student Loans: One Client’s Experience

This is dedicated to my client Mr. A in hopes that he will keep his dignity and not lose hope. Some basic facts about Mr. A:  He is 83 years old and a veteran of the Korean War.  His sole source of income is Social Security.  He has an unfortunate array of medical problems, both physical and mental. He worked for years, mainly in the insurance business, and retired in his 70’s.  He lives alone.  He has three children, none of whom are doing very well financially. Mr. A sought legal assistance  because the government had started taking a large chunk of his Social Security income and he could no longer afford to buy the medications he needed.  It took a while to unravel the source of the offset because Mr. A insisted that he had never taken out any student loans to pay for education.  He was correct that he had never taken out loans to finance his own education because he was able to use the G.I. bill.   Instead, the offset occurred because of parent PLUS loans from the early 1990’s.  Mr. A insists that he never took those loans out either.  It’s unclear whether he did take out the loans or whether one of his sons took advantage of him.  Regardless, there is a large balance outstanding and Mr. A cannot pay.  His children cannot help him financially either. We contacted Sallie Mae to figure out a way to at least reduce the Social Security offset.  We submitted detailed proof of Mr. A’s income and expenses.  It took hours to document these expenses.  Mr. A almost missed one appointment because he slipped in the rain and was disoriented and couldn’t find the legal service office.  He has been unsteady ever since he broke his leg late last year. We provided the information and Sallie Mae eventually agreed to reduce the offset to an amount that allowed Mr. A to purchase most of the medications he needs to keep going.  This is not a permanent solution as Mr. A will have to fill out the expenses and income information every year, but it is enough to keep him going for now. One would think that the government would be satisfied with the offset of Mr. A’s Social Security for this parent loan from the 1990’s.  This is not the case.  They also keep placing the account with collection agencies.   I asked the Sallie Mae representatives to take the file back from the collection agency.  Among other problems, the constant phone calls and letters are very upsetting to Mr. A.  The Sallie Mae representative said they can’t take the file back.  They did agree to put my name on the account as the contact.  I called the collection agency a number of times and confirmed that I was Mr. A’s attorney.  For some reason, it took months for the agency to record this and in the meantime, the collection agency called at least 4 or 5 other attorneys in my office. In my last conversation with the collection agency supervisor, I asked again if they could stop their collection efforts.  Mr. A has no money other than his Social Security and they are already taking a large portion of that.  He is not going to inherit anything because his parents died many years ago and his only remaining sibling recently passed away and left him the car he uses to get around. Unbelievably, the agency said that they are required by law to keep contacting him.  They agreed they would call me instead, but that I should expect weekly calls.  I repeated that this is a waste of time.  The representative suggested that perhaps Mr. A could take advantage of one of their “special programs.”  She then described to me a “special” option to get out of default by paying $10 monthly for 4 months.  I told her this is ridiculous because my client could get out of default if he wanted by consolidating without making any payments at all.  She had never heard of this!  I had to read her the regulations. In any case, Mr. A doesn’t want to consolidate or rehabilitate because he doesn’t believe he owes the money.  He also doesn’t want his balance to balloon even further due to collection fees that the agency automatically adds to accounts even if they didn’t do enough to earn them. Further, Mr. A doesn’t want to apply for disability discharge because he believes he can still work. Where is the taxpayer outcry about the funds being spent to pay collection agencies to hound people like Mr. A?  Or in this case, to hound me?  Do taxpayers want to pay so that I can get a weekly call from a collection agency and tell them that my 83 year old client has not yet won the lottery?  (He doesn’t buy lottery tickets by the way). This is just one story of how draconian student loan collection policies are harming some of the most vulnerable members of our society.  The agencies clearly have the authority to stop doing this.  There is no law that says that they must call a borrower (or his attorney) every week.  Checking off a contact box on a computer screen has become more important than common sense.  This is where our policies have taken us.  Is this what we really want to pay for?   Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

The Freshman’s Guide to Saving Money: Saving Money During the School Year

Welcome back readers.  For those just tuning in, I’m a student who recently completed his freshman year of college. College is a blast, but it’s also expensive.  After breaking the bank this past year, I’m here with advice on how to have a great time in college without spending your entire summer paycheck. Purchasing tickets to shows/sports events 1.  Look for student discounts.  When purchasing tickets to a concert, movie, sports game, etc., always see if you can get a student discount. Many such shows offer tickets at a discounted price to students. 2.  Buy cheap seats.  You may really want first row seats to see your favorite team, but for the price they charge, it may not be worth it. When going to shows or sports events with friends, buy bleacher seats â€" You’re still going to see your favorite athlete and have a great time. Getting a job 1.  On-Camus Jobs See if you can work as a note taker for any of your classes.  Last semester, I got a job as a note taker for two of my classes.  I got paid to upload my notes from these two classes.  In addition, look into getting a job as a desk assistant or another security-related job.  Many of these jobs allow you to do schoolwork when you are not busy â€" which will be the case the vast majority of the time â€" so you will ultimately be paid to do your homework. 2.  Off-Campus Jobs Off-campus jobs offer potential for earning higher wages than on-campus jobs, but, while on-campus jobs understand that school comes first, off-campus jobs won’t be as understanding if you want to take the night off to write your essay. Carrying money If you’re anything like me, you’ll spend it.  Instead, carry $5-$10 on you at a time and, if you plan on spending more, then take out more from your bank account. End-of-year fees Many schools charge dorm fees to students whose rooms are messy, damaged, or have parts of the wall that need to be painted after moving out, and these fees are very steep.  Be sure to vacuum your room before leaving for the summer, and, if a part of your wall needs re-painting, then fix it â€" just be sure that you buy the right color paint. Buying food 1.  Be careful of how often you order takeout, it will really take a toll on your bank account. 2.  Always buy in bulk.  If you go to the store to buy a can of soda, buy a 12 pack instead and bring the other 11 cans back to your room. 3.  Buy store-brand foods.  In college, you will soon learn that the savings for buying store brand foods over the real thing outweighs any difference in quality. Cost of Cars Many schools charge a fee for parking, not to mention the cost of gas for your car, so don’t bring your car if you can avoid it. Money is just paper A wise man once told me, “Money is just paper.  It’s something we need in life, but it’s just paper.”  While it’s important that you don’t overindulge in spending, frugality may cause you to miss out on some great experiences.  Moderation is the key.  If your favorite band is playing a concert, and you can afford it, then go, but don’t pay $100 to see an artist that you’ve never heard of just because your friend is going.  If you’re used to buying a coffee every day, then start buying a coffee every other day, and eventually cut it down to buying one cup a week. Be sure to watch for my next post coming in the weeks ahead. 5 Most Recent Student Loans Blog Posts: This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

The Freshman’s Guide to Saving Money: Preparing for College

Congratulations!  You’ve been accepted to college, and, in a few months, you will be leaving home to start the next chapter of your life.  As someone who just completed his freshman year, I can honestly tell you that this past year has been the best year of my life.  However, it has also been the most expensive. I learned how expensive college is the hard way.  After having worked close to full time last summer, I had $3.14 in my bank account by the end of the school year.  My goal is to provide you with tips on how to minimize your costs without minimizing the college experience. Purchasing books Don’t buy books from your school bookstore unless absolutely necessary.  Websites such as Amazon.com and Chegg.com provide textbooks at a much more reasonable price.  Amazon also offers a feature referred to as Amazon Student, where students who register with a valid .edu address qualify for six months of free two-day shipping. Before buying a book for class, check if your school library has it available.  I had to read a book every two weeks for one of my classes last semester, and I was able to find almost all of these books in my school’s library. Setting up a bank account Set up a checking account with a bank that is located near your school.  It will save you from having to pay a fee â€" generally ranging from $1.50 to $2.50 â€" every time that you want to take out money. Water filtration > plastic Get a water filter and reusable water bottle instead of buying plastic bottles.  It may seem inexpensive to buy a 24 pack of water for $5.00, but you’ll be shocked at how quickly you go through it, and how much money those 24 packs add up over the semester. Invest in a good coffee machine Instead of buying a coffee from your local coffee shop every day, buy a good coffee machine.  This year, my roommate brought a Keurig to school and I loved it.  Assume that buying a coffee costs $2.00.  Based on this, buying a coffee every day adds up to $730 per year!  In comparison, an 18 pack of Keurig cups generally costs around $12, adding up to $245 a year, or a savings of almost $500. Back-to-school shopping Be sure to visit discount stores like Target or Wal-Mart to purchase all the items you need for school.  Most items are generally much cheaper at such stores, and you can find everything that you will need for your room and classes.  Don’t spend your money buying notebooks and folders at the school bookstore, as they will be much less expensive at your local discount store. Apple student discount If considering buying an Apple product for school, be sure to ask about their student discounts.  Last year, I bought a Mac, and was given a $100 gift card to iTunes and a printer with my purchase. Buy a good printer, or use the school ones The $20 printer may sound good, but the real expense comes from the ink.  Instead, buy a good printer that doesn’t use a lot of ink, and you will save in the long run.  Otherwise, most schools have their own set of printers that are accessible to students for either free, or relatively cheap. Be sure to check back soon for my next blog about saving money during the school year. 5 Most Recent Student Loans Blog Posts: This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

www.americabankconsolidationloanstudent.info

*Buy a new .COM, get one new .INFO for FREE for 1st year only. Not valid on renewals or transfers. Plus ICANN fee of 18¢ per domain per year.† Good for one 1-year registration of any available .COM, .US, .BIZ, .INFO, .NET or .ORG**New .COs, first year only. Offer ends 6/30/2012.‡ Annual discounts available on NEW purchases only.GoDaddy.com is the world's No. 1 ICANN-accredited domain name registrar for .COM, .NET, .ORG, .INFO, .BIZ and .US domain extensions.Source: RegistrarSTATS.com1 GoDaddy.com is rated the world's largest hostname provider according to Netcraft®.Copyright © 1999-2012 GoDaddy.com, LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

UPDATE: Stafford Loan Interest Rates

Recently, the U.S. Senate rejected President Barack Obama’s plan to maintain the 3.4% interest rates on federal student loans. If both parties are unable to agree on terms by the July 1 deadline, the rate will jump to 6.8%. Both parties agree that the rates should remain at 3.4%, but paying for an extension of this proposal would cost $6 billion. So the question is, where will this money come from? The Democrats are proposing the money come from shutting down a Medicare loophole that business partners can currently use to save money, while the Republicans suggest that eliminating a preventative health fund could provide the funding. Background In 2007, when interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans were 6.8%, the Senate approved a law that temporarily reduced the rates to 3.4% for low and middle-income students. While the rates are expected to return to 6.8% on July 1, President Obama is urging legislators to keep those rates at a more affordable level for students and their families. Learn more about Stafford loans so you can prepare for the upcoming semester. 5 Most Recent Student Loans Blog Posts: This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.