Common Student Loan Myths

There’s a myth that floats around every family dinner and group chat: if you have student loans, you must pour every spare dollar into them before...

There’s a stubborn myth that says any extra dollar you have should go toward your student loans. It sounds responsible. It feels virtuous. And for...

There’s a myth that if you have student loans, every extra dollar must go to them before you can save. It sounds responsible. It’s a trap. It can...

The most expensive student loan myth is that you have to pay exactly what the bill says. You don’t. Federal loans come with repayment plans based on...

The advice sounds responsible: if you have student loans, throw every spare dollar at them until they are gone. Skip the emergency fund. Skip the...

Income-driven repayment is not a last resort for people who can’t pay their bills. It’s a federal safety net, but it’s also a legitimate strategy for...

There are two kinds of federal Direct Loans that show up on your financial aid offer, and they look almost identical. One is subsidized, the other is...

Federal student loans are not all the same. The one that costs you the least is Direct Subsidized. The one that can quietly grow while you are still...

A student loan is not just a lump sum you pay back later. It is a contract with a clock attached. That clock starts ticking when money is disbursed...

If you’re staring at a financial aid offer, the words “subsidized” and “unsubsidized” might blur together. They are not the same, and the difference...

When you sign for a student loan, you are not just borrowing tuition money. You are borrowing against future paychecks. The type of loan you take...

Borrowing for school is not a personality test. It is a math problem, and the goal is to solve it with the smallest loan possible. That sounds...