College has become very expensive to pay for these days. Not too many people can afford it if they didn’t have help. If you are looking for a viable means of going to college, then student loans are there to give you a hand.
Be aware of the terms of any loans you take out. You must watch your loan balances, check your repayment statuses, and know your lenders. All these details are involved in both repayment options as well as forgiveness potentials. It is your responsibility to add this information into your budget plans.
If an issue arises, don’t worry. Unemployment or a health problem can happen to you from time to time. You may have the option of deferring your loan for a while. However, the interest will build during the time you are not making payments.
Focus initially on the high interest loans. You definitely want to pay down the ones with the highest interest rate, because taking care of the lower ones could cause you to end up paying more money.
Grace Period
Make sure you understand the true length of your grace period so that you do not miss payments. Stafford loans have a grace period of six months. Perkins loans offer a nine-month grace period. Other types of loans may vary. Do you know how long you have?
Select the payment arrangement that is best for you. Most student loans have a ten year plan for repayment. If that doesn’t work for you, some other options may be out there for you. You can pay for longer, but it will cost you more in interest over time. You also possibly have the option of paying a set percentage of your post-graduation income. Some student loans offer loan forgiveness after a period of 25 years has elapsed.
Pick a payment plan that works best for you. In most cases, 10 years are provided for repayment of student loans. Other options may also be available if that doesn’t work out. Examples include lengthening the time it takes to repay the loan, but having a higher interest rate. You might also be able to pay a percentage of your income once you begin making money. Certain student loan balances just get simply forgiven after a quarter century has gone by.
Pay off student loans in interest-descending order. Go after high interest rates before anything else. Using additional money to pay these loans more rapidly is a smart choice. Speeding up repayment will not penalize you.
Payments for student loans can be hard if you don’t have the money. There are loan rewards programs that can help with payments. Look at websites such as SmarterBucks and LoanLink to learn about this kind of program offered by Upromise. These are similar to cash back programs so that means you can get rewards that help you with your loan situation.
You can stretch your dollars further for your student loans if you make it a point to take the most credit hours as you can each semester. To be considered a full-time student, you usually have to carry at least nine or 12 credits, but you can usually take as many as 18 credit each semester, which means that it takes less time for you to graduate. This helps you shave off some of the cost of your loans.
Many obtain student loans, sign their documents, but remain clueless about what they’re signing into. It is essential that you question anything you do not clearly understand. There are unscrupulous lenders who will take advantage of the unwary.
One type of student loan that is available to parents and graduate students is the PLUS loans. The interest rate is no greater than 8.5%. Although it is higher than Perkins and Stafford Loans, you still get a much better rate than one that is private. These loans are much better suited to an older student that is at graduate school or is close to graduating.
Do not consider the idea that a default on your student loan will give you freedom from your debt. The government can get back this money if they want it. They can take your income taxes or Social Security. It can also claim 15 percent of your disposable income. This will put you in a very bad position.
You have to pay off your loans some day. Lots of people get loans and never stop to think about paying them back. Using the advice in this article will help you fund your college education without going too deep into debt.
Lapo is a smart home, technology, health, wealth, and fitness enthusiast. If he’s not on tour, you’ll find him in New York with his wife and pet parrot hanging out at the park.
Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Resources
- Teds Woodworking
- Home Automation
- SmartHome
- ATT.com
- CNN – Smart and Sure Way to Reveal Strangers Lurking in the Dark
- FBI’s Warning About Home Security