When people who are struggling with student loans look to ways to get rid of them, they assume that bankruptcy is the only option. Then they are told the myth that student loans can’t be discharged in bankruptcy and think that there is nothing they can do. They are stuck with the loans for the rest of their lives.
However, for many people, there are discharge options outside of bankruptcy that can give them the relief that they need, under certain circumstances. So on this episode of the podcast, I discuss the administrative discharge of federal loans and New Jersey CLASS loans. If you have a loan from another state, check out whether they have these same options.
Most of what you read online about student loans tends to focus on struggling college graduates who can’t repay their debt. Difficulty finding a job, the costs of living like rent and a vehicle competing for those income dollars, and insanely high loan balances upon graduation, combine to make repayment seem beyond reach.
But what about their parents? We hardly ever hear about the moms and dads who are stuck repaying Parent PLUS Loans for children that they put through college. According to an article on the web site Student Loan Hero, Parent PLUS loan debt currently stands at about $77.8 billion.
On top of that, these loans have the highest interest rates among all federal student loans. For the 2017-18 school year, the rate is 7.0%, and older Parent PLUS loans could have rates above 7%.
So in this episode of the podcast I wanted to talk about what parents can do to fit their loan payments more affordably into their finances.
If you have a commercial driver’s license, or CDL, here in New Jersey you probably drive for a living. Therefore, any threat to that license is a threat to your ability to work and your financial stability. You don’t want it suspended or revoked permanently because of a traffic violation.
That is why in this episode of the podcast I talk about New Jersey’s traffic laws and how a violation of them, even if you aren’t driving your commercial vehicle, could result in the suspension or permanent revocation, of that license. You need to protect your financial future!
According to CNNMoney, roughly one-third of Americans have nothing at all saved for retirement, citing a 2016 study from GOBankingRates, and another 23% have less than $10,000 in their retirement funds. That’s more than half of all Americans not prepared for retirement! This may be because they don’t think they have the ability to plan and save for this, or they’ve been putting it off.
Having a good retirement plan is critical to achieving financial freedom and independence. Being able to pay the bills and enjoy life when the paychecks stop is a great feeling, but it takes planning and preparation. That is why in this episode of the podcast I talk about some tips for implementing a plan, so that you can get on that road to your golden years!
One of the biggest obstacles to financial success and freedom can be a criminal record. It can prevent you from getting a better paying job, a security clearance, or a gun permit. Many times this record contains convictions of minor, non-violent crimes that were committed many years ago and represent a very different time in your life.
But that doesn’t have to be the case! New Jersey provides a mechanism and procedure for wiping out this record and allowing you to move onward and upward with your life. So in this episode of the podcast I discuss this process and how you can use it to improve your situation and your chances of financial freedom.
Technology can be a great equalizer when it comes to allowing small businesses to compete with the large corporations. Cloud based products like Microsoft’s Office 365 and Google’s G-Suite offer complex technology infrastructure that delivers high level productivity without requiring an expensive IT department and support. More and more businesses are “going to the cloud” with their data and applications, making them more mobile and platform-independent.
This can lead to greater vulnerability, though, as we hear all the time on the news about companies like Target and Equifax being breached. Even if you keep your data on local servers and don’t go to the cloud at all, you can be at risk. Being hacked could, quite literally, put you out of business and ruin your financial freedom.
That is why in this episode of the podcast, I talk again with Dave Strout of Cettei & Connell here in Woodbury about what your current business liability coverage does, and does not, cover when it comes to cybersecurity, along with the type of policy you will need to cover you properly if disaster should strike.
Those that serve our country in the military make extraordinary sacrifices in their lives and those of their families. Many come home with physical injuries and disabilities. Others come home whole physically, but bear scars that no one can see. These scars can make it often as difficult to adapt to civilian life as the loss of a limb.
That is why New Jersey’s Veteran’s Diversionary program is so important, as it helps veterans and servicemembers suffering from mental illness to avoid the sanctions and consequences of the nonviolent crimes they commit as a result of this disability. So in this episode of the podcast, I talk about how this program gets veterans the help and counseling they need, not jail time and fines.
The biggest asset most people have is their home, so if they decide to sell it, they want to make sure that they get the most they can in price. This can be particularly important if they still owe a lot on the mortgage or mortgages. But the real estate market isn’t what it was prior to 2008, and probably won’t be again any time soon. So, if you want to make the most from your home sale, you need to be smart and strategic about it.
That is why, in this episode of the podcast, I talk to real estate broker Lynn Stambaugh, the owner of Cardinal Real Estate Services here in Woodbury, about some do’s and don’ts when it comes to selling your home. If you are planning to put your home on the market, or are looking to do so in the next few years, these are some things that you should definitely bear in mind!
There have been some developments in the past several months regarding your credit and your student loans if you have them. When these sorts of developments are released, it is important that people find out about it, as it often gets shouted down by all the other things that the media is talking about.
That is why, in this episode of the podcast, I am starting a new feature where I discuss and analyze important developments that could affect your financial freedom, so they are not lost to you in the noise created by the latest political scandal. Here are two stories that could well affect you and your financial future: one on your credit score, and one on federal student loans.
Student loans continue to be in crisis in this country, with debt over $1 trillion nationally. Naturally, people with these loans are looking for a solution to their problem. Unfortunately, many of them are automatically eliminating one of them based on a common misunderstanding, and that is: Student loans cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.
Therefore, in this episode of the podcast, I wanted to dispel this misunderstanding and show how student loans can be discharged in bankruptcy. It is not easy to do, and it definitely is not inexpensive, but it is worth looking into if you have a crushing balance of student loan debt.