
pick the best repayment plan. explore the different payment plans offeredincluding pay as you earn or income-based repayment, which are based off of your incomeand can drastically reduce your monthly payment. call your lender and have them work with youto see which plan is best for your lifestyle. consider refinancing your loan. chances are, when you originally took outthese loans, you had a limited credit history, no assets, and a small or nonexistent income. you may be able to get your rate lowered sinceyou are now less of a risk, as far as a lender is concerned.
deduct your student loan interest. once tax season rolls around, don't forgetto deduct any interest paid! you can deduct up to 2,500 dollars, so beon the lookout for a 1098-e document in the mail from your lender. sign up for auto enrollment. some lenders will reduce a small percentageof your loan interest for enrolling in automatic monthly payments. this can add up over time, and it also eliminatesthe possibility of late fees--as long as you keep tabs on your account balance.
use your credit cards (wisely). used properly, credit cards are a great tool. you can make your credit card pay for yourstudent loans. cash in on sign-up and cash back bonuses! just make sure you pay off the card everymonth, because if you don't you'll end up paying interest and going even further intodebt. drop your interest rate to zero. transfer what you can to a zero percent interestcredit card. once the zero percent interest period is up,transfer it to another zero percent card,
and keep it rolling. volunteer. if you̢۪ve been putting off getting out thereand giving back, student loan relief just may be that extra nudge you need. in exchange for volunteering, there are organizationsthat will help reduce your student loan debt join the army national guard. it̢۪s a bit extreme if military life wasn̢۪talready on your radar, but you can earn up to $10,000 in student loan forgiveness forserving. move somewhere with loan-paying incentives.
many cities are looking for young, creativeand college-educated people to move in, and some are even willing to pay you for the privilege. choose a job that will help you pay. if you've got a full-time job at a nonprofit,you might be eligible for loan forgiveness after you've made 120 qualifying monthly payments. student loans can be hard to deal with, butyou shouldn't let them consume your life. if you're having trouble paying your loans,make sure to contact your loan service and try to work something out with them. they want you to be able to make your payments,and many will have options that can help you
do so a little easier.
Comments
Post a Comment