Each of us lives only now, in this brief instant. The rest has been lived already. So make the most thoughtful choices you can today that will lead to a better future.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Stop drifting and hoping a magic solution will appear. Instead, you can participate in rescuing yourself. Find peace by pursuing facts through trusted advisers and research rather than the blind trust of salespeople trying to sell you something by almost any means necessary.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Make decisions to deal with your debt with logic and facts, not assumptions, and worry about what other people will think. People who judge you will soon be forgotten. Nobody thinks about anyone that much.
Steve's Thought of the Day
The world is nothing but constant change. Your life is only a perception. Choose a way out of debt based on facts, not assumptions. Do what is best for your future because those that judge you will not feed you.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Do you have a greater responsibility to repair your financial past or your financial present and future? Make good choices that allow you to tackle your debt and immediately start building your emergency fund and saving for retirement. Tomorrow will be here before you know it. Lost time is a sin.
Steve's Thought of the Day
There is no sense in wasting a perfectly good financial mistake. Instead, learn from it and do better moving forward. The past is gone. Turn and face the future now.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Those who judge you for past financial mistakes are not your friends. So don't make choices about your future out of fear of what they may think. Instead, make choices based on truth, fact, and what is best for you moving forward from today.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Don't believe everything you think. Challenge your assumptions about getting out of debt. Do what is best for you, not others.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Is it less moral to file bankruptcy or to not take action that leaves you old, broke, hungry, and dependent on others?
Steve's Thought of the Day
If bankruptcy is so bad, why did our Founding Fathers specifically include it in the U.S. Constitution as protection for financial difficulties?
Steve's Thought of the Day
Maybe it is time to read what the Bible really says about bankruptcy instead of listening to the assumptions of others. Throw out your misperceptions and you'll be fine. (And who is stopping you from throwing them out?) - Marcus Aurelius
Stop listening to people that say bankruptcy is a last resort. It is neither first nor last. It is a tool like credit counseling, debt settlement, and others. For the best result, you need to use the right tool for the job.
Steve's Thought of the Day
People that tell you to avoid bankruptcy want to sell you something else are repeating something they heard or do not know what they are talking about. Get the facts and then make your own decision. Don't let an unskilled script-reading commissioned salesperson make life decisions for you.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Debt problems are like fingerprints. No two are alike. A one-size-fits-all solution will give you a one-size-fits-all result. You deserve better.
Steve's Thought of the Day
You are not your debt. Your value, self-esteem, and existence should not be defined by the money troubles you may be facing right now. Debt problems are solved with proper action, not guilt, self-hatred, and disgust.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Debt is nothing more than math wrapped in emotion. The math is easy, the emotional part leads us to do impulsive things. Not the right thing.
Steve's Thought of the Day
What type of money personality do you have? It is important to know. Take my online test now and discover how you unconsciously deal with money, credit, and debt.
Steve's Thought of the Day
How much retirement savings are you willing to throw away by dealing with your old debt instead of preparing for your financial future? Find how much you will lose by making the wrong choice. Use my online debt repayment calculator now.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Does it make more sense to ask for life-altering debt advice from an unskilled and untrained commissioned salesperson in a call center or an experienced debt coach like Damon Day that provides a customized solution for money troubles?
Steve's Thought of the Day
Throw out your misperceptions and you'll be fine. (And who is stopping you from throwing them out?) - Marcus Aurelius
I Didn’t Graduate From Medical School But Have All the Debt
I am 800k in debt for medical education but I failed the final national board exam and was dismissed from school with no degree. I have an Assoc degree that I can use to make 70k/yr but definitely won’t be enough to make my loan payments. 240k private 620k fed and maybe forgivable after 10yrs of 10% ibr and working in healthcare.
Should I not pay private loans and try to pay fed with hopes of forgiveness? Or try to get as much out of bankruptcy as possible if any?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Josh
Answer:
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Dear Josh,
Well you’ve discovered one of the big problems with student loans. You don’t get the best outcome unless you earn the degree, but the school still gets paid and you still get the debt, regardless.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness approach for the federal student loans will be the best approach. Just make 100% certain your employment will qualify for forgiveness. For more information, click here.
When it comes to private student loans, there are no such equivalent programs and those lenders are not required to offer any payment options other than the payment you agreed to. Unlike a federal student loan that has a number of features and repayment choices, a private student loan is most just like any other loan you may take out.
It would be worth discussing your private student loan situation with a bankruptcy attorney who is aware of the issues surrounding the ability to discharge private student loans that exceed the limits of “qualified educational expenses.” For more on this read These Private Student Loans Can Be Easily Discharged in Bankruptcy.