When we go on vacation, most of us sleep late, basking in the luxury of rising in the morning whenever we wish. Then our vacation ends, and we have to set our alarm clock again. And we find it damned difficult to pop out of bed at 6 AM to get to work on time. … Read more
Vista College, a chain of for-profit college campuses, closed and went bankrupt a few days ago. Most Vista campuses are in Texas, but the chain filed its bankruptcy proceedings in Delaware. Who Owns Vista College? Education Futures Group (EFG), a Chicago-based private equity firm, holds a majority interest. Jim Tolbert, Vista’s CEO, owns 16.7 percent. … Read more
Baylor University, a Baptist institution located in Waco, Texas, is a well-respected school. Over the years, it has risen steadily in the college ratings and now ranks among the top 100 American universities. But Baylor is expensive–tuition and fees are about $50,000 a year. Low-income students can take out federal loans, but these loans are … Read more
Have you ever tried to resolve a dispute with a corporate entity: a bank, a car rental agency, a credit card company? How did it turn out? Most times–I’m guessing–you just gave up without getting your problem solved. A couple of years ago, Chase Bank flagged a fraudulent transfer out of my checking account. Three … Read more
[The opinions expressed in this guest post are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of anyone else. If you would like to submit a guest post as well, click here.] About six months ago, I received a letter from the Social Security Administration informing me that it … Read more
Perhaps the most inane car insurance commercial ever aired is one by Liberty Mutual: “Only pay for what you need.” Apparently, Liberty Mutual wants auto drivers to believe that it is the only insurance company that allows customers to buy car insurance tailored to their needs. But doesn’t every insurer do that? Nevertheless, the slogan … Read more
A common saying when I was young (in the last century) was the old adage that lawyers are people who wish to make a lot of money but are risk-averse. That observation certainly rang true when I went to law school in the 1970s. I graduated from the University of Texas School of Law with … Read more
In response to the COVID pandemic, the Department of Education allowed student-loan debtors to skip their monthly loan payments without penalty until September 30, 2021. That pause was recently extended to January 30, 2022. Thanks to the Department’s forbearance, millions of college-loan borrowers are enjoying a respite from making loan payments, knowing that DOE will … Read more
Joss recently wrote Steve Rhode (the Get Out of Debt Guy) and asked for advice about a student loan her father took out to help finance her college education. Joss co-signed the loan but understood that her father would pay the loan back. He didn’t. Joss didn’t know her father was not paying down the … Read more
American universities are in a tight spot. When the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020, almost all of them closed their campuses and switched to online instruction. Result? Students filed hundreds of lawsuits against the colleges, claiming–rightly in my opinion–that online teaching is inferior to face-to-face instruction and wasn’t what they paid for. In many … Read more
Tamara Parvizi, age 51, sought to discharge $653,743 in student-loan debt in a Massachusetts bankruptcy court. That’s a lot of debt–just shy of two-thirds of a million dollars. For 15 years, Parvizi took out student loans to pursue several degrees, and she became fluent in at least four languages. Nevertheless, Parvizi never made a single … Read more
Is this the year of Jubilee? Is this the year that distressed student-loan debtors finally get to shake off mountainous debt in the bankruptcy courts? Maybe. This week, Senator Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, and Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, filed a bill that would allow college-loan debtors to discharge their federal student loans … Read more
Years ago, I was strolling along a lakeside hiking trail in a Dallas-area park. As I was walking across a wooden bridge, I looked down to see a ball of wriggling snakes below me. It was a big cluster–about the size of a beachball. I didn’t stick around long enough to determine whether the snakes … Read more
I bought a Subaru in 2019, and the company promised to make a $250 donation to one of four Subaru-selected charities. Subaru calls this program “Share the Love.” As I recall, I selected Meals on Wheels, and I was glad to have Subaru donate some money to that worthy charity on my behalf. Nevertheless, I … Read more
Martha Standish took out student loans when she was in her late 40s to get an undergraduate degree in accounting. Later she took out a Parent Plus Loan to help her daughter with college expenses. Eleven years after graduating, Standish filed an adversary proceeding in a Kansas bankruptcy court seeking to discharge about $30,000 in … Read more