ibr

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  Mike Meru Racked Up $1 Million in Student Loans to Go to Dental School

  Perhaps you read Josh Mitchell’s story in the Wall Street Journal about Mike Meru, who took out $600,000 in student loans to go to dental school at University of Southern California. Due to fees and accrued interest,...

  • Posted May 29, 2018
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  Will My Inheritance Increase My IBR Student Loan Payment?

  Question: Dear Steve, I have about $70,000 in student loans, currently on income based repayment and my payments are zero because of my current income. My mom has me as her sole inheritor. Her lawyer (who has...

  • Posted October 26, 2017
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  I Made a Mistake and Filed a Joint Tax Return and My IBR Payment is Going to Go Up

  Question: Dear Steve, I have a school loan that seems to have doubled and right now I owe almost $69,000. I have been enrolled in the IBR plan and also work for a school district so I...

  • Posted July 24, 2017
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  Alternative Repayment Plan – The Little Known Federal Student Loan Plan When All Else Fails

  For individuals struggling to repay their federal student loans and think the only repayment options are a Graduated Repayment Plan, Extended Repayment Plan, Revised Pay As You Earn, REPAYE, Pay As You Earn, PAYE, Income Based Repayment...

  • Posted May 30, 2017
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  Bankruptcy Groups Jump In to Support Student Loan Discharge to Avoid Cement Life Preservers

  The National Consumer Bankruptcy Rights Center (NCBRC) and National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) have decided to support the bankruptcy discharge in ECMC v. Murray with an outside briefing supporting the effort. The Murray case is...

  • Posted May 2, 2017
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  Income-Driven Repayment Plans for Managing Crushing Levels of Student-Loan Debt: Financial Suicide

  By the end of his first term in office, President Obama knew the federal student loan program was out of control. Default rates were up and millions of student borrowers had put their loans into forbearance or...

  • Posted April 24, 2017
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  Income-Driven Repayment Plans for Distressed Student-Loan Debtors: Not a Silver Bullet for Easing the Student Loan Crisis

  by Richard Fossey & Robert C. Cloud. The federal student loan program is in crisis. More than 40 million Americans now have outstanding student loans totaling almost $1.3 trillion and 8 million borrowers are in default (Cao,...

  • Posted March 3, 2017
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  Income-Driven Repayment Plans for Distressed Student-Loan Debtors are Insane

  In a recent post, I wrote about Alan and Catherine Murray, who won a partial discharge of their student-loan debt in a bankruptcy case decided in December 2016. Educational Credit Management (ECMC), the creditor in their case,...

  • Posted January 30, 2017
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  My College Loans From 1994 Keep Increasing. I’ll Never Pay Them Off.

  Question: Dear Steve, I graduated college in 1994 with $21k in federal student loan debt. Long story short, 23 years later, after several deferments, forbearances and start and stop payments due to different financial circumstances, I now...

  • Posted January 3, 2017
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  I’m 72 And Wondering if The IBR is the Smart Thing to Do

  Question: Hi, Steve, I have been diligently reading your column for years and saving some material relating to seniors with student loan debt. I will be 72 next month and am still working and getting social security....

  • Posted December 30, 2016
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  Will the IBR Student Loan Payment Would Hurt My Credit? – Cristina

  Question: Dear Steve, I have a student loan that I accrued out of college at $55,000. Well since the 9/11 and following I became a single mom in 2005 and have been experiencing financial hardship although I...

  • Posted September 14, 2016
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  I’m on an IBR But Think I’ve Paid Enough on My Federal Loans – Tony

  Question: Dear Steve, Original Loan in 1994 was $11,200.00 my current balance today is $11,100.00. I have a student loan that started with Sallie Mae and is now with Navient. I am currently on an IBR. My...

  • Posted August 30, 2016
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  I Was Told I Shouldn’t Get Married Because of My Student Loan – Holly

  Question: Dear Steve, I am having difficulty with a student loan decision and am wondering if I could get some input from people with experience in the same boat. I incurred my loan in 1991, when I...

  • Posted August 25, 2016
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  Navient Feels Like a Modern Day Mafia to Us

  Question: Dear Steve, Took out Federally backed Student loans with Sallie Mae 20 years ago after a divorce. Had to use deferments due to job losses and health issues. Borrowed around $75,000 for three degrees. Due to...

  • Posted July 28, 2016
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  I’m Graduating With a PhD and Student Loans I Can’t Afford

  Question: Dear Steve, I’m currently a full-time PhD student at a very reputable university who is entering what is hopefully the final year of graduate school. While I’ve been fully funded all of my years here, the...

  • Posted July 13, 2016
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  Obama Proposes Tax Help for Student Loan Relief. Congress Says No.

  In the budget the Obama administration has just sent to Congress there are some benefits for students who will face massive tax bills when their student loans might be forgiven under income based programs. As it stands...

  • Posted February 11, 2016
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  Bankruptcy Court Tells Dept of Ed to Go Shove IBR as Unrealalistic

  On Jun 24, 2015, Michael Abney became a student loan hero when he filed his own adversary proceeding with the United States Bankruptcy Court of the Western District of Missouri. When I say he became a hero...

  • Posted December 22, 2015
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  Am I Eligible for the IBR Student Loan Forgiveness Using a Government Funded Company?

  Question: Dear Steve, I am the sole provider for me and my daughter, which will be a sophomore this upcoming fall. I have a outstanding student loan for 29,000. I attended a 2 year technical college called...

  • Posted July 29, 2015
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  There’s a Catch to Income-Based Repayment That Could Cost You Money

  When it comes to dealing with student loans it can be a good news-bad news situation. While there are some good options to dealing with student loans when you can’t afford the payments, not all loans are...

  • Posted March 17, 2015
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  The Ultimate Guide to Dealing With Student Loans You Can’t Afford

  More and more student loans are becoming the most problematic debt anyone can own. At some point in the past couple of decade student loans when from a leg up to financial slavery. There is a lot...

  • Posted March 25, 2013
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• My Student Loan is Almost 30 Years Old and I’m In Collections. – Dawn

  “Dear Steve, I currently have a student loan that is 27 years old. I was 17 years old when I was offerred this loan, and really unaware of the rate of interest, penalties, etc. I divorced from...

  • Posted May 17, 2012
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• Are My Student Loans on the IBR Plan Dischargeable in Bankruptcy? – Nick

  “Dear Lewis, I’ve got about $80,000 in consolidated student debt on the IBR plan. Good job, making about $48,000 a year. But since I’m not a doctor, lawyer, or wall street guy, I’ll never reduce the principle,...

  • Posted November 1, 2011
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• I’m a Single Mom and Up to My Eyeballs in Student Loan Debt. – Debbie

  “Dear Steve, Single Mom. In debt up to my eyeballs. College loan from 1985 just wont go away. Originally owed 12, 400, approx. Now I owe over 24,000. I have exhausted all options to get help. I...

  • Posted October 27, 2011
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• How Will Student Loan Reform Help Me Get My Defaulted Loans Back in Shape? – Jennifer

  “Dear Steve, I defaulted on a student loan and need to get back on my feet. It has CRUSHED my credit (currently at 520) so i do need to improve. How does the new student loan reform...

  • Posted October 27, 2011
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• Is It Illegal For Me to Have to Pay More Than Half My Monthly Income to Student Loans? – Kandyce

  “Dear Steve, I graduated from four years abroad in 2009 with about $180,000 in Private Student Loans with Sallie Mae. On top of my federal student loans and loans sold to the Department of Education, I am...

  • Posted May 24, 2011
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• We Are Trying to Get Out of American Educational Services Student Loans

  “Dear Steve, My wife returned to school several years ago and took out some student loans. Those loans were eventually sold to aes. One was for about $10,000 and the other for about $8,000. She has been...

  • Posted April 21, 2011
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• I Work as a Correctional Officer With Loads of Student Loan Debt. – Lynn

  “Dear Steve, I enrolled in college and the student loan money was easy to get. Now the money is due and we are being crushed by the payments of the student loans. I have close to 70k...

  • Posted October 12, 2010
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• My Social Security Number is Off By One Digit. Do I Still Have to Repay My Student Loan? – Steven

  “Dear Steve, I have recently filed for bankruptcy. After the discharge I found out about a student loan that is now in collections. (I assume the collections agency was able to locate me due to the bankruptcy...

  • Posted September 15, 2010
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• I’m Willing to Co-Sign a Loan to Help Out My Guy. – Lou

  Lou “Dear Steve, Asking for my guy. He’s currently about $50,000 in debt between his student loan, car loan, and using his credit card to pay bills while he was out of work. The card is a...

  • Posted April 6, 2010
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• I’m in Debt to the IRS and Student Loans Only. What Can I Do? – Veronica

  Veronica “Dear Steve, Gawd I hate being in this situation, but I am 45 years old and almost $70,000 in debt. Most of it is from student loans, IRS, and other loans. No credit cards. I’ve heard...

  • Posted December 22, 2009
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• We Are Spending Down Our Savings Trying to Make Ends Meet. – Patch

  Patch “Dear Steve, My husband and I have alot of debt due to my student loans that are almost 100,000, and then of course we have a mortgage, car payments and the household bills. I feel like...

  • Posted June 26, 2009
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• Website Offers Helpful Advice for Those Looking for Student Loan Forgiveness

  The IBR Info site at www.ibrinfo.org appears to be a good source of information on income based repayment options and student loan forgiveness programs. For those working in public service jobs, the site give you information that...

  • Posted April 15, 2009
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