Tag: economy


How quickly should I pay off my student loans?

Posted on June 5th, 2013

After college, it can be very stressful for young adults to figure out how to best allocate their money. One of the most common questions we receive is how quickly borrowers should pay off their student loans.

After graduation, young adults are often faced with a host of new responsibilities and expenses: rent, utilities, car payments, and of course, student loans. While they’re trying to pay their bills on an often-meager entry-level salary, they’re also being told to save for retirement and put aside money for emergencies. What should you do–pay off your student loans as quickly as possible, or make lower payments and put the rest toward savings, investments, or other expenses?

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How the government wants to fix student loans

Posted on June 3rd, 2013

With federal student loan interest rates set to double from 3.4 to 6.8 percent on July 1, government officials have offered a flurry of proposals to prevent the rates from increasing and to help borrowers currently mired in debt. In the chart above, Mother Jones breaks down the long- and short-term fixes for the current student loan crisis from Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, House Republicans, and President Obama himself.

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Why is college so expensive?

Posted on May 31st, 2013

"Because colleges have no problem filling seats, even with record-high tuitions, they felt no pressure to cut costs. Instead, colleges have spent more--fancy student centers, dining halls, athletic facilities, and many more administrative staff than ever before. These additions make college more expensive without increasing the value of a diploma." -- Professor David Lin

It’s news to no one that the cost of attendance at U.S. colleges has risen dramatically over the past thirty years, leading more students to rely heavily on student loans and become burdened by debt. In the video below, David Lin, an economics professor at American University, explains why tuition costs have increased so quickly […]

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I graduated college–why can’t I get a job?

Posted on May 30th, 2013

It’s no secret that finding a job as a college graduate is tougher than ever. This infographic explains some of the reasons it’s so difficult for young graduates to find good jobs and pay back their student loans.

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Recent college grads discuss the burden of student loans

Posted on May 29th, 2013

A majority of the Class of 2013 graduated with student loans. In the video above, three new graduates talk to CBSNews.com how their loans are influencing their plans for the future.

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Share of consumers with student debt by state

Posted on May 22nd, 2013

The average share of all U.S. consumers with student loan debt stands at 16.2%. How does your state rank? Check out the map below to see the percentage of your state’s population with student loan debt.

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I just graduated college. How do I find a job and pay back my loans?

Posted on May 16th, 2013

When students graduate from college, one of their top concerns is finding a job that will allow them to repay their student loans. With thousands of college seniors about to graduate into a recession, the competition for entry-level jobs remains high. The video above offers some great tips for graduating seniors searching for their first job.

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Not all college degrees are created equal

Posted on May 13th, 2013

"When you come into Staples, you come out with office supplies; when you go into a car dealer, you come out with four wheels and a motor. It’s not clear what you come out with, with a college degree. It’s a different thing for everybody." -- Michael Hout, Professor at UC Berkeley

Not all college degrees are valued equally in the marketplace. When making your college decision and figuring out whether it’s worth the price, you need to consider how valuable your degree will be when you graduate. According to a recent Education Sector report titled “Degrees of Value: Evaluating the Return on the College Investment,” there are three […]

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Not just a student issue: the economic impact of student loan debt

Posted on March 20th, 2013

As if the news about student loan debt couldn’t get any worse, a recent report by  TransUnion LLC showed some alarming statistics about student loan debt. In the video below, watch David Sirota of Salon and John Iadaola of TYT Network discuss the economic impact of excessive student debt and the effect on taxpayers. For many, excessive […]

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