The College Investor Audio Show

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5 Legal Ways To Lower Your Student Loan Payment Jan 06, 2025

Show notes

Don't you wish you could lower your student loan payment? It's possible, and legal, do work some "magic" to get your student loan payment lower.

If you don't do anything with your student loans, you're automatically signed up to a generic repayment plan that typically has even payments for 10 years. However, that can be tough, especially right after graduation.

Maybe you've just started working, or maybe you don't even have a job yet and you're just side hustling to make a little money? Maybe that standard repayment plan option just isn't working for you, and you're worried what will happen if you don't make a payment or you default. Maybe you haven't looked at your student loans since before the payment pause?

If you're considering student loan deferment or forbearance, or if you're thinking about simply ignoring your student loan payments, don't!

Here are five legal ways that you can lower your student loan payment so you don't have to go into default.

How To Start Investing After College For 22 – 29 Year Olds Jan 04, 2025

Show notes

You know you want to invest. You know you need to invest. But honestly, how do you start investing in your 20s after college?

Who do you trust? Do you pay someone to help? How do you know you're not going to be ripped off? Or even worse - how do you know you won't lose all your money? If you want to invest after college, here are our thoughts.

For 20-somethings, investing is important, and you know it. In your 20s, time is on your side, and the more you save and invest now, the better off you'll be later.

But, frankly, getting started investing after college is confusing. There are so many options, tools, thoughts, blogs to read about, and more. What the heck do you do?

I'm

going to share my thoughts on what you should do to start investing

after college in your twenties when you're 22-29 years old. Let's dive

in.

Do Colleges Look At Your Attendance? Jan 03, 2025

Show notes

Applying to college may be the most stressful thing you've encountered in your life so far.

Depending on the college you're applying to, you may have to submit grade transcripts, test scores, evidence of extracurricular activities, essays, and references.

But one thing that colleges will almost never ask you about is your high school attendance. It's important to note that many high schools do include attendance information as part of your grade transcript.

However, in almost all cases, colleges will not look at your high school attendance record.

How To Do Your Own Taxes (DIY or Tax Pro) Jan 02, 2025

Show notes

Our parents had it rough during tax season. Doing their own taxes sometimes took a week or more.

They’d spread papers and receipts across the kitchen table. Then they’d punch numbers in a calculator and flip through the IRS’s annual tax guide until ink coated their fingertips.

Yikes!

Today, thanks to tax software and other innovations, we can do our own taxes with fewer headaches. In fact, doing your own taxes with tax software should likely take you less than an hour (even less if you're organized). And new apps even allow you to do it on your phone!

Here's what you need to know about how to do your own taxes!

Need Blind Colleges: What To Know Dec 30, 2024

Show notes

As you start to consider where you’ll go to college, affordability is typically top of mind. The cost of higher education in the U.S. can be daunting, but understanding financial aid policies – and identifying need-blind colleges – can make the process less overwhelming.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term “need-blind,” it refers to an admissions policy in which a college chooses not to consider a student’s financial situation when making the decision on whether to admit that student.

Here’s everything you need to know about need-blind schools and how they might impact your college decision.

What To Do With Your Unwanted Christmas Gifts Dec 23, 2024

Show notes

Christmas is over! Now it's time to handle all of the unwanted Christmas gifts that you're stuck with. Hopefully you have a family full of awesome gift-givers, and you want to keep everything you got. But the fact is, most of our families are terrible gift givers, and you probably have a bunch of Christmas gifts you don't want or need.

So what should you do with these unwanted gifts? Well, not all hope is lost. Here are some ways that you can turn those unwanted Christmas gifts into cash.

Are you ready to earn money from those unwanted gifts?

Medical School Admissions Guide: What To Know Dec 19, 2024

Show notes

The competition to get into medical school is intense, and you need to be prepared. Start your planning with our medical school admissions guide. Learn more.

Can You Return Unused Financial Aid Money? Dec 18, 2024

Show notes

Financial aid consists of loans, scholarships, and grants that help cover the cost of college. Depending how much you need to pay for books, tuition, and housing, you may have some money leftover in your bursar’s account.

What should you do with unused financial aid money? Should you spend it or save it for the future? More importantly, can you return it if you don’t need or want it?

Let’s dive deeper into the pros and cons of unused financial aid money and whether or not returning it is the right move to make.

How To Make Group Work And Group Projects Successful Dec 16, 2024

Show notes

If there’s one thing you’re certain to encounter in college, it’s group projects. Some students love the collaboration, while others dread the challenge of coordinating and communicating with classmates.

And while many might warn you to prepare yourself for uneven workloads, unclear expectations, and endless group chat notifications, it’s not all bad.

Group projects don’t have to feel like a chore. In fact, they can actually create opportunities to learn essential skills, such as collaboration, leadership, and problem-solving. The secret to success lies in preparation, communication, and strategic planning.

With the right approach, group work can be a rewarding experience for everyone involved – and a chance to deliver results that are better than what you might have achieved on your own.

Graduate School Admissions Guide Dec 15, 2024

Show notes

Graduate school is an opportunity to advance your education and further your career.

While post-pandemic applications are up, actual enrollments are down, so right now is as good a time as ever to send in your application.

One huge perk of graduate school is that your career earnings are likely to be higher than if you only had a bachelor's degree.

For 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an annual median wage difference of $11,908 (or $229 weekly).

And that’s just the difference between a bachelor’s and a master’s – other professional or doctoral degrees can lead to even higher annual incomes.

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