General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSo my daughter starts paying her student loan in January
$350 a month. She's only making 30K a year.
How are kids just out of school supposed to afford that??
FatBuddy
(376 posts)B2G
(9,766 posts)She's living with us right now to save money to be able to move to an apartment. She had planned for a student loan payment, but nowhere near $350 a month. That's just not doable.
She has one credit card, will have rent, car payment, insurance, utilities, cellphone and living expenses. At this rate, she won't be able to afford to move out.
FatBuddy
(376 posts)not sure if it applies to private loans, but if it is a government loan, have her look into ICR as an option, it can reduce the monthly payment amount.
you can also forbear government loans for quite a few years due to economic hardship.
they've tightened the screws on a lot of this stuff though. plus loan servicing has been privatized.
B2G
(9,766 posts)it's a Sallie Mae loan.
What FatBuddy says is true, however, remember that the interest accrued during the forbearance is added onto the loan balance at the end of the forbearance, so you have an even greater balance to pay off. And IIRC, the interest is based on that amount, but someone correct me if I'm wrong.
That's what happened to me and my loan is a Sallie Mae loan.
B2G
(9,766 posts)from what I understand, you can essentially ask to extend the term of the loan to reduce your monthly payment, but that increases the interest payments to the point that you're paying almost twice as much.
I'm really struggling with that versus a monthly payment she can afford.
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)And so many there agreed that your chances of even getting to talk to someone at Sallie Mae who would do this for you is about the same chances you take when playing MegaMillions. Doesn't matter if you meet the criteria or not - people are shut out of this process, just as other Americans were shut out of help for avoiding foreclosure.
Our politicians make sure that programs exist - but they also, since they are controlled by the Big FRIGGIN' Bankster Crowd, make sure that the programs are impossible to actually utilize.
Although the folks inside the Beltway, (including Reid, Pelosi, Obama, etc, supposedly Democrats!,) have already decided that there is simply NO WAY to bring jobs back to America, if someone inside the Beltway had the will to do it, Sallie Mae matters would not be in the hands of third world people, many of whom are in their teens and some of whom do NOT speak English. (Okay they speak pidgin English, but that is it.) How a person can discuss important legal concepts in such a situation is a crime.
I was so disgusted by the lack of English fluency and lack of minimal legal knowledge by the first person that called here about M's student loan that I called the Sallie Mae headquarters to ask to speak to the top Administrator there. I got that person's assistant, and they gave me a different number, after I stressed that we needed to talk to someone at Sallie Mae who spoke English. Imagine how I felt when I ended up speaking with a second pidgin English speaking person!
FatBuddy
(376 posts)All I did was call, send the documentation, et voila! they changed my repayment plan.
The most important thing is to do consolidation first.
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)To do this?
Every move we consumers make inside the corporate and bureaucratic worlds depends on phone numbers. Back when I had a credit card or two, I had what apparently was a secret number to Capital One, that helped me get charges reversed, including late payment penalties and over account balance penalties.
Anyway any help appreciated.
FatBuddy
(376 posts)before the current administration privatized loan servicing.
the new outfit is called Aspire. do a google search, once you get to the website look for a tab or link that says "Contact." that page has a phone number on it (at least on 99.9% of all websites i've ever visited).
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)Glassunion
(10,201 posts)Best bet may be for her to stay at home and bang out the loan payments as fast as she can.
You did not say how much the loan was for and at what rate, but at 30K, she should be taking home in the neighborhood of about $400+/- a week. If she stays with you, she could bang away at about $800 a month towards the loan, and have some left over for her car, insurance, cell and still have a bit left to chip in to you to help with the expenses.
B2G
(9,766 posts)The best she can probably hope for is a 2% annual increase.
Bankrupt before you even get started on a career. Unreal.
Glassunion
(10,201 posts)How much was the loan for and what was the degree in?
B2G
(9,766 posts)Glassunion
(10,201 posts)In what I outlined it would take her 3 years and 1 month to completely pay off the loan. July of 2017.
Based on what you stated her payment ($350) was, and that her loan amount is 30K, I am assuming that her APR on the loan is 7%'ish.
If she stays with you for X, and pays $800 each month on the loan while she is living with you, it will look like the following if she then decides to move out and then pay the minimum due.
6 Months, new monthly payment is $315
1 Year, new monthly payment is $278
1.5 Years, new monthly payment is $237
2 Years, new monthly payment $190
2.5 Years,new monthly payment $137
3 Years, new monthly payment $77
Also, she can save on even more interest by paying smaller amounts per month. So instead of paying $800 when it's due, she can pay $200 a week instead and that will also whittle away at not being charged the full monthly portion of the APR.
Hestia
(3,818 posts)GI Bill though he did work 2 jobs while going to school full time to do it.
When he was hired by AT&T right out of school, he started sending them $1,000 per month to get the loan paid off. He was paid up so far ahead that they started returning the checks stating that he is TOO far ahead. He had to wait 2 years before he could make another payment.
Of course this was back in the Clinton days before Student Loans got out of control. His loan was 1% for 10k I think. When we married, it was the first bill I paid off early.
Pay just under what they will accept and not get into the waiting game of paying off too early. Though these days I should think that would be stupid.
Also, if you try to pay weekly or biweekly, you are considered arrears on the loan, even if you are paid up in advance.
You really need to get out the paperwork and look and see if you can do that. When I tried to do that at the end of DH's loan, they jacked up the interest rate to 5% on a $400-ish balance, which I then turned around and paid off immediately.
Glassunion
(10,201 posts)You can pay it off as fast and as often as you wish without any penalty.
You are also not in arrears on the loan if you break up your payments. As long as your payments equal at least the minimum due for the month, and are all in before the payment for that month is due.
Hestia
(3,818 posts)Where the first payments are almost entirely eaten up by interest payments with very little going to principal, at least in the first couple of years?
One thing - in the future - you are legally allowed to make the monthly interest payments ONLY while you are still in school. If parents or child can swing those, the balance it a lot less when they leave school. They are supposed to send out a monthly statement even if you are in school, or at least have the availability to look at your account online.
Glassunion
(10,201 posts)I figured as much, so I took it into account
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)All your daughter has to do is follow these important steps:
First become an activist against something that is represented by Monsanto.
Know everything you can about how bad their products are. She can focus on GM foods, and what European researchers are saying about them,or else RoundUp polluting the soil's health and sanctity, such that RoundUp crops are contaminated with fusarium, vomitoxin etc.
Put up your own anti-Monsanto website. Publish your own newsletter. Buy a couple of mass email lists, and get the word out about yr website.
Start making an impact. Blog radio websites can help. Doing PR at local news stations (Fox is actually better at getting the word out about anti-pesticides and anti-Gm info than other places!) will spread the word about how knowledgeable and how devastating you have been to Monsanto.
Make a name for yourself.
Within six months to a year, after you have made a name for yourself, Monsanto will ask you to work for them.
Then if you can agree to work for them, and if you can lie through your teeth, and sleep through the night while selling out humanity, then you too can make about a zillion dollars a year working for Monsanto.
B2G
(9,766 posts)truedelphi
(32,324 posts)That keep you busy, while paying you a salary.
So your daughter won't end up a tired, frustrated, continually blogging activist like I have!
Hells bells, if she is good enough at all this, she can even ask them to support her run for the Senate, or even the Presidency! The worst that could happen is she becomes part of the revolving door Industry to Government Agency crowd, so she ends up replacing Mike Taylor at his end of the FDA.
taught_me_patience
(5,477 posts)over a longer period of time. At 6.9% interest, she'll pay $350 for ten years, which I assume is the term of the loan. If the ammortizes over 30 years, then her payment is $200/mo. I'm going to say this in bold: THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DRAWBACK TO AMMORTIZING OVER 30 YEARS RATHER THAN 10! The interest is the same, you can always pay down the loan early when she's making more money.
B2G
(9,766 posts)It only double the amount paid if you really take that long to pay it off, which she won't. We're going to be helping as we can.
taught_me_patience
(5,477 posts)In five or six years, she'll probably double her income. My suggestion is to ammortize over 30 years to keep her payments at $200/mo for a couple of years and see where her income goes in that time frame.
edited to add: She's making a job at 30k right out of college... not too bad in this environment. She's doing great.
B2G
(9,766 posts)So many of their friends have moved home and still don't have jobs. She's smart about money and we'll help with payments, but we still have another in school who will need help as well in 2 years.
She'll be bumped up to 36K next summer...and hopefully it's all uphill from there.
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)I mean, it has been very hard to deal with Sallie Mae people. I would gladly call any ph number you can find and offer me that that would help me get spouse's loan down to a reasonable level.
taught_me_patience
(5,477 posts)Looks like you need 30k in loans
http://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/understand/plans/extended
and I was mistaken, the max ammortization is 25 years, not 30. I guess thing have changed since I consolidated my loan 4 years ago.
pnwmom
(108,995 posts)Would it really take 10 years?
llmart
(15,555 posts)she isn't "bankrupt". She borrowed money that she now has to repay. It's no different than if you buy a new car, which, by the way, nowadays can cost $30K. She's making an average salary for a new college graduate in communications and has her health insurance paid for. That's a whole lot more than many in her situation. Remember - she got a degree in "Communications" so she must have known that it isn't exactly a high paying field.
My daughter also got her undergrad in Communications/Journalism but she worked a part time job 5 days a week as a cashier in a grocery store the entire time she went to college. In fact, she started that job a few months before her high school graduation to get a jump on the jobs before others got them. She also did a paying internship in her senior year but had to drive quite a distance for that job. She just did it. She also worked as a reporter for a small town newspaper and got paid $20 per article. Every little bit helped.
When she graduated she got an apartment with a friend and they shared the living expenses. What's wrong with that? I don't remember her not ever being able to pay her bills - the necessities. She never once asked us for help financially.
I work at a university so I hear many different stories from different students. I have student assistants that work for me. The girl that is working for me now is working two part time jobs and works 7 days a week. She doesn't have a car but shares with her mother or gets a ride from a classmate when their schedules coincide. She is an A student.
Where there is a will, there's a way.
LondonReign2
(5,213 posts)Those are what allowed me to survice my first few post-college years of repayments until my income could start growing.
B2G
(9,766 posts)enlightenment
(8,830 posts)If they are federal, she needs to apply - now - for IBR, ICR.
Income Based Repayment will lower her payments, based on her annual income. She has to give proof (tax return or pay stubs) to the Feds yearly.
This is a good explanation of the difference between IBR and ICR.
http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/student-loan-ranger/2011/03/23/income-based-vs-income-contingent-loan-repayment
B2G
(9,766 posts)We're going to need to go with one of these routes...will research the alternative. Thanks!
enlightenment
(8,830 posts)I have student loans that will outlive me (grad school - humanities = WTF was I thinking . . .)
Anyway; I am enrolled in the IBR plan - switched from ICR and it made a huge difference in the payments.
pnwmom
(108,995 posts)and to pay off the loan as fast as she can.
The US is alone in the world in the pushing young people from the nest upon graduation from high school.
daleanime
(17,796 posts)suppose to be in debt for the rest of their lives.
mike_c
(36,281 posts)...while working a $25K post-doc research fellowship. Needless to say, it went into default for a couple of years until I got a "real" job.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)Bootstraps baby...
How I really feel and
Honestly, the world is setting them up to suffer and it sucks.
B2G
(9,766 posts)at $0 money per paycheck.
I have no idea how she'd afford it if she had to buy it.
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)We exist to create the world they designed for their pleasure. If your daughter had the bad taste to be born into the prole class, well that's just too bad.
All this whining over churning out indentured servants working in the company store economy would be really annoying if we ever had to hear it.
SheilaT
(23,156 posts)it can feel as if these kids took out the loans and somehow didn't get that they were going to have to pay them back.
She might want to make sure she lives in a roomate situation, which can decrease rent considerably.
B2G
(9,766 posts)it's the monthly amount that is the issue.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)That's a hefty monthly payment on that salary with living expenses. These kids spend 12 years of mandatory public schooling being told they MUST go to college to make a decent wage, and then they do, and then...
B2G
(9,766 posts)truedelphi
(32,324 posts)beachbum bob
(10,437 posts)and I tire of those who want to act like whoa...you mean I gotta pay the loan back??? Or geesh, its alot of money to have to pay back. I fault parents, I fault the colleges and I fault the students.....Same mentality that people took when they bought houses they knew they couldn't afford and yet they did...and bam, reality set in and we had the foreclosure mess.
When I was short on income, I worked more than one job to make it.....its tough buts its what you do if you are a responsible adult
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)But, knock yourself out.
When did DUers get so everloving rude?
beachbum bob
(10,437 posts)on how hard it is to repay...well people, if you borrow, its with expectation that the loan will be repaid. Thats not rude, thats an adult responsibility.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)Yes, your post is rude...
B2G
(9,766 posts)I just don't want her set up to fail from day one. We will help as we can and will go the IBR route...now we just need to get that process started.
Thanks SM. I was a little taken aback by that post too.
lightcameron
(224 posts)Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)comparable salary (31k).
You do it because you have to.
B2G
(9,766 posts)Rosco T.
(6,496 posts).. you just have to ask
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)She will end up paying on a principle balance that is 12% or more higher than the balance is now, plus penalties.
Forbearance is not that hard to get, but it does carry those caveats.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)A lot of them are paying more on less. Usually she will get to deduct the interest paid, so her take-home ought to at least $2,000 a month. She can stay home for a couple of years, pay $700 a month instead of the $350, and pay much less in interest overall. And with that take-home, she can cover everything else plus save $200 a month.
The other way is for her to move in with roommates - which everyone I knew after college did. No one could afford to live alone at that time. We all lived dirt poor for a few years.
Once she has paid down the loan somewhat, her future gets easier, because the principal is substantially down so the interest isn't accruing at the same rate. Her first priority should be to pay the principal down by $10,000.
The federal government does offer a deal that stretches out the repayments, but it's a bad deal for her. She would end up paying much more over the life of the loan. It's the deferred interest that has increased the loan amount that makes the payment so large now, and the quicker she pays down a chunk of that principal the better her financial future will be.
aikoaiko
(34,184 posts)Ideally, if she can live at home for as long as possible and get a part-time job. She can knock it out.
If she can't live at home, I suggest a roommate and a part-time job.
peace13
(11,076 posts)Last edited Fri Dec 13, 2013, 10:44 PM - Edit history (1)
College degree necessary yet starting at 30K.This requires a roommate for at least eight years. I know many young people who will be 35 before they live alone! My son is 30 and he was lucky because we split his loan payment with him. He will be done soon and that is a good thing.
B2G
(9,766 posts)Got news for you. That's cheap. It's tuition & books for a 4 year degree at an in-state school, in a state that's relatively 'cheap' compared to some. All room, board & living expenses were paid by me.
Welcome to the world my friend.
peace13
(11,076 posts)Cool that she got her degree! So many end up neck deep in debt and still don't get the diploma!
aikoaiko
(34,184 posts)It doesn't matter to her if it could have been different because the money is spent and the degree is earned.
Good luck to her.
MoonchildCA
(1,301 posts)My daughter just graduated from a California state university. She lived at home, so she too had her living expenses covered. However, her grant money covered her tuition and books, with a very small amount to spare, which helped her with gas. She did not need to take out the loans which she qualified for. She, luckily, was able to graduate with a double major, debt free.
taught_me_patience
(5,477 posts)We need more details please.
B2G
(9,766 posts)Unsubsidized Balance: 9,000
Interest Rate: 3.4%
Term: 120 months
Subsidized: 21,000
Interest Rate: 6.8%
Term: 120 months
aikoaiko
(34,184 posts)...if she had to.
kath
(10,565 posts)Response to B2G (Reply #42)
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SoCalDem
(103,856 posts)to the bigger one.. (It's basically a car loan...but no car ..)
Logical
(22,457 posts)truedelphi
(32,324 posts)When I took out a student loan, late seventies, someone at the school said, "As you approach making your last payment, make sure you keep a careful record of making the payment. Frame the copy of the last check or money order. Make sure the amount of the check and date are legible. Student loan people will contact you about six months after last payment is made to let you know you are delinquent on your account."
I always remembered that bit of advice. It was the late Eighties before I finally made my last payment. But I dutifully framed my last payment, and marked in Daily Organizer all pertinent data.
Sure enough, almost six months to the day of the last payment, I was contacted by Student Loan people and their notice said I was delinquent and now owed the last payment plus interest and penalties. Due to my remarkable level of record keeping, I was able to call and calmly protest the notice, and within ten minutes of reaching the Call Center, I was back in the good graces of the Student Loan folks, with account marked "Paid Off In Full."
pnwmom
(108,995 posts)she should be able to pay $1000 a month and pay it off completely in three years. Or at least live at home for a year and pay $12K -- which will save her a lot in interest.
My son has no debt because he lived with us and saved. It can be done.
Proud Public Servant
(2,097 posts)I sympathize -- my daughter also graduated recently -- but a 30k salary should allow her to take-home $2000/month, at least. Unless you live in NYC or San Francisco, she should be able to make that work; she'll need to have roommates, and it won't leave her a lot of fun money -- but her whole age cohort is broke, so she'll have plenty of company for cheap nights of fun. A couple of thought:
- Can she live at home for at least a year? If she does, and can throw what would have been her rent and utility money at the loans, she'll get the payments down even more.
- Does she absolutely need a car? Cars are a huge expense, and if public transportation is good where you are maybe that's money she can save.
- Can she set up an automatic payment plan for the unsubsidized loan? Sallie Mae will drop 0.25% off the interest if she can. It helps.
Good luck to her!
beachbum bob
(10,437 posts)You borrow money and its expected to be repaid. So what did you and your daughter expected to happen???
Response to B2G (Original post)
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laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)I have friends making that who graduated with accounting majors. It's the sign of our times. It's part of the reason why I avoided loans for my schooling (I scrimped and pinched and paid as I went...plus I live where post secondary is much cheaper than in the U.S.) Even my brother, with an engineering degree through a co-op program (so he already had 2 years of related work experience) only started at about $40,000/year. 10 years later he makes probably 4-5 times that. He lived at home for the first 2 years after graduation to save up for a condo and pay off his loans.
My opinion: she should live at home as long as is humanly possible and chunk as much of her salary to the loan as possible. If you, as her parent, can contribute in anyway, do it (she can always pay you back once the loan repayment is done...keep track and make up an agreement with her. You won't lose anything in the long run if she pays you back and you will be not having her -or your - money go to the banks). It's most important, as with any amortization, to try to put as much money towards the principle as you can in the very beginning where it will have the most impact. If she is able - find other ways to make extra money and slot that money solely for loan repayment. Part-time job, sell stuff on ebay, make crafts on etsy...whatever. I clean relatives' houses bi-weekly for $150/month. Even a small amount like that can make a big impact in the first year or 2. And then all the other things everyone has said about modifying the loan would help too.
No, it's not fair and post-secondary is way too expensive and should be free as it is a net benefit to society and the economy but unfortunately that's just not the way it is right now. I know she probably wants to move out but putting it off for a little while longer can make a big difference in her life going forward.
joeglow3
(6,228 posts)I started at 37,000......14 years ago. I now work in industry in a low cost of living state and we start at over 50,000.
The only ones making that little were the c students.
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)And they are all pretty young - 22-23 years old - and had no prior office work experience. I'm pretty sure once I graduate (6 more courses!) with a Bcom (also a major in accounting) I'll start at about 40,000-50,000/year because I'm older and have prior office and banking experience. One of those students I was talking about just got a big promotion and a large raise after just 7 months on the job, so I think a lot of companies have crappy 'entry level' jobs but move them up quickly. Around here, if you don't have your accounting designation, you are worth half what people with a designation are. It's also important to mention that bonuses and profit sharing are supremely popular where I am, so a $30,000 salary sometimes can mean a gross of $60,000 over the year if you work for a profitable company.
joeglow3
(6,228 posts)Like said, starting salaries at my company are around 55,000.
she'll live with YOU..
mooch YOUR car
stay on YOUR cell phone plan/health insurance plan
in other-words, she'll remain a "dependent" for years longer than we did when we were young.
Her love-life will suffer (and yours too ) because she's under your roof, and the child-parent relationship will forever lock her into her teens..
Just think of all the wacky things YOU did in your early twenties.. that you may NEVER have told your parents about..
OR.. she may decide to go it alone, and be relegated to shitty apartments with shifty roommates (in bad parts of town)..and be always having to borrow money to maintain a raggedy car..or to be bailed out of any number of financial catastrophes that routinely occur when you are always out of money before the next check arrives..
These young people are getting such a tough start, it hounds them their whole lives.
Our post school years are for fun..for figuring out our place in the world.. for finding life-partners and for starting families.. If they have to start out seriously in debt, they are afraid to try new things.. to experiment in the job market. They are locked into any job that comes with a check attached... and if the DO manage to find their mate, it's likely that he/she comes with college debt too.. It does not surprise me a bit when so many people end up 38 with no kids and a "close personal relationship" with expensive fertility doctors..
shenmue
(38,506 posts)It took me a few years to pay off mine. It's hard. Hang in there!
Ilsa
(61,698 posts)A huge percentage of these debts should be forgiven. The increase in disposable income would boost the economy and alleviate these ridiculous terms.
lightcameron
(224 posts)Ilsa
(61,698 posts)Closing corporate tax loopholes? Corporations derive great benefit from a well educated population.
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)And some of the in's and out' of handling them:
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/09/david-dayen-student-loan-servicers-like-mortgage-servicers-failing-to-inform-borrowers-of-cheaper-payment-modifications.html
JCMach1
(27,574 posts)Response to B2G (Original post)
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DesertFlower
(11,649 posts)resident. her student loan payment is $1200 a month. she makes $50,000 a year. her car is falling apart and she can't afford a new one.
WhaTHellsgoingonhere
(5,252 posts)B2G
(9,766 posts)She wishes she was starting out at a higher income, but she knows better than anyone else how fortunate she is...many of her friends are still interviewing 7 months after graduating.