I continue to hear from so many people in this economy that there are limited opportunities to make a good income. It is true that there are jobs to be had, but many do not provide the kind of income and benefits that a person can support a family on. Those without a college degree are finding it harder and harder to make a decent living, and many have even resorted to working more than one job. I shared the story in my book, How To Pray For A Financial Miracle, of a friend that decided to go back to... Read more →

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large With the support of a variety of groups and organizations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Facebook, and the University of Pennsylvania, there’s an innovative website out there now through which high school students can earn “micro-scholarship” money for smaller individual achievements realized throughout their high school careers. Raise.me is something “new and improved” in the world of college scholarships, where everyday students can earn money as they make their way from freshmen to seniors; the opportunity makes scholarship money accessible for young people in a way that has not existed... Read more →

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large Most news items about the financial payoff associated with having a college degree focus on the bachelor’s degree vs. the high school diploma comparison. Most people who attend college and earn a bachelor’s will stop there, and, traditionally, many jobs that demand college degrees at all don’t require advanced degrees beyond the level of bachelor’s. However, that has all started to change in more recent years, and you can thank, in part, the ubiquitousness of associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in today’s society...due, in no small way, to the big business that higher... Read more →

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large Internships have long been a great way for college students to get their feet in the door at companies in the industries toward which their degree programs have been marching them. The trade-off has typically been that while the student has an opportunity to actually work, at a very young age, in the realm in which he or she would like to find himself employed full-time upon graduation, that sort of “fast pass” opportunity comes with the heavy-duty burden of being one that pays either nothing, or so little that it might... Read more →

There was a time, not too many years ago, that having your name on a college diploma was a really big deal. In today's world, however, a college diploma is the new high school diploma. College degrees do not carry anywhere near the weight they once did. Due to the ease of obtaining student loans, a college degree may communicate nothing more than that you are up to your eyeballs in debt. As a result, the landscape of hiring has dramatically changed, Human resources departments can no longer simply skim through a stack of resumes and separate those with degrees... Read more →

Student loan expert Jan Miller joins Jim for a powerful discussion of strategies for dealing with student loans. How to consolidate, refinance, and even how to get total forgiveness through a speical Obama program. What to do if your loan is in default, and can student loans be discharged in bankruptcy. Read more →

Jim shares his experience flying on Allegiant Airlines this past week (roundtrip from Florida to Ohio for $150). New app monitors your credit cards for fraud, the dangers of writing a postdated check, Chicago school system considering bankruptcy, New York prisoner manhunt costing $1 million dollars per day, and Jim's recommendation on a great coupon website. Read more →

As the continually-rising cost to go to college puts more pressure on the ability of students to do so, one of the distinct casualties, outside of the most obvious one, has proven to be the ability to actually finish school in a timely fashion. The bachelor’s degree has also been less formally called a four-year degree for as long as anyone can remember, and the reason for that has been the historical structuring of the program requirements over four academic years. However, the data reveals that it has been years since most bachelor’s degree students have earned their degrees within... Read more →

Student loan expert Jan Miller joins Jim Paris for a discussion on student loan forgiveness, student loan refinancing, student loan consolidation, and resolving a student loan default. If you have a student loan you don't want to miss this episode. Numerous strategies on how to lower payments and much more. Read more →

You may have recently read about Colin Ashby, a student at Texas State University who chose to live in his car during freshman year in order to afford going to college. Without going into great detail here about his story (I would encourage you to read about Ashby’s experience on USAToday.com, “I lived in my car freshman year: A success story”), Ashby found himself between a rock and a hard place when it came time for school - he had some money, but not enough, and with his parents going through a divorce, he was in no position to rely... Read more →

http://www.christianmoney.com How to get student loan forgiveness by working for a non-profit for ten years. Income based repayment options and other strategies for lowering your student loan payment or even getting your student loan payment dropped to zero. How to rehabilitate a defaulted student loan, refinancing and debt consolidation options, and more. Jim's guest is Jan Miller an expert in student loan management options. Jan's website is http://www.student-loan-consultant.com Read more →

I was doing my normal Internet browsing last week, scanning a large number of articles looking for an idea for my next blog post, and stumbled across a piece that really got my attention: An article on student loan horror stories, specifically a section of which that was titled, "My Music School Cost Me $183,000." The young man being featured in a portion of the article was an aspiring musician that had attended one of the top music schools in the world, Berklee College Of Music, and graduated in 2007. After he graduated, his monthly student loan payments were $1,400.... Read more →

As unemployment continues to rise nationwide, many people have made the decision to go back to school. What if you are simply not in a position to take off several months or years from work to finish your degree or earn a degree in a completely new field? A popular option that has now become legitimized is online education. Online education offers a great amount of flexibility for those that have full-time jobs, families, and just do not have the time to pursue a traditional on-campus education. My wife finished her master's degree in adult education about a year ago.... Read more →

Download Jim’s Latest Podcast This week my local library conducted a free seminar on college financial aid. The seminar was presented by a financial aid specialist from our community college. They expected about 20 people, but 50 showed up. I was fortunate to be one of those that arrived early enough to be able to get a seat. It appears that the tough economy has made federal financial aid more popular than ever. There is still a widespread myth that in order to qualify for financial aid, you must be in poverty or be a high academic achiever. It is... Read more →