As a financial advisor, one of the largest groups of people likely to come to you seeking guidance are college graduates saddled with loan debt. Unfortunately, the field of student loans is one of the trickier financial lands to navigate. It's full of all kinds of pitfalls and hidden paths. And that… Continue Reading

Despite the low current unemployment rate, most people know that there?s something wrong in the job market. Jobs are not as abundant as they should be at this point in an economic recovery, and the salaries don?t seem to be there. For young people, college is typically seen as the answer to the prob… Continue Reading

It?s no secret that higher education is a great way to get ahead in life. But it?s also no secret that many students find themselves beneath a pile of debt by the time they hold that degree in their hands. What are students to do? Graduating in debt is a situation that needs to be addressed sooner r… Continue Reading

Much of the career, lifestyle and financial emphasis in recent decades has been centered around college and retirement. I refer to these as the ?bookends? of life because they frame opposite ends of your adult life ? the beginning (college) and the end (retirement). I?d like to suggest that these… Continue Reading

Have you noticed a connection between bad college majors and student loan debt troubles? Heavy student loan burdens have become a common problem. But they seem to be more concentrated among people who choose bad college majors. I've known a lot of young people with degrees in majors like history, ps… Continue Reading

There was a depressingly interesting article early this week - describing the fortunes of yet another couple whose financial lives have been ruined by student loans. This article dealt not with students, but with the parents who took the loans to pay for their daughters to attend college, to the tun… Continue Reading

Many people are attending college - or sending their kids - out of fear that as bad as job prospects are with a degree, they?re far worse without one. Various studies and surveys support that conclusion, and I think that you?re still better off having a degree than not, at least in the long run. … Continue Reading

College is a big deal these days. Without furthering your education, climbing the employment ladder is next to impossible, yet the cost of college - whether out of state or local - is hefty. To afford two or four years, many students fall back on their parents if they're able to help. As a last-reso… Continue Reading

Earlier this year, MarketWatch reported that the average student loan debt load for the college class of 2015 is $35,051. That represents a $2,000 increase - or more than 10% - above the 2014 figure. As the situation with student loans continues to get worse, it?s time to ask if a lack of financial … Continue Reading

Unserviceable student loan debts. New college graduates unable to land their first job. Hundreds of thousands more are under-employed (either working part-time or in a job that doesn?t require a degree). The benefits of a college degree are simply not worth what they used to be, and that might make … Continue Reading