College debt consolidation

January 2014• Road to retirement: Ways to make retirement anything but resignation• How lawyers can dig themselves out of debt and plan for a future (podcast with transcript) February 2014• A comfortable retirement requires savvy financial housekeepingMarch 2014• Don’t panic, plan: Regular saving and asset allocation help build a retirementApril 2014• Retirement planning includes caring for your healthWEBINARDownload a webinar on retirement issues for lawyers, recorded on March 26, 2014. (Windows Media file)Podcast TranscriptStephanie Francis Ward: Think you might never be out of debt–let alone be able to plan for retirement–what with law school loans, credit card debt and living expenses? I’m Stephanie Francis Ward, and when we return, some financial experts will tell us how getting to a better financial place may be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Advertiser: This ABA Journal Podcast is brought to you by Westlaw Next. … [Read more...] about How lawyers can dig themselves out of debt and plan for a future (podcast with transcript)

There may be safety in numbers, but a budget can produce an unsettling variety of interpretations.And so the seriousness of the University of Nebraska system’s budget challenges is a matter of perspective.Gov. Pete Ricketts says NU has been comparatively well-funded in recent years and must endure a period of austerity while state revenues slump. Ricketts points to a national study that indicates Nebraska has had one of the most generously state- and locally supported systems of higher education in the nation over a 10-year stretch. NU President Hank Bounds describes Ricketts’ proposed budget cuts to the NU system as crippling not only to the university, but also to the state’s effort to fuel the economy and workforce.At issue is whether the NU system, and public higher education across the state, should take a cut in state money during an economic downturn. The Republican governor says it must. The NU system says it’s the spark that can help the state get over … [Read more...] about As NU system faces cuts, two sides differ on how well Nebraska colleges are funded

There’s no doubt that college is expensive. Tuition and fees for a four-year private college averaged $35,830 in 2018-19; at four-year in-state public colleges, it was $10,230, according to the College Board. And that doesn’t count room and board or other expenses. Few families have the cash to cover it, and that’s where borrowed money often comes in. On average, loans cover 24% of the tab when savings, financial aid and scholarships fall short, according to Sallie Mae’s 11th annual “How America Pays for College” report. As a result, student debt has reached record proportions, with $1.6 trillion in loans outstanding. And that burden is not just shared by students. Increasingly, parents are borrowing to make up the difference. While the annual limit on federal student loans is $5,500 to $7,500 depending on your year in school, parents can take out up to the maximum of the cost of attendance (minus federal student aid or loans offered directly to the … [Read more...] about The Latest Victims of the Student Debt Crisis — Parents

In 2005, Chloe Gilgan bet that obtaining a law degree would guarantee her a competitive salary and a steady career path. Instead, she wound up with a mountain of debt and limited job prospects.Gilgan, who says she relied heavily on placement data from New York Law School to decide whether to attend, is one of a growing number of law school graduates suing their alma maters.Their claims of being misled by the schools over employment prospects are wending their way through the courts. They are helping to fuel a highly publicized debate about job placement reporting standards.“My argument is not that they need to find me a job. My argument is that I relied on statistics,” says Gilgan, 37, a former actress and Columbia University undergraduate who finished New York Law School in the top third of her class.After passing the bar and finding work that included a stint as a low-paid legal assistant, she has since abandoned a law career in favor of running a small bed-and-breakfast … [Read more...] about Few Jobs, But a Rack of Suits: Law Grads Claim Their Alma Maters Duped Them

Leading the Past WeekWorking through a rare weekend session, the Congress appeared no closer to being able to avoid a shutdown of the Federal Government.  Early Sunday morning the House sent back to the Senate its version of the spending bill, including two provisions – one delaying Obamacare for one year and the other repeals the medical device tax which helps fund the law.   While there are other differences in the bills – notably how long they keep the government operating, Leader Reid has made it clear that the Senate will strip out these two provisions when it meets at 2pm on Monday.  With the midnight Monday deadline quickly approaching, all sides appear resigned to a shutdown occurring and have turned their attention to positioning for the fallout. While the political ramifications of a shutdown are unclear – with both sides believing that they will benefit, the practical results were announced late last week as … [Read more...] about Financial Services Legislative and Regulatory Law Update – September 30, 2013