Free Yourself from Student Loan Debt : Get Out from under Once and for All Book

	Introduction: The Art of Digging Out	ix
	About the Author	xii
1.	Getting Organized	1
	The Cold, Harsh Reality of Student Loan Debt	2
	Know Your Debt	3
	Those Credit Card Blues	5
	Breaking the Credit Card Cycle	8
	Building a Budget	9
	Cool Online Budgeting Tools	14
	Before You Pay Off Your Student Loan, Build a Personal Finance System	17
	Create a File System	17
	Chapter Review	21
2.	Know Your Rights, Know the Players, Know Your Loan	23
	Digging In	24
	Your Responsibilities	24
	Your Rights as a Borrower	27
	The Players	29
	Types of Student Loans	30
	Loan Lingo	36
	Chapter Review	38
3.	Time to Pay the Piper	39
	Framing Your Loan Picture	40
	The Life Stages of Your Loan	40
	Preparing to Pay	42
	Know Your Promissory Note	43
	Not Paying? Sorry, Not Your Best Option	44
	Paying Off Your Loan	45
	More Tips on Student Loan Payments	52
	Chapter Review	57
4.	Debt Tragedies, Payment Strategies	59
	The Cost of High Debt	60
	Essential versus Nonessential Debt	61
	Facing Debt Head-On	62
	Calculating Your Student Loan Debt	67
	Establishing a Budget	69
	Take Advantage of Your Relative Youth	70
	Should I Pay Off My Student Loans or Invest?	72
	Take Advantage of Tax Law Changes	74
	Chapter Review	74
5.	What to Do When You Can't Pay: Deferment, Forgiveness, Cancellation, and Discharge	75
	How We Get into Default Trouble	77
	The "I Just Didn't Know" Factor	79
	Preventing Student Loan Default	79
	How Much Money Will You Need to Pay Your Loan and Stay Out of Default?	81
	Default: A Primer	82
	Criteria for Default	84
	Getting Out of Default	85
	Deferments	86
	Forbearance	89
	Bankruptcy	89
	Canceling Your Loans	91
	Dealing with Collection Agencies	92
	Some Good News	93
	Chapter Review	94
6.	Debt Management 101: Anatomy of a Loan Consolidation	97
	What Is Loan Consolidation?	98
	Is It for Me?	99
	Do I Have Other Options?	99
	What Are the Benefits and the Drawbacks of Consolidation?	100
	Eligibility Requirements	102
	What Consolidation Can Do for You: My Take	102
	Who Offers Student Loan Consolidation Programs?	103
	What's the Big Deal about Interest Rates?	104
	How Do I Apply?	106
	What Are My Repayment Options?	108
	Last-Minute Tips	110
	Chapter Review	112
7.	Debt Management: Do It Yourself or Go to a Pro?	113
	Recognizing the Red Flags That Lead to Debt	115
	What Is Debt Management?	117
	Debt Management Job One: The Importance of Knowing Your Credit Score	118
	Correcting Credit Report Mistakes	124
	Should You Handle Your Own Debt Management Issues?	126
	Getting Professional Help	129
	My Take	131
	Chapter Review	132
8.	Other Smart Financial Moves for Student Loan Borrowers	133
	Setting Your Long-Term Financial Goals	134
	The Advantages of Investing Early	137
	Building Blocks	139
	A 401(k) Survival Guide	141
	Some 401(k) Advice You Can Take to Heart (and Then to the Bank)	142
	Commonly Asked Questions about Your 401(k)	145
	Investing in Index Mutual Funds	147
	Make Sure Your Children Don't Have Big Student Loan Problems	149
	Summing Up	153
	Chapter Review	156
9.	Web Savvy: Must-Have Resources for the Student Loan Set	157
	Overall Student Loan Repayment Resources	158
	Student Loan Government Publications	160
	Paying Your Student Loans Online	161
	Difficulty Repaying Your Student Loans?	161
	Loan Discharge and Cancellation	162
	Where to Find Your Student Loan Information	162
	Information on Different Types of Student Loans	163
	Student Loan Debt Consolidation Programs	164
	Financial Aid Programs and Resources	165
	Managing Credit	165
	Finding a Student Loan Ombudsman	166
	Student Loan and Debt Calculators	170
	Happy Hunting	170
10.	Fifty-Plus Student Loan Debt Tips you can Take to the Bank	171
	Money Management Tips	172
	Student Loan Repayment Tips	180
	Index	189