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"Financial Smarts for Students" was designed to educate students in grades 6 and up

to prepare for college using helpful financial resources.  

 

The Program includes:

 

  • Offering FREE financial literacy workshops to schools, afterschool programs, community groups and non-profit organizations.

 

  • Implementing Helpful Tools to promote smart choices for students in financing their education.

 

  • Sharing Tips to help reduce out-of-pocket costs for paying for college.

 

  • Encouraging Early Planning and enforcing priority deadlines to receive maximum FREE money options to cover tuition costs.

 

  • Outreach efforts to promote resources, such as SponsorChange.Org to help pay down existing student loan debt through volunteerism.

 

  • Question & Answer

 

Share Your Story

How has student loan debt impacted your life?

Tiffany P. (New Jersey) says: My bf and I came out of grad school almost $200,000 in debt EACH with no way out except live frugal and hand over our paychecks.  4 years later we’ve barely scratched the surface because with interest, the balance is always increasing.  There are VERY FEW resources for you once you graduate.

 

My way of putting it is, it’s like graduating with a mortgage over my head and no where to live.  I literally had to buy groceries on my credit card when I first graduated because I couldn’t afford my monthly payments. 

 

Now I’m in the IBR program, but don’t want a pay raise because my payments will go up.”

Lakitta W. (Baltimore, Maryland) says:  “You’re always told to go to school and get an education so that you can make something of yourself, you follow through only to come out with your degree but not able to live and take care of yourself due to the tons and tons of debt you have in student loans.  You’re constantly frowning in debt due to high interest rates getting turned down for things due to large amounts of debt.”

Erin A. (Stewartstown, Pennsylvania) says: “As a young adult, having student loan debt is like having a dark cloud looming over you as you begin your life.  At a time when you are becoming independent for the first time, you are held back by this enormous financial burden.  You want to begin your new career, live on your own, possibly start a family, but a lot of that has to be put on hold to make sure you can pay back this debt, a debt you incurred so you could have all of those things.  It becomes a vicious cycle.

 

The stress that comes along with having new bills, finding the right job, paying back your loans can be crippling.  Especially when you know if you miss a payment, or fall behind at all, not only will that have a negative impact on your credit, you will also be harassed relentlessly with phone calls asking you to pay.  Not offering help, just demanding money.  These calls are twice, sometimes three times a day.  Flexibility and forgiveness are minimal when it comes to paying back your debt.  Student lending as a whole needs to be reevaluated and restricted.  #FinancialSmartsDC!”

Morgan A. (Phoenix, Arizona) says: I've recently decided to change careers and contemplated going back to school. It's so nerve recking to know that I will probably be putting more money into attending classes than to making money from my new career. I'm not sure if it's even worth it!

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