Carey Donaldson, MA. Ed.
Founder, Senior Student Loan Specialist and Advocate
NewBeginnings, LLC
Student loans can be a daunting maze when considering going back to school. However, it is a path that can be successfully navigated with information and knowledge. Whether you have student loans or are ready to accrue more student loans, pay attention to the types of loans that are available to you. Federal student loans, Perkins loans and private loans are available for professionals and students alike to utilize, however, one needs to understand repayment plans that coincide with specific loans and whether or not there are loan forgiveness options.
Once you have decided on loans that work for your professional goals, it is imperative that you are knowledgeable as to who your servicer is and establish lines of communication regarding your repayment. Your servicer will be the entity you work with who handles your monthly payments throughout the duration of your repayment agreement.
What you choose to do professionally and where you work has an impact on the possibility of loan forgiveness. One option is working in the public service sector. Public sector careers include those in public education, public safety, governmental or not-for-profit organizations, just to name a few. Choosing public service employment provides you the opportunity to have loans forgiven; however, one must have the right loans and be in the right repayment plan to qualify. Ensuring those variables are in place is critical. Your choice of employment and student loan repayment plan determines whether or not you qualify for thousands of dollars in loan forgiveness.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness is a program that was established to encourage individuals to pursue careers in the public service sector. The federal government offers public service employees the opportunity to take advantage of student loan forgiveness if and when their loans are the correct qualifying loans, is in the right repayment plan, and have made the number of qualifying payments within that criteria. At that time, the remaining loan balance (interest included) is completely eliminated.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness is only one of the loan forgiveness programs available to student loan borrowers. The key to navigating through the perils of student loans is knowledge and information. There are many online resources available such as StudentLoans.gov. Here in the Spokane region, NewBeginningsLLC, a partner with Greater Minds, is focused on providing educational, advocacy, and consulting services for all student loan borrowers through the process of student loan ambiguity. Know your resources, know your options. NewBeginningsLLC and Greater Minds is here to assist you on that path. You can read testimonials from many satisfied NewBeginningsLLC clients at our website www.newbeginningsllc.org.
