How Much You Should Borrow for Grad School is Totally Different Now

Will AI Kill Student Loan Advising?

Everyone's wondering whether AI is coming for their job (or wallet), so it's fair to ask how close AI tools are to replacing a real human student loan advisor or even your future career. We get into why some professions may weather the AI storm better than others, what the superstar effect means for your career (and your loans), and how upcoming policy changes like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will shake up borrowing limits, the decision between federal versus private loans, and long-term strategy. We also share where human advice will always matter, and what all this means for you if you're managing loans, borrowing for school, or about to choose a degree. Key moments: (03:43) Comparing new AI models for real-life financial analysis (05:20) The “superstar effect” and how AI will widen the gap between top and average earners (09:54) Why real human expertise still matters most for high-stakes student loan decisions (12:45) Upcoming federal loan limits, Parent PLUS problems, and the likely chaos from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Like the show? There are several ways you can help! * Follow on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/student-loan-planner/id1446453497?mt=2&ls=1], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6w2qdUPNMEFYr0JzGXNgT1] or Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d675bc81-d6f6-4d5a-b354-864b5008fed7/student-loan-planner] * Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/student-loan-planner/id1446453497?mt=2&ls=1] * Subscribe to the newsletter [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/podcast-landing/] * Join SLP Insiders [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/insider] for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? * Try our free student loan calculator [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/free-student-loan-calculator/] * Check out our refinancing bonuses [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/refinance-student-loans/] we negotiated * Book your custom student loan plan [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/hire-student-loan-help/] * Get profession-specific financial planning [https://slpwealth.com/] Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here [http://studentloanplanner.com/voicemail] or email us at help@studentloanplanner.com [help@studentloanplanner.com] and we might feature it in an upcoming show! Mentioned in this episode: Free Student Loan newsletter If you are not already getting our weekly newsletter every Thursday, you are missing out. We break down studio loan news, updates, money tips, all in one helpful newsletter. Sign up for free at https://studentloanplanner.com/newsletter The SLP YouTube Channel If you're more of a visual learner or you like seeing charts, breakdowns, and exploring other topics, check out https://youtube.com/studentloanplanner

Predicting the Future of the Tax Bomb

What happens when forgiven student debt becomes taxable income again? That’s the “tax bomb” we’re breaking down this week — why it’s coming back, who could get caught by surprise and what you can actually do about it (even if Congress keeps punting the ball down the road). We’ll get into 20- and 25-year forgiveness for private-sector folks, insolvency exclusions and why the whole mess falls hardest on servicers and borrowers. We also talk about the real-world impact of recent rule changes, state-level quirks and my predictions for what might (and might not) change after 2026. Key moments: (00:42) Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) stays tax-free (02:59) Who needs to worry about the tax bomb (13:12) Using insolvency exclusions to lower (or wipe out) your student loan tax bill (16:15) Why we expect Congress to make student loan forgiveness permanently tax-free in the future Like the show? There are several ways you can help! * Follow on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/student-loan-planner/id1446453497?mt=2&ls=1], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6w2qdUPNMEFYr0JzGXNgT1] or Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d675bc81-d6f6-4d5a-b354-864b5008fed7/student-loan-planner] * Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/student-loan-planner/id1446453497?mt=2&ls=1] * Subscribe to the newsletter [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/podcast-landing/] * Join SLP Insiders [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/insider] for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? * Try our free student loan calculator [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/free-student-loan-calculator/] * Check out our refinancing bonuses [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/refinance-student-loans/] we negotiated * Book your custom student loan plan [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/hire-student-loan-help/] * Get profession-specific financial planning [https://slpwealth.com/] Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here [http://studentloanplanner.com/voicemail] or email us at help@studentloanplanner.com [help@studentloanplanner.com] and we might feature it in an upcoming show! Mentioned in this episode: Want more? Check out our other podcast Starting to think beyond your student loans? Check out our other show, Financially Free Era. It's about what comes next, investing, building wealth, and designing a life you actually want. Find "Financially Free Era by SLP Wealth" in your podcast app. Tips I Can't Share Publicly Getting our free newsletter? Upgrade your experience and discover student loan loopholes so good, they might get repealed if I talk about them publicly. Find out my very best thought leadership that I really just can't be open about anymore, unfortunately. If you want to get our very best tips, not just the ones that I can share for free. Go to studentloanplanner.com/insider to get a special discount for your year membership.

Top Student Loan Issues Borrowers Are Facing Right Now

A candid look at what our student loan experts are seeing in real-time consultations. The throughline: borrowers need to pull their heads out of the sand because too many are sitting on consolidation deadlines, surprise recertifications, and PSLF misconceptions that could cost them years of credit. The conversation moves from urgent Parent PLUS deadlines to PSLF edge cases, then to disability planning and ABLE accounts — every topic drawn from patterns the team is seeing across recent consults. Key moments: (03:47) Parent PLUS borrowers must consolidate before July 1 to preserve IDR access (08:09) Servicers are pulling tax data months early — revoke IRS consent to control your recertification (22:29) Big Beautiful Bill removes IBR's hardship test, reopening PSLF for high earners (36:13) Disability creates two tracks: IDR recalculation for income drops, or Total and Permanent Disability Discharge (42:07) ABLE accounts let families save for disability expenses with tax-free growth, and 529 funds can roll in Resources mentioned: * StudentAid.gov [https://studentaid.gov/] - official Federal Student Aid site for IDR, consolidation, PSLF, disability discharge, and more Like the show? There are several ways you can help! * Follow on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/student-loan-planner/id1446453497?mt=2&ls=1], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6w2qdUPNMEFYr0JzGXNgT1] or Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d675bc81-d6f6-4d5a-b354-864b5008fed7/student-loan-planner] * Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/student-loan-planner/id1446453497?mt=2&ls=1] * Subscribe to the newsletter [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/podcast-landing/] * Join SLP Insiders [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/insider] for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? * Try our free student loan calculator [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/free-student-loan-calculator/] * Check out our refinancing bonuses [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/refinance-student-loans/] we negotiated * Book your custom student loan plan [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/hire-student-loan-help/] * Get profession-specific financial planning [https://slpwealth.com/] Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here [http://studentloanplanner.com/voicemail] or email us at help@studentloanplanner.com [help@studentloanplanner.com] and we might feature it in an upcoming show! Mentioned in this episode: The SLP YouTube Channel If you're more of a visual learner or you like seeing charts, breakdowns, and exploring other topics, check out https://youtube.com/studentloanplanner Free Student Loan newsletter If you are not already getting our weekly newsletter every Thursday, you are missing out. We break down studio loan news, updates, money tips, all in one helpful newsletter. Sign up for free at https://studentloanplanner.com/newsletter

How Much You Should Borrow for Grad School is Totally Different Now

Graduate and professional school just got a lot trickier to finance. With the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act slashing federal loan limits in 2026, figuring out how much you should borrow and whether private loans make sense is a whole different ballgame. We examine old vs. new borrowing math, which degrees might justify taking out private loans, where the ROI completely falls apart, and how the profession you choose could make or break your financial future. Key moments: (01:13) Why borrowing used to function like a 10% “income tax” (04:50) Who benefits from the old system vs. new 2026 rules (06:40) Careers where high borrowing still makes financial sense (10:08) Professions where private loans require careful planning (22:02) Fields where private loans can seriously hurt your finances Like the show? There are several ways you can help! * Follow on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/student-loan-planner/id1446453497?mt=2&ls=1], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6w2qdUPNMEFYr0JzGXNgT1] or Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d675bc81-d6f6-4d5a-b354-864b5008fed7/student-loan-planner] * Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/student-loan-planner/id1446453497?mt=2&ls=1] * Subscribe to the newsletter [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/podcast-landing/] * Join SLP Insiders [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/insider] for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? * Try our free student loan calculator [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/free-student-loan-calculator/] * Check out our refinancing bonuses [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/refinance-student-loans/] we negotiated * Book your custom student loan plan [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/hire-student-loan-help/] * Get profession-specific financial planning [https://slpwealth.com/] Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here [http://studentloanplanner.com/voicemail] or email us at help@studentloanplanner.com [help@studentloanplanner.com] and we might feature it in an upcoming show! Mentioned in this episode: Want more? Check out our other podcast Starting to think beyond your student loans? Check out our other show, Financially Free Era. It's about what comes next, investing, building wealth, and designing a life you actually want. Find "Financially Free Era by SLP Wealth" in your podcast app. Tips I Can't Share Publicly Getting our free newsletter? Upgrade your experience and discover student loan loopholes so good, they might get repealed if I talk about them publicly. Find out my very best thought leadership that I really just can't be open about anymore, unfortunately. If you want to get our very best tips, not just the ones that I can share for free. Go to studentloanplanner.com/insider to get a special discount for your year membership.

Borrower Defense, PSLF Buyback, and IDR Recertification Chaos

We're bringing you a grab-bag of student loan updates you need to know about. Borrower defense letters are finally going out, long-term forgiveness is being processed (sometimes for borrowers who technically shouldn't qualify yet), and the Department of Education is quietly breaking its own IDR recertification timelines. We walk through what's actually happening, what to do if you're affected, and how to stay in control of your payment when the system isn't cooperating. Key moments: (03:16) PSLF buyback and why SAVE calculations are off the table (06:02) Long-term forgiveness is processing, including some surprising cases three years early (13:14) How to revoke tax return consent and take back control of your recertification date (16:52) What to expect when your payment changes after leaving SAVE (20:29) When your loans are incorrectly coded as Parent PLUS and the workaround to get the right payment plan Like the show? There are several ways you can help! * Follow on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/student-loan-planner/id1446453497?mt=2&ls=1], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6w2qdUPNMEFYr0JzGXNgT1] or Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d675bc81-d6f6-4d5a-b354-864b5008fed7/student-loan-planner] * Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/student-loan-planner/id1446453497?mt=2&ls=1] * Subscribe to the newsletter [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/podcast-landing/] * Join SLP Insiders [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/insider] for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? * Try our free student loan calculator [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/free-student-loan-calculator/] * Check out our refinancing bonuses [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/refinance-student-loans/] we negotiated * Book your custom student loan plan [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/hire-student-loan-help/] * Get profession-specific financial planning [https://slpwealth.com/] Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here [http://studentloanplanner.com/voicemail] or email us at help@studentloanplanner.com [help@studentloanplanner.com] and we might feature it in an upcoming show! Mentioned in this episode: Free Student Loan newsletter If you are not already getting our weekly newsletter every Thursday, you are missing out. We break down studio loan news, updates, money tips, all in one helpful newsletter. Sign up for free at https://studentloanplanner.com/newsletter The SLP YouTube Channel If you're more of a visual learner or you like seeing charts, breakdowns, and exploring other topics, check out https://youtube.com/studentloanplanner