| Teach your children to pay debt and save money
Karen Wons of Maryland finds herself in a quandary that is confronting many parents right now. She is struggling with how best to advise her daughter -- a recent college graduate -- on paying down her $25,000 in student loans. Wons did what any wise parent would do. She asked for help. Here's the back story. Wons' daughter works as a project manager at a medical software company. She has an annual salary of more than $50,000. Her employer provides a 401(k). She has about $13,000 in cash from recently redeemed Series EE savings bonds. She has no credit card debt. She has no payments on a reliable car with low mileage. She's sharing an apartment and other living expenses with an older sister in Madison, Wis. Her portion of the rent is just over $500 a month. Wons is unsure about the course her daughter should take with her debt.
Student loan lessons
Karen Wons of Maryland finds herself in a quandary that is confronting many parents right now. She is struggling with how best to advise her daughter — a recent college graduate — on paying down her $25,000 in student loans. Wons did what any wise parent would do. She asked for help. Here's the back story. Wons' daughter works as a project manager at a medical software company. She has an annual salary of more than $50,000. Her employer provides a 401(k). She has about $13,000 in cash from recently redeemed Series EE savings bonds. She has no credit card debt. She has no payments on a reliable car with low mileage. She's sharing an apartment and other living expenses with an older sister in Madison, Wis. Her portion of the rent is just over $500 a month.
Weighing options of credit card debt consolidation effort
D ear Debt Adviser: I have consolidated all of our credit card debt onto two credit cards with APRs of 4.99 percent and 2.99 percent until it is paid off. My husband wants us to take out a loan with the bank so that we are making set monthly payments, even though the interest rate would be considerably higher, possibly around 11.25 percent. I have tried to explain to him that we would be paying more money that way, but he does not understand. Can you explain it in a way he can understand or am I somehow looking at this wrong? -- Susan Dear Susan: I can tell who's the most fun at your house. You clearly like an unstructured approach that allows for side trips when something interesting comes along. The old "ball and chain" likes a direct approach with few unknowns and a clear end to the journey.
How to pay off student loans
Karen Wons of Maryland finds herself in a quandary that is confronting many parents right now.
She is struggling with how best to advise her daughter - a recent college graduate - on paying down her $25,000 in student loans.
Wons did what any wise parent would do. She asked for help.
Here's the back story. Wons' daughter works as a project manager at a medical software company. She has an annual salary of more than $50,000.
Her employer provides a 401(k). She has about $13,000 in cash from recently redeemed Series EE savings bonds. She has no credit card debt. She has no payments on a reliable car with low mileage. She's sharing an apartment and other living expenses with an older sister in Madison, Wis. Her portion of the rent is just more than $500 a month.
Recent college grad seeks guidance on paying off loans vs. 401(k) vs. investing
Karen Wons of Maryland finds herself in a quandary that is confronting many parents right now. She is struggling with how best to advise her daughter - a recent college graduate - on paying down her $25,000 in student loans. Wons did what any wise parent would do. She asked for help. Here's the story. Wons' daughter is a project manager at a medical software company. She has a salary of more than $50,000. Her employer provides a 401(k). She has about $13,000 in cash from redeemed Series EE savings bonds. She has no credit card debt. She has no payments on a reliable car with low mileage. She's sharing an apartment and other living expenses with a sister in Madison, Wis. Her portion of the rent is just over $500 a month. Wons is unsure about the course her daughter should take.
End the Vicious Cycle of Credit Card Debt
Bills.com cites 5 ways to achieve personal financial freedom now. San Mateo, Calif. (PRWEB) July 25, 2007 -- American consumers who are bold enough to take a mid-summer pulse of their personal finances may find more debt than ever before. American families owed a total of $895 billion on credit cards at the end of May (Source: Federal Reserve) -- and Bills.com co-founder and co-CEO Brad Stroh reports that Americans must take steps now to end the vicious cycle of debt. "Debt has become a growing problem, and many Americans need to find a solution. With uncertainty about the future of housing prices, the high cost of oil, and record hikes in health care and higher education costs, many people are on the precipice of financial disaster. Americans are playing with fire by maintaining an average credit card debt load approaching $10,000 per household (Source: CardData.com)," Stroh said.
Student loan options are baffling to family
Karen Wons of Maryland finds herself in a quandary that is confronting many parents right now. She is struggling with how best to advise her daughter -- a recent college graduate -- on paying down her $25,000 in student loans. Wons did what any wise parent would do. She asked for help. Wons's daughter works as a project manager at a medical software company. She has an annual salary of more than $50,000. Her employer provides a 401(k). She has about $13,000 in cash from recently redeemed Series EE savings bonds. She has no credit card debt. She has no payments on a reliable car with low mileage. She's sharing an apartment and other living expenses with an older sister in Madison, Wis. Her portion of the rent is a little more than $500 a month. Wons is unsure about the course her daughter should take: Should the daughter consolidate her college loans during her six-month grace period? (She has federally backed Stafford and Perkins loans.) Should she use the entire $13,000 to pay down the loans or keep making monthly payments to take advantage of the interest deduction? Should she invest all of the $13,000? While paying on the loans, should she contribute to her 401(k)? Let's take the consolidation question first.
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