The joy and sense of satisfaction that comes with completing your education may also come with the dread and acknowledgement that you must begin to repay your student loans.
Understand Your Current Financial Situation
The first step in repaying your student loans is to track your cash flow. This will give you a good idea of where your money is coming from and where it is going each month. Tracking for a number of months and prioritizing your spending may help you find a little wiggle room in your budget for making your debt payments.
While paying your debts and other expenses, it is also important to maintain an emergency fund of $500 or $1,000 in the event that your car breaks down or your laptop suddenly needs to be replaced. It is also a priority to begin saving in a retirement account, as the compounding interest over the next decades will give you a better shot at a secure retirement.
Receive Recommendations and Assistance Accessing Student Loan Relief
211 has partnered with Savi to provide free access to an online tool to help you easily access student loan relief.
With a Savi account, you can receive student debt recommendations, easily enroll in government repayment and forgiveness programs, and resolve student debt default challenges. The average Savi user reduces their loan payment by $156 per month and saves an average of $28,000 over the life of their loans.
As an added bonus, users who create their Savi account during 2021 and earn less than $80,000 a year will receive free access to personalized support from Savi’s student loan experts included through 2022.