PROTECT · VOLUME 3 OF 3 · DEEP DIVEDebt shelf
Student Loan Strategies
A deep dive into student loans under the rules in force after the 2025 budget law. It explains federal and private loans, the repayment plans now open, income-driven and public service forgiveness and the tax that can come with them, paying off fast, refinancing, and how marriage, a home and a career change the math, then turns it all into a plan you can keep current.
Chapters8
Reading time45 min
Worked examples24
Updated2026-10-01
What you will be able to do
- List every loan you owe with the facts that decide your options: federal or private, type, disbursement date, rate and servicer.
- Compare the standard plan, Income-Based Repayment and the Repayment Assistance Plan on total cost, not just the monthly payment.
- Judge whether Public Service Loan Forgiveness or income-driven forgiveness fits you, and plan for the tax on forgiveness.
- Decide when extra payments or refinancing save money, and what refinancing a federal loan gives up.
- Put each loan in a lane and keep the plan current through a yearly calendar and life changes.
Contents
8 CHAPTERS · ABOUT 45 MIN- 01Federal and Private Loans: Know What You Owe How federal and private student loans differ, the federal loan types and the 2025 borrowing changes, how interest builds before repayment, fixed against variable rates, and the loan inventory every later decision depends on.6 min2 computed
- 02Federal Repayment Plans After the 2025 Law Which federal plans are open in 2026, how the standard plan, Income-Based Repayment and the new Repayment Assistance Plan set the payment, why the lowest payment can cost the most, and how to switch and recertify.6 min3 computed
- 03Income-Driven Forgiveness and the Tax That Can Follow How long forgiveness takes under each income-driven plan, who it tends to suit, why forgiven balances are generally taxable again from 2026, how to save for that tax, and how pre-tax saving lowers the payment.6 min4 computed
- 04Public Service Loan Forgiveness The four conditions every qualifying month must meet, why the lowest legal payment wins under PSLF, how to certify employment every year, the mistakes that cost borrowers years, and what happens if you leave public service.5 min2 computed
- 05Paying Off Student Loans Fast When paying ahead is the right lane, what extra payments save in months and interest, how to make the servicer apply them to principal on the right loan, avalanche against snowball, and how to keep going.5 min3 computed
- 06Refinancing: When a Private Loan Makes Sense How refinancing differs from federal consolidation, what a lower rate saves at the same and a longer term, the federal protections a refinance gives up for good, who it tends to suit, and how to shop for an offer.5 min3 computed
- 07Student Loans, Marriage, Home and Career How filing jointly or separately changes an income-driven payment and your tax, how mortgage lenders count student loans, what children change, employer loan benefits, where you live, and saving for retirement while you repay.5 min5 computed
- 08Your Student Loan Game Plan Put every loan in one of four lanes, protect the base with a cash cushion and the employer match, set the plan and payment for each lane, run a yearly calendar, and change course when life or the rules change.5 min2 computed
CALCULATORS USED IN THIS BOOK