The College Investor

The College Investor Financial news, insights, and commentary about money and education. https://thecollegeinvestor.com Honestly, when I was about 13, I wanted to do my own taxes.

Since I can remember, I have had a passion for investing and all things related to personal finance. Yes, taxes. But what I really liked about it was that I had even made income to pay taxes on. I thought that was so cool. Throughout my teens, I focused my attention on ways to make money. I sold stuff on eBay, and took my earnings and saved and invested. I made more money than I lost, and I was ho

oked. Once got to college, I soon realized that most people were oblivious to investing and personal finance. However, there was a small group that really found it interesting, but they weren’t quite my style. This group was investing and doing some crazy stuff (penny stocks, etc.) and it didn’t really suite me. So, I went my own direction with a mix of common sense personal finance and investing ideas. It turns out, when I went to graduate school, this is what most of my peers were looking for. Even though this was a class of MBA students, many people were unaware of the basics of personal finance and investing. I ended up helping many of my peers, and have since been helping people here. I started this blog to showcase my common sense thoughts and ideas with younger adults. At work and school, I heard some pretty scary advice, and I hope that I don’t become anything like that. With this site, I want to be as transparent as possible and highlight both the good and the bad. I also want to make sure that I’m helping and not hurting. That is where student loan debt came in. I have showcased my battle with my student loan servicer, and it has provided my readers with a lot of insight into the student loan market. It also led me to write my first eBook, Student Loan Debt: Getting in Smart, Getting out Painlessly. I’m giving it away for free, all you have to do is sign up. I don’t consider myself some sort of investing “guru”, my ideas are not necessarily new, and my techniques aren’t secret. There are no “get-rich-quick” schemes here. Making money through investing takes hard work, patience, and time. My goal is to showcase a variety of personal finance and investing ideas, and hopefully some prove useful to you. Through my years of writing here, I’ve come to the conclusion that developing multiple income streams, including from investment income, is the key to personal finance success during your “accruing” stage of life.

09/03/2026

Stop thinking you need to consolidate your student loans!

Texas State just made college dramatically cheaper for middle-income families. 🎓Starting with the Fall 2027 freshman cla...
09/03/2026

Texas State just made college dramatically cheaper for middle-income families. 🎓

Starting with the Fall 2027 freshman class, students who graduate in the top 25% of their Texas high school class with family income of $100,000 or less will pay zero tuition and mandatory fees — for up to four years. That's double the old income cap, and the university expects about 3,400 incoming freshmen to qualify.

If you have a high school senior in Texas, don't miss the March 15 FAFSA deadline. Send this to a parent who's stressing about college costs. Full story below.

09/03/2026

What actually happens if you don't select a new repayment plan by September 29 if you're required to?

Borrowers from the July 1 notice wave who haven't chosen get moved to Standard or Tiered Standard. Your payment recalculates. First payment will be due 28 days later whether you want to pay or not.

Teacher Loan Forgiveness vs. PSLF TLF: up to $17,500, after five consecutive years at a low-income school. Tax-free. Fas...
09/02/2026

Teacher Loan Forgiveness vs. PSLF

TLF: up to $17,500, after five consecutive years at a low-income school. Tax-free. Faster, smaller.

PSLF: everything remaining forgiven at 120 qualifying payments. Tax-free. Slower, bigger.

The catch: the same years can't count for both. Five years of TLF first = your PSLF clock starts five years late.

Big balance → skip TLF, go straight PSLF.
Small balance → TLF might finish the job alone.

09/02/2026

A quiet PSLF deadline everyone faces: the 15-day grace period ended this summer.

Payments now need to be on time, full stop, to count. Autopay solves this and pays 1% for the privilege. That's the whole post.

09/02/2026

Here’s what’s going on with autopay and PSLF credits and what you need to know about your student loan payment being on time.

"What happens if I just... don't pick?"September 29: you get auto-enrolled — Standard or Tiered Standard, typically the ...
09/02/2026

"What happens if I just... don't pick?"

September 29: you get auto-enrolled — Standard or Tiered Standard, typically the highest payment available. Tiered Standard also sits outside most forgiveness paths.

The do-nothing plan is a choice. It's just the most expensive one on the menu.

The three numbers that decide your student loan repayment plan, so have them before you open the application:Your AGI (l...
09/02/2026

The three numbers that decide your student loan repayment plan, so have them before you open the application:

Your AGI (last tax return). Your family size. Your total federal balance.

With those three, the plan comparison is simple math. Without them, it's vibes.

If you have a high school senior (or junior) at home, here's one thing to do before the college list gets finalized: fig...
09/02/2026

If you have a high school senior (or junior) at home, here's one thing to do before the college list gets finalized: figure out your Student Aid Index.

The SAI is the number the FAFSA produces to show how much your family can pay for college. Lower is better. It can even go negative, down to -1500, which signals the highest financial need. Colleges take their Cost of Attendance, subtract your SAI, and that's your "financial need."

That number drives grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans.

We just updated our free Financial Aid Calculator for the 2027-28 FAFSA. It takes less than 10 minutes, and knowing your number now can change which schools make the list and how you plan for the bill. 🎓

Run your estimate here: https://thecollegeinvestor.com/47648/financial-aid-calculator-sai-calculator/

09/02/2026

Here’s how your student loan payment is calculated based on your income.

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