How to Invest in the Stock Market
This website is a great resource for learning about the stock market, how to choose stocks and how to invest in the market. It has a very informative blog, reviews of different web-trading sites and resources, and even a free online investing course.
Investing IQ
You can read the expert reviews or submit your own review. Also, they have an annual stock-picking contest where you can put your investing knowledge to the test against other stock market veterans and expert investors.
Check it out and let us know what you think.
What are the most useful emerging technologies in higher education?
I recently participated in a story about uncovering the most useful emerging technologies in higher education. Here is a clip of my answer. Do you have another suggestion for a useful emerging technology in higher education? If so share it in the comments below.
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What is an example of an emerging technology in the higher education field?
One of the most useful emerging technologies education is ‘Personalized Learning’. This often involves an online component which collects information and preferences from students through surveys, and then personalizes portions of the lesson plan to the needs or preferences of the student.
We (iGrad) use this technology in the online financial literacy platforms we develop for colleges. The platform determines which topics are most relevant to each student based on different profile data and performance evaluations. By making the information more relevant to each student, ‘Personalized Learning’ greatly increases learning retention and effectiveness.
Kris
Student Loan Exit Counseling Doesn’t Have to Be Boring!
Check out our latest article on Storify:
Student Loan Exit Counseling Doesn’t Have to Be Boring!
Search Twitter for “Exit Counseling” and see if you can find one positive comment. In case you’re busy, I’ve pasted a few comments below. Keep in mind the less “tame” comments have been censored out. But a new product on the horizon ensures that Exit Counseling will no longer be boring…
What are your thoughts on the subject? Let us know below in the comments section.
Kris
www.iGrad.com
Student Loan Borrowing Questions
Hey guys,
I was just interviewed for an upcoming article about student loan borrowing advice for college students. Some of these answers may be of help to you as well. Please add your own input or question in the comments section.
Which loans should a student accept?
It is important for students to exhaust all of their federal loan options before resorting to private loans. Perkins loans and Direct Stafford loans typically have much more favorable interest rates and benefits than private alternatives.
What factors should be considered beyond just the interest rate of a student loan?
There are several benefits associated with federal loans which usually do not exist with private loans. For example, federal Direct Stafford loans have deferment and forbearance options which can postpone your payments and protect your credit in times of hardship. Payment plan flexibility is another important consideration. Federal Direct Stafford loans have several different repayment plans which a borrower can switch between, and the federal consolidation program can extend the repayment term up to 30 years if needed. One last factor to consider is prepayment penalty; federal student loans never have any prepayment penalty.
How should students decide how much they can afford to borrow and be able to pay back after college?
Students should calculate their projected student loan payments using the calculators available on the Department of Education’s website.
When should student loans be turned down?
Ideally, every loan should be turned down unless it is absolutely necessary. When loans are an absolute necessity, students should always accept the federal loans first. It is important to note that students do not need to accept the entire federal loan amount that is awarded to them; unused portions of the loan can be returned without any penalty.
Do you have any other financial aid advice for college students?
Students should try to supplement their financial aid by applying to scholarships and work-study programs.
If possible, it is a very good practice for students to make the interest payments on your unsubsidized student loans to keep.
I hope this information helps!
Kris
Why Financial Literacy? And What are Colleges Doing About it?
Check out our latest article on Storify:
Why Financial Literacy? And What are Colleges Doing About it?
Financial literacy is a problem; unless we make a major change we will see another major recession in the near future. Fortunately, some colleges are leading the way with some innovative programs. Check out these videos & stories to see why financial literacy is needed & what is being done about it.
What are your thoughts on the subject? Let us know below in the comments section.
Kris
www.iGrad.com
What are some good financial literacy conferences?
Hey Guys,
I just answered this question from someone who reached out to me on LinkedIn; I thought this information may be helpful to you all as well.
What financial literacy conferences do you suggest attending? (specifically for higher education)?
Thanks for reaching out to me. The regional Jump$tart Conferences can be very good. Many people think they are tailored to K-12, but from my experience they seem to have a lot of participation from the higher education field as well. Also, all of these listed below are conferences which iGrad plans to attend this year.
2013 COHEAO Annual Conference
COHEAO – Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations
http://www.coheao.com/conference-events/upcoming-events/
January 27 – 30, 2013 – Arlington, VA
Financial Literacy & College Persistence Conference
Menlo College
http://www.menlo.edu/financial-literacy-and-college-persistence-conference/agenda-tentative
January 18, 2013 – Atherton, CA
2013 MASFAA Financial Literacy Symposium
MASFAA – Massachusetts Association of Financial Aid Administrators
http://www.masfaa.org/committees/concerns/index.php
February 2013 – TBD
2013 Student Financial Services Conference
NACUBO – National Association of College and University Business Officers
http://www.nacubo.org/Events_and_Programs/2013_Student_Financial_Services_Conference.html
March 10 – 12, 2013 – Austin, TX
2013 IFL Annual Conference
IFL – Institute for Financial Literacy
http://www.financiallit.org/about/news.aspx
April 2013 – TBD
2013 NCHER Spring Convention
NCHER – National Council of Higher Education Resources
http://www.ncher.us/events/event_details.asp?id=269749
May 21 – 22, 2013 – Charleston, SC
2013 Annual APSCU Conference
APSCU – Association of Private Sector Colleges & Universities
http://www.apscuconvention.org/
June 5 – 7, 2013 – Orlando, FL
2013 NASFAA Annual Conference
National Association of Student Financial Aid Administration
http://www.nasfaa.org/events/national/2013_NASFAA_National_Conference.aspx
July 14 – 17, 2013 – Las Vegas, NV
I hope this helps!
Kris
What are some common financial aid scams which students should be wary of?
Hey guys … I just answered this question for a reporter working on a financial aid piece and thought I would share. Feel free to add your own answers below.
What are some common financial aid scams which students should be wary of?
One most common financial aid scam is companies that charge money for services that are typically free. The FAFSA is a common target for this. Many websites charge students money to submit their FAFSA, even though it is a free federal application (FAFSA actually stands for FREE Application for Federal Student Aid). Even if these websites are assisting students in completing their application, this assistance can typically be found for free online as well. More importantly, a FAFSA submitted by one of these websites is much more likely to be flagged for verification, compared to a FAFSA completed electronically on the Government’s website (FAFSA.ed.gov). Verification means much more work for the student, as they will need to compile tax returns and other documentation, and it could also mean a delay in receiving the financial aid.
I hope this helps!
Kris
When do loans accrue interest??
Hey guys … I just answered this question on a forum thread at FinancialAidForum.com.
Hey Allison, good questions!
1) An unsubsidized Stafford loan will begin to accrue interest as soon it is fully disbursed. That means it will accumulate interest while you’re still enrolled in school. A subsidized Stafford loan on the other hand, will not accrue interest until your school deferment and grace period are over. So it will not accrue interest until you begin payments on it.
2) Subsidized and unsubsidized loans are lumped together for ease of payments but they are still tracked separately. That means that if you do want to make a payment towards one and not the other, you should be able to make arrangements to do so through your servicer. Make sure to contact them and find out the best way to handle that as each Federal loan servicer is going to be a little bit different. It is usually not as simple as just writing a note on your check. You can pay loans online whether you’re a student or a graduate. Now most Federal servicers do have functionality on their websites to allow you to make payments, whether those are your regular monthly payments or just interest payments while you are in school. While most current Federal student loan servicers do allow online payments, the Department of Education has been adding several new servicers lately. So you may want to check with your servicer to make sure that they do allow that. A list of all the Federal student loan servicers can be found at studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/understand/servicers.
I hope that helps and good luck!
Kris
* Note: This response was transcribed and posted by my virtual assistant.
150K in debt. Can I quit med school?
Hey guys … I just answered this question on a forum thread at The Student Doctor Network
I’m 38, about to start 2nd year, and realize this is not the path for me. Oops. I have a BA in Psychology. Is there any way to get out with this much debt? -GotstaGo
Hey GotstaGo. Sorry to hear about that debt total, that’s painful. Fortunately, the Department of Education has repayment plan that should be beneficial to you. The IBR plan (or Income Based Repayment plan) is a plan setup by the Department of Education to keep payments manageable in situations like yours. For most eligible borrowers your loan payment should be less than 10% of your income. Also, any balance left over after 25 years of qualifying payments will be forgiven by the Government.
A word of warning though, the balance that’s forgiven will likely be taxed as income so it’s a good idea to pocket some savings along the way. Hope this hopes and good luck!
Kris
* Note: This response was transcribed and posted by my virtual assistant.
Job Listings By College Degree
Have you recently received your college degree, only to wonder what kind of jobs you are now qualified for? Or even worse, not sure if you even want to work in a job that your college degree dictates you go into? The good news is that certain degrees often open doors to many positions that you may never have even thought of.
Try using the links below to search job listings that are appropriate for your respective degree:
Accounting Degree Jobs
Biology Degree Jobs
Business Administration Degree Jobs
Business Finance Degree Jobs
Business Management Degree Jobs
Communications Degree Jobs
Computer Science Degree Jobs
Criminal Justice Degree Jobs
Computer Science Degree Jobs
Economics Degree Jobs
Engineering Degree Jobs
English Degree Jobs
Health Science Degree Jobs
History Degree Jobs
International Relations Degree Jobs
Law Degree Jobs
Liberal Arts Degree Jobs
Marketing Degree Jobs
Math Degree Jobs
Political Science Degree Jobs
Psychology Degree Jobs
Sociology Degree Jobs
Teaching Jobs
No Degree Necessary Jobs
College Degree Jobs
Associate Degree Jobs
Bachelors Degree Jobs
Masters Degree Jobs
Good luck with your job search!
iGrad 