The federal government resumed collections on defaulted federal student loans starting May 5, 2025, marking the first time in five years that such collections have restarted after pandemic-related pauses. This means the Department of Education can now garnish wages, tax refunds, and even Social Security benefits of borrowers whose federal student loans are in default—defined […]
Author Archives: John McCall
24
Apr
Apr
Credit Alerts Worth Setting Up Now In order to maintain great credit scores, keeping track of all the activity on your accounts is key! Smart phones are attempting to make our lives easier with a multitude of applications. All major banking institutions now have online banking or apps to make life easier on their customers. […]
25
Mar
Mar
President Trump’s executive order to abolish the Department of Education has raised significant concerns about the future of student loans and their management The Department of Education currently oversees federal student loans for nearly 43 million Americans If the Department of Education is abolished, President Trump has suggested that the management of federal student loans […]
04
Feb
Feb
I remember sitting around a bonfire one cool autumn evening with a few close friends from high school. We had all gone our separate ways after graduation, some of us went to acquire our degrees immediately, others went off to the military and some went to trade schools to prepare themselves for an apprenticeship. As […]
14
Jan
Jan
As of January 2025, the status of federal student loan forbearance is influenced by recent legal and administrative developments. The Biden administration’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, designed to provide relief to borrowers, has encountered legal challenges. These challenges have led to uncertainties regarding the continuation of forbearance periods and the resumption […]
02
Jan
Jan
Now that the new year is upon us, it is time to start on our resolutions for the year. My group of friends all discussed what we wanted to work on this year to better ourselves and the lives we live as we sat painting miniature figurines. A couple of us are looking to hit […]
03
Dec
Dec
Building Buying Power As the Spring months start peeking through, the home buying market is heating up! Have you been picturing the day when you can paint your own walls and mow your own grass? The dream of homeownership comes with great financial responsibility. Many first-time home buyers have questions about their down payment, and […]
06
Nov
Nov
Your Fix of the Mix We all know the importance of having a good credit score. With a high credit score, you can open to door to better interest rates, loans, benefits and more! Good credit can be the deciding factor in whether or not you get approved to rent a home or get a […]
29
Oct
Oct
Building Up Your FICO Understanding and building credit in a positive way takes discipline and some education. Do you recall being taught in school, how to build your credit scores? Did your teachers let you know how big of a role credit would play in your life as you got older? Honestly, it is probably […]
30
Jul
Jul
In 2023 it was reported that over 30% of Americans have an account that has recently gone to collections and that the average debt per person is a little over $9,000. Normally, when you hear that an account has gone to collections, you expect phone calls from unknown numbers asking to settle a debt and […]