Topic: SLM Corporation

529 saving plans: no longer cool?

Net inflows into 529 saving plans have slowed as the economy remains weak. Many parents are looking at alternatives to the 529 saving plans.

College budget: 11 items students don't need

Car? Printer? Forget it.

College may be out of reach for young immigrants

College may not be an option for young adults who can't apply for loans or private scholarships.

Parents spending less on students’ college expenses, study says

A new study by student loan lender Sallie Mae finds that parents are spending less to help their children pay for college. Choosing less expensive schools and living at home are two ways families are limiting costs.

Life with student debt: tales from 4 college grads

College costs have soared in the past decade, rising much faster than inflation. The result: More students borrow – so much so that cumulative student loan debt now tops $1 trillion, more than Americans owe on credit cards. Some grads pay $700 or more a month. How do they swing it?

The Daily Reckoning Ready to pop? The subprime student loan bubble balloons

The feds pay for GIs to go to school. They give grants to the schools themselves. And they hand out hundreds of billions in loans, at low teaser rates to students; sometimes to students who are unqualified and unlikely to get much out of it.

401(k): Are you saving enough? Run the numbers.

401(k) math is easy with a retirement calculator. Question on 401(k) is No. 7 in the reader mailbag.

Financial aid: One of six tools to graduate debt-free

Financial aid dwindling. Rising tuition. College debt over $20,000. Financing a college education can be as hard as paying off a McMansion on an adjustable-rate mortgage. So why is Zac Bissonnette smiling? The senior art-history major at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is set to graduate debt-free. "The great thing about graduating debt-free is that you have tremendous flexibility in terms of your postgraduation plans," says Mr. Bissonnette, author of "Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships or Mooching Off My Parents." "You don't have to rush out and take the highest-paying job to make your sacrifices to the almighty church of Sallie Mae." Here are six ways you, too, can trim or eliminate college debt:

College financial aid: More grant money available – and easier to find

College financial aid is easier to find through the government this year. Grants and loans are consolidated in one place, streamlining families' search for college financial aid.

Student loans offer a rare break this fall: lower interest rates

Student loans: Critics warned a government 'takeover' this spring would snarl up the federal student loan program. Instead, student loans are streamlined and interest rates have dropped.

The federal debt enabler

Nine percent of consumer credit has been brought about by Washington.

US grads' job expectations on hold

The class of 2009 makes adjustments in the face of a dearth of jobs and increasing interest rates on student loans and credit cards.

Credit-card bill could hit students hardest

Young consumers are easy prey for predatory credit-card issuers. They are relying on their plastic more than ever.

Steps to get your first credit card

Personal finance Q&A with Steve Dinnen

Student debt and defaults surge

Federal student debt now tops $500 billion, leading some students to ask for debt forgiveness as a form of stimulus. Washington is wary.

Need a college loan? Ask your friends online.

Websites are cropping up for peer lending, and at other sites, students can raise donations for college.

McCain appears on Letterman show (for real)

College students: Don't limit dreams with debt

Huge school loans can hinder future growth. Think about potential income before signing the dotted line.

In college trophy hunt, weigh the costs first

Seven steps to help you win the college finance game.