Things are not "calm and predictable" in student loan land right now. Hear real stories from recent consultations and learn what actions matter most before the June 30th, 2026, consolidation deadline.

We dig into what's happening with PSLF case reviews, consolidation risks, tax season strategies, and what Parent PLUS borrowers need to know now that double consolidation is gone. Even if you feel lost or overwhelmed, you'll finish this episode with a checklist of things to act on now to protect your strategy before small mistakes turn into expensive ones.

Key moments:

(02:22) Why PSLF payment histories are missing and how to file a complaint with StudentAid.gov

(08:49) Consolidate after June 30, 2026, and you could add 10 years to forgiveness

(18:37) Smart strategies for tax returns and loan recertification

(26:42) Double consolidation is over for Parent PLUS borrowers — here's what to do now

Resources mentioned:

• File a StudentAid.gov complaint
• File a CFPB complaint

Like the show? There are several ways you can help!

• Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music
• Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community

Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans?

• Try our free student loan calculator
• Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated
• Book your custom student loan plan
• Get profession-specific financial planning

Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!

If your student loan payment is tied to your income, your tax return isn't just paperwork — it's part of your repayment strategy. Listen to a live tax webinar we did with Sim Terwilliger, CFP®, CSLP®, Director of Tax at SLP Wealth, as we share the biggest mistakes we're seeing this season, especially around married filing separately, community property states, and backdoor Roth IRAs — plus when filing an extension can legitimately save you real money on income-driven repayment. If you're navigating forgiveness, IDR, or just trying not to overpay Uncle Sam, this one's for you.

Key moments:

(02:09) Married filing separate vs. joint: when it lowers payments

(08:29) The top mistake: Backdoor Roth errors that trigger penalties

(20:37) Niche tax savings under RAP plan, managing AirBnbs, and passive income

(35:31) The new SALT cap changes and who benefits

Like the show? There are several ways you can help!

• Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music
• Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community

Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans?

• Try our free student loan calculator
• Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated
• Book your custom student loan plan
• Get profession-specific financial planning

Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!

Fall 2026 is shaping up to be a financial aid cliff. If you're a grad student, parent of a college student, or a current professional school attendee, the shifts in borrowing limits, repayment plans, and the fate of Grad PLUS loans could seriously affect your finances and your future. Listen in as I answer listener questions and then pivot to the big question: what happens if you (or your kid) take out even one new federal loan after July 2026?

Key moments:

(00:42) PSLF Buyback: Which tax years might determine your payment?

(05:48) The tax-extension strategy to keep a lower IDR payment for another year

(11:53) Taking out just one loan after July 2026 blocks you from everything but the RAP plan

(15:18) Parents borrowing on behalf of a child face especially bad news

(18:23) Should you gamble your financial future? The "retire with defaulted Parent PLUS loans" strategy

Like the show? There are several ways you can help!

• Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music
• Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community

Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans?

• Try our free student loan calculator
• Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated
• Book your custom student loan plan
• Get profession-specific financial planning

Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!

We're taking an early look at the new student loan rules released in January 2026 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Find out why borrowers, especially Parent PLUS families, need to pay close attention. We'll explain which degrees are most affected, how professional and graduate programs are changing for loan purposes, how the RAP plan will impact repayment, and whether private lenders can keep up with demand.

Key moments:

(02:18) Why these regulations were rushed and what's coming next

(04:40) Parent PLUS borrowers face confusing deadlines and inconsistent official guidance

(11:57) Who counts as a "professional student" under new loan caps

(17:47) The surprising good news on consolidation and forgiveness credit

Like the show? There are several ways you can help!

• Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music
• Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community

Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans?

• Try our free student loan calculator
• Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated
• Book your custom student loan plan
• Get profession-specific financial planning

Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!

If you feel like student loan policy is stuck in limbo right now, you're not wrong. In this episode, I walk through the mountain of regulations the Department of Education still has to publish very soon if the new repayment system is going to function by July 1. We talk about why schools are scrambling, why borrowers are stuck waiting and how political timing is making everything messier. If you're trying to plan your finances while the rules are still being written, this episode explains what's missing and what's coming.

Key moments:

(03:06) Degree borrowing limits are creating chaos for schools and students

(05:26) Democratic senators demand answers from the Department of Education

(12:34) A lot of rules still don't exist for implementing the plan changes

(14:01) Why students, schools, and policymakers are all "gambling" right now

Like the show? There are several ways you can help!

• Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music
• Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community

Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans?

• Try our free student loan calculator
• Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated
• Book your custom student loan plan
• Get profession-specific financial planning

Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!

Parent PLUS loans are about to get a lot more complicated, and most families have no idea what's coming. In this episode, senior student loan advisor Lauryn Williams, CFP®, CSLP®, AFC®, sits down with student loan expert Janna McKay, AFC®, CSLP®, to break down the biggest changes affecting Parent PLUS borrowers. You'll learn about the end of double consolidation, new repayment access rules, and what the July 2026 deadline really means for forgiveness and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). If you're a parent helping kids through college, this episode could save you from a costly mistake.

Key moments:

(06:38) Why double consolidation is officially dead (and what replaces it)

(08:10) Quick clarification for borrowers who don't have Parent PLUS loans

(13:38) Real client cases where consolidation mistakes caused major problems

(22:43) Why borrowing after July 2026 could permanently block PSLF for parent borrowers

(33:18) Legacy provisions for borrowing before July 1, 2026 vs. borrowing after

Like the show? There are several ways you can help!

• Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music
• Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community

Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans?

• Try our free student loan calculator
• Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated
• Book your custom student loan plan
• Get profession-specific financial planning

Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!

Most financial goals sound reasonable, but "socially acceptable" goals are often too polite, and they can quietly sabotage the life you actually want. We dig into how to uncover honest, motivating goals, why Coast FIRE sneaks up on more people than they realize, and how student loans don't have to delay living a meaningful life. If your goals feel safe but uninspiring, this one's for you.

Key moments:

(03:53) The hidden signs you might already be at Coast FIRE

(07:57) What you'd really change if money stress disappeared tomorrow

(08:44) Identifying coping habits that block the life you actually want

(14:06) Replacing safe goals with honest ones

Like the show? There are several ways you can help!

• Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music
• Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community

Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans?

• Try our free student loan calculator
• Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated
• Book your custom student loan plan
• Get profession-specific financial planning

Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!

Is working until 65 actually bad for your health? In this episode, we dig into what the research really says about the link between retirement age and mortality. I share my journey from being obsessed with early retirement to recognizing the deeper value of time freedom, purpose, and creativity in financial planning.

We explore how most professionals are actually on track to be wealthier than they realize, how you can use flexible financial strategies to live better now, and how to stop optimizing for being the richest person in the cemetery.

Key moments:

(02:40) What the NIH research actually says about retirement and mortality

(06:01) What people really want isn't early retirement — it's control over their time

(10:15) Most professionals are already on track to have "too much" money

(25:06) Why chasing passive income is often solving the wrong problem

Like the show? There are several ways you can help!

• Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music
• Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community

Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans?

• Try our free student loan calculator
• Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated
• Book your custom student loan plan
• Get profession-specific financial planning

Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!

2026 may be the most confusing year for student loans yet. Find out what's actually changing with repayment plans, forgiveness, and Parent PLUS loans — and learn what you should be paying attention to right now.

We'll also hear real listener questions about PSLF during a government shutdown, IDR recertification delays, getting out of SAVE forbearance, and whether PSLF buyback is worth counting on. If you're feeling anxious heading into 2026, this episode can help you make smart decisions without overreacting.

Key moments:

(00:44) Does government shutdown time count for PSLF?

(08:26) Moving out of the SAVE forbearance, PSLF buyback and family size rules

(20:10) Considerations for filing taxes jointly vs. separately

(29:30) Warning for Parent PLUS borrowers who are still borrowing or who haven't yet consolidated

(35:31) RAP plan rollout and what borrowers should expect next

Like the show? There are several ways you can help!

• Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music
• Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community

Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans?

• Try our free student loan calculator
• Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated
• Book your custom student loan plan
• Get profession-specific financial planning

Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!

Filing taxes married filing separately can be one of the most powerful tools for lowering income-driven student loan payments. But it's also one of the easiest ways to make costly mistakes if you're not careful. Meagan McGuire, CFP®, ChFC®, CSLP®, walks through what borrowers need to double-check before tax season hits. You'll learn when filing separately actually saves money, when it backfires, and how community property states completely change the math.

Key moments:

(05:32) Why married filing separately can dramatically lower IDR payments

(09:58) Real numbers: comparing tax cost vs. student loan savings

(17:28) The Roth IRA trap many married borrowers miss

(23:37) Why community property states often create extra student loan savings

Like the show? There are several ways you can help!

• Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music
• Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community

Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans?

• Try our free student loan calculator
• Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated
• Book your custom student loan plan
• Get profession-specific financial planning

Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!