The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a tax break designed to help those with low to moderate incomes. Its especially intended to benefit working parents who fall within those income ranges.

The Department of Education issues Federal loans to students, but it doesn’t work with borrowers directly. Instead, it hires outside loan servicers to shoulder the administrative burden of educational debt. And those loan services can change from time to time.

In fact, it was recently announced that loans from MOHELA will be transferred to other loan servicers. This isn't a new concept - it happens all the time.

The Federal Student Aid office currently works with 5 main loan servicers, and has worked with eighteen loan servicing companies. Borrowers typically work with one loan servicing company for the life of their loans. They receive their initial disbursement from the company. And 10 to 30 years later, they receive a celebratory letter from the same servicer when they pay off the loans.

But not every borrower has that experience. The U.S. Department of Education can transfer a loan to a different loan servicer at any time (and historically, they've done this about every 5-10 years for some borrowers). In fact, we recently spoke to a borrower who's had three servicer changes in the last 5 years.

Here’s what you need to know if your student loan servicer changes.

Paper trading in practice accounts (also called "simulated" or "virtual" accounts) allows you to trade stocks, options, and futures with virtual money. This serves several purposes.

The first benefit of paper trading is that it lets you get familiar with the broker’s trading platform before having to commit real money. Not all trading platforms are created equal. You'll want to make sure that you're satisfied with the mechanics of executing orders before you commit to a particular broker.

Another reason paper trading is offered is to give traders an opportunity to practice. Maybe you're completely new to trading and want to develop a profitable strategy. Or maybe you’ve been trading stocks and now want to try options or futures.

Whatever the reason, paper trading in practice accounts gives you the ability to enter and exit trades without risking real money. Keep reading to learn more about its benefits and limitations and to see where you can open a practice account today.

When it comes to student debt payoff, it pays to get creative. From forgiveness programs, to employer student loan repayment, to student loan refinancing, there are lots of ways to reduce the overall cost of student loan repayment.

But would it be worth your while to pay off your student loans with a personal line of credit instead of student loan refinancing? That would certainly be an "out of the box" move. Yet some borrowers may feel like it could save them money while also providing a higher level of payment flexibility.

When it comes to a personal line of credit vs. student loan refinancing, which is best? This article explains why private student loans will generally be superior to a personal line of credit for lowering your student loan interest rate.

With the stock market at all time highs, you are probably starting to wonder about short-term investments and ways to protect yourself should the market pull back.

Or, you might have short-er term goals that require short term investments. Maybe saving for a house? New car?

If you don't want to see an immediate decline in your portfolio, now's a good time to consider short term investment options. Short term investments typically don't see the growth of longer term investments, but that's because they are designed with safety and a short amount of time in mind.

Millennials and Gen Z honestly haven't experienced a prolonged bear or flat market. While the Great Recession was tough, millennials have seen their net worth's grow. However, in periods of uncertainty, it can make sense to invest in short term investments.

Also, if you may be looking at life events in the near future (such as buying a house or having a baby), having short-term investments that are much less likely to lose value could make a lot of sense.

If you're an investor looking for a place to stash some cash for the short term, here are ten of the best ways to do it.

Student loan scams are surging. Policy changes, repayment restarts, and nonstop headlines give fraudsters the perfect chance to trick borrowers. Every day, fake “debt relief” companies and government impersonators are stealing money - or worse, hijacking borrower accounts.

Before you get overwhelmed, remember three things:

1. You never have to pay to manage federal student loans. Enrollment in student loan repayment plans or loan forgiveness programs is always free at StudentAid.gov.
2. Never share your FSA ID. That login is your digital signature. Handing it over is like giving someone power of attorney on your finances.
3. Verify everything at the source. Ignore texts, ads, or calls. Log in at StudentAid.gov or call your loan servicer using the number listed in your secure dashboard.

This guide breaks down the most common scams, the red flags to watch for, and exactly what to do if you think you’ve been targeted.