Resources

Student Loan Resources

Student-Debt-Roadmap

We want you to be successful in your fight against student loans. That’s why we’ve pulled together this helpful list of resources that we think will help you crush your debt and break free from the burden of student loans. Though we want you to stick around on our site, some of the links below will bring you to outside resources that can help. Use these links as a road map on your journey to financial peace.

Tools and Spreadsheets

Below are all of the tools and spreadsheets that we’ve created for our readers. They’re all designed to help you nail your financial goals, whether that’s paying off your student loans, building an emergency fund, preparing for natural disasters, or anything in between. The best part? They’re completely free!

Student Loan Spreadsheet
Emergency Fund Calculator
Budgeting Worksheets
Emergency Preparedness Checklist

Guides & How-tos

These are some of our more in-depth resources and guides, designed specifically to walk you through complicated processes and questions.

How to Keep Track of Your Student Loans
How to Build an Emergency Fund
How to Use the Federal Student Aid Repayment Calculator
Student Loan Refinancing Guide
12 Ways to Reduce Your College Expenses
Year-Round Guide to Applying for (and Getting) College Grants
3 Great Strategies for Paying Off Student Loans Faster
What to do if You Can’t Make Your Student Loan Payments Due to Natural Disaster
3 Ways College Students Can Start Investing Now
Why Students Should Start Investing While in College

Student Loan Basics

Student loans are complicated! These articles will walk you through all of the basics so that you can become a pro and use your newfound knowledge to pay back your loans and get out of debt.

What is a Student Loan?
The Main Types of Student Loans
Federal vs. Private Student Loans
Pros and Cons of Student Loans
Pros and Cons of Consolidating Student Loans
Pros and Cons of Refinancing Your Student Loans
Deferment vs. Forbearance: What’s the Difference?
What Happens If I Stop Paying My Federal Student Loans?
Your Options for Income-Based Student Loan Repayment
9 Ways You May Qualify for Student Loan Forgiveness
Should I Try Paying Off My Student Loans Faster?

Reviews

Because we always want to be able to make the best recommendations to help our readers, we regularly review products (apps, books, websites, etc.) that we think you might find helpful. You can find all of our reviews below.

Some of these reviews include an affiliate link (meaning we receive a small commission if you use our link to sign up for a service) that helps us keep the lights on, but this fact never skews our reviews. Everything we say in our reviews are completely honest.

Personal Finance Apps Perfect for Busy College Students
Best Personal Finance Websites for College Students
How to Use Acorns to Start Investing and Make Money
Acorns Later Retirement Savings: What You Need to Know
Acorns Spend Debit Card: Everything You Need to Know
How Acorns Found Money Can Make You Money on Everyday Purchases
How to Use Stash to Buy Stocks and Start Investing
Stash Retire: How to Open an IRA with Stash
Stash Banking: Should You Sign Up for the Stash Debit Card?
Simple Bank Review: Everything You Need to Know
Credible Student Loans Review: What Borrowers Need to Know
LendEdu Walkthrough & Step-by-Step Guide: Student Loan Refinancing
Make Money Playing Games with the Blast Game App
Pluto Money App: Money Management for Generation Z

Trusted Resources

Below are some of the trusted resources that we turn to whenever we have a money question that needs to be answered. These often relate to student loans but also other areas of personal finance.

Grow Magazine
Credit Karma
StudentLoans.gov
Federal Student Aid

Student Loan Servicers

If you need to get in touch with your student loan servicers for any reason, whether to find a new payment plan, schedule a new payment date, or something else entirely, the links below will bring you where you need to be.