Some individuals claim that you can't put a price on good education. Attending college is thus an invaluable economic decision that one would ever make. But education is costly, and some have to take loans to finance their studies. The problem arises when one gets stuck paying off education loans while trying to pay their bills, save for a house, and start a family. Furthermore, if the student loan is not properly managed, it can hinder you from attaining your full financial potential. So here are ways to get rid of education loans without interfering with your financial goals.
Utilize the Grace Period
A grace period is a temporary window before you're required to start repaying your debt. It normally lasts six months after graduation. Once this window lapses, you'll start to make repayments in full. You should take advantage of it to lessen the debt burden.
Making early payments is one approach to taking advantage of the grace period. You can reduce the interest by paying a portion of the principal. Alternatively, you can reduce your debt by paying the interest.
Refinance
Refinancing is when you clear your debts (both private and federal) with one new private loan. The benefit of doing this is that you might get a more affordable interest rate on the loans, particularly if you joined college when interest rates were high. You can also get lower monthly payments, enabling you to save money that can be channeled elsewhere. Therefore, if you have a stable salary, excellent credit, and high-interest rates on your current educational loans, you should think about refinancing.
Make Use of Automatic Payments
Unlike how you only pay for essay manually, loans can be paid automatically. Therefore, it may be tempting to attend to other financial needs first at the end of the month and then use the balance to make the loan repayment. But if you operate on a tight budget and you usually lack extra money at the end of the month, doing so could slow your loan payment speed. Also, remember that late payments could damage your credit score. So if you are unsure how much money you can dedicate to your educational loans monthly, evaluate your budget to determine what you can afford.
After that, set up an automatic payment, so you don't accidentally spend the money meant for the debt. Besides, when the loan repayment is deducted automatically, you won't have to worry about delayed payments or hurting your credit score. When setting automatic payments, be careful not to overextend your budget.
Utilize Windfalls
A windfall is a money you receive that you were not counting on. It can be an inheritance, a bonus at work, a tax refund, or any other unanticipated cash. Redirecting windfalls toward your education loans can help you become debt-free quickly. You don't have to use all the windfalls to repay a loan. Instead, you can choose a particular amount depending on your other expenditures and financial objectives. A good approach is to pay for current needs first or expand your emergency fund. Then the leftover can be diverted to the loan as an excess payment.
Make Additional Payments
CASH GRAB
Pay extra monthly to reduce the principal and shorten the overall payback period. Lowering the balance will shorten the debt's repayment period and lower the interest that amasses. You can use the educational loan calculator to determine how additional payments will affect your overall debt. You can key in different figures to see how soon you can become debt-free.
Noteworthy, different loaners handle extra payments differently. For example, some may put the excess charge into your subsequent month's payment, while others may direct it toward the interest. So you should decide how you would like the additional fees applied and specify them to your lender.
Targeting one loan at a time and paying the minimum on the rest would make more financial sense if you have the ability to pay more. The best approach is to focus on one that can fast free up your cash flow. Doing so will allow you to have more money to pursue other financial objectives.
Take-Home Point
There is no foolproof method for paying down educational loans. But there are approaches to attain your financial aims even when repaying your debts. For example, you can save on a home or a nice car if you properly manage your debt by minimizing the interest accumulated and decreasing the principal. Some approaches to doing it include using windfalls, refinancing your educational loans, making excess payments, setting automatic payments, and utilizing the grace period.