Debt-Trap Debbie Swimming With the Loan Sharks

Debt-Trap Debbie needs to stop shilling for predatory payday lenders who siphon $8 billion in fees and interest each year from those who can least afford it. That was the message delivered this week to Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s doorstep at the Democratic National Committee, which she chairs, by a hundred grassroots leaders fromContinue reading “Debt-Trap Debbie Swimming With the Loan Sharks”

Student Debt: Study Up Before You Sign Up

It’s that time of year again. Students nationwide are heading back to college and signing fresh promissory notes for financial aid. I am one of them. Many of us will mourn the loss of the summer sun while we simultaneously anticipate carving pumpkins and the smell of fallen leaves. As our quest for knowledge continuesContinue reading “Student Debt: Study Up Before You Sign Up”

Graduates Struggle Under a Mountain of Debt

College is supposed to be the pathway to a better job and a better life, but for students across the country college is also the pathway to a life of debt. Since 2008, states across the country have decreased their investment in higher education, with every state except for Alaska and North Dakota providing lessContinue reading “Graduates Struggle Under a Mountain of Debt”

Starbucks’ Free College Gimmick Clouds the Real Problem

As we’ve reported here and here, the state of higher education in this country has reached a crisis. The cost of tuition has risen substantially faster than any other good or service over the past 40 years.  There are many that are calling the student debt crisis the next financial bubble. Under the Starbucks plan,Continue reading “Starbucks’ Free College Gimmick Clouds the Real Problem”

Sallie Mae Slap on the Wrist Doesn’t Go Far Enough

This week the Department of Justice levied a $97 million fine against the student debt servicing giant Sallie Mae. The findings of the DOJ’s long investigation revealed a host of bad practices and illegal behaviors at the company, including overcharging on nearly all military service members’ loans, and mishandling borrowers’ payments to maximize late feesContinue reading “Sallie Mae Slap on the Wrist Doesn’t Go Far Enough”