SoFi Blog

In our efforts to bring you the latest updates on things that might impact your financial life, we may occasionally enter the political fray, covering candidates, bills, laws and more. Please note: SoFi does not endorse or take official positions on any candidates and the bills they may be sponsoring or proposing. We may occasionally support legislation that we believe would be beneficial to our members, and will make sure to call it out when we do. Our reporting otherwise is for informational purposes only, and shouldn’t be construed as an endorsement.

If there’s one thing most of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates seem to agree on, it’s that it’s time to make college tuition more affordable for Americans.

For some, that means tuition-free community college, expanding Pell grants for students who come from a lower-income background, or even making tuition completely free for undergraduates attending public colleges and universities.

Remember the last time you bought a lottery ticket with the dream of winning big? Before the numbers were even drawn, you might have fantasized about how you’d spend your new fortune. Whether you realize it or not, a big part of that fantasy is conceptually being financially free, and the great news is you don’t have the win the lottery to achieve financial freedom.

What financial freedom looks like is different for everyone. For some, it might be financial independence from parents or a romantic partner. For others it might mean living a lifestyle where they don’t have to restrict themselves financially.

Even though all of our visions are different, and everyone’s path will vary a little depending on their own situation, there are some things we can all consider while trying to attain our dream.

There’s no sugar coating the current state of student loan debt. It is grim, especially when you read the numbers: Over 44 million Americans hold nearly $1.5 trillion in student debt. Much of the people who owe this debt are
millennials .

The millennial generation is constantly facing backlash, whether it is about the amount of student debt they owe or their “frivolous” spending habits on things like $5 coffees and avocado toast. However, maybe it is possible to have your avo toast and pay off your debt, too.

We wanted to find out how millennials really felt about the stereotypes against them and what they think about their student loan debt, so we polled over 1,000 millennials (ages 22-35)¹ across the U.S. to get their opinions and found some surprising statistics.

In our efforts to bring you the latest updates on things that might impact your financial life, we may occasionally enter the political fray, covering candidates, bills, laws and more. Please note: SoFi does not endorse or take official positions on any candidates and the bills they may be sponsoring or proposing. We may occasionally support legislation that we believe would be beneficial to our members, and will make sure to call it out when we do. Our reporting otherwise is for informational purposes only, and shouldn’t be construed as an endorsement.

Betsy DeVos, the United States Secretary of Education, is nothing if not controversial. On July 1, 2019, she made a decision that has American citizens and politicians up in arms: She canceled the Gainful Employment Rule that President Obama put into effect in 2015. This rule held colleges to certain standards so that students would be more financially stable after graduating.

The Department of Education claims that the rule unfairly targeted for-profit schools. Rather than make adjustments to the regulations, Secretary DeVos chose to repeal the Gainful Employment Rule completely. This repeal will become effective July 1, 2020.

People may be divided on this issue, but most can agree that DeVos’ decision will impact not only the colleges that had to comply with the Gainful Employment Rule, but also students who attend those schools.

Are you curious about how this decision could affect you or your college-aged child? Read on to learn about what the Gainful Employment Rule accomplished, why DeVos appealed the rule, and how canceling the legislation could affect students.

How many college graduates have responded to travel invitations or big life purchases with, “Sure, as soon as I pay off my student loans.” It’s a burden that can saddle a graduate for years after the last day of classes, but what if smart planning could erase that debt sooner rather than later?

But we should first mention that this member’s story is just an example we can learn from—and what worked for them might not work for someone else. Following in her footsteps might not yield the same results, because everyone’s finances and debt payoff strategy is different. But the key takeaways from these members’ repayment approaches might help if you’re currently crafting a plan to knock out your student debt.

Erika Jimenez, a member of the SoFi Community, is an MBA graduate who left grad school with around $50,000 in debt. At first, she said she was resigned to paying it off over the next nine to 10 years. But after paying for three years and only making a $10,000 dent in her total balance, she decided it was time to revisit her options.