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.

As the election cycle heats up in anticipation of the 2020 presidential election, national student loan debt relief is becoming a red-hot topic. Mark Huelsman , associate director of policy and research at Demos, shares that Americans can likely expect dramatic student-debt relief proposals, in contrast to previous election debates, saying that, “There is more consensus about the need to go big on college affordability than there has been in previous election cycles.”

Industry insights, IPO updates, and fun facts about some of the world’s favorite firms.

So far, you might describe 2019 as the year of the unicorn companies. These are startup companies valued over $1 billion, and many of them—like Lyft, Beyond Meat, and Zoom—are hitting the market for the first time. But what’s driving this current trend in IPOs, and will it continue?

Millennials come with a litany of perceptions. They’re sometimes stereotyped as lazy, not having or wanting jobs, and portrayed as bingeing on Netflix and probiotic drinks from the comfort of their parents’ basement.

With murky perceptions like this, it could be easy to believe that millennials aren’t interested in investing for their futures. Of course, this narrative is overly simplistic at best, and dead wrong at worst.

Many millennials have had to overcome major obstacles to homeownership that their parents didn’t have, such as college costs that are growing faster than wages and ever-mounting student loan balances .

If you got a tax refund this year, you’re probably still giddy about the extra money. Who doesn’t love an unexpected windfall? Maybe you gave the federal government a little too much out of each paycheck last year. But what matters now is that you’ve got a tax refund in hand, and you want to be wise about how to use it.

If you have yet to decide what to do with your tax refund, it might be time to set some priorities. This is going to be relatively painless, and hopefully it will help you gain some clarity on the money issues that keep you up at night.

If debt is dragging you down, this could be an opportunity to pay off a credit card or two, or some other high-interest debt that’s been plaguing you. If your refund is anywhere close to the average—which was about $3,000 last year—you could potentially take a serious bite out of any balances you’re carrying.

If your summer plans consist of days spent by the pool, catching up on a juicy summer read, we’re jealous. If you’re in the market for a house, you may want to consider swapping your easy beach read for the real estate listings.

As the weather heats up, typically so do housing markets—nearly nearly 40% of housing sales occur between April and July . Nice summer weather can not only make it easier for real estate agents to show a house, but it can also simplify the process of moving since you don’t have to deal with snow, ice, or any wintery complications.

Before you head out to the plethora of open houses, consider these tips for navigating the summer home buying season.