Student loan debt is good, and credit card debt is bad… right? Well not so fast. What if an undergrad drops out halfway through school with no degree to show for it, and the credit card spender uses their card to pay for a car repair, which in turn allows them to keep their job? It’s not always a clear-cut answer! But with student loan repayments firing back up, we felt it was a good time to question whether student loans are even necessary at all. And we’re excited to talk with a friend of ours, Jason Brown, about how more folks should pursue a debt-free degree. Jason has firsthand experience having earned not only one, but two debt-free degrees and we discuss how you or your kids can do it as well. We discuss the changing value proposition of college, working multiple jobs, scholarship, employer education benefits, eschewing expensive dream schools, dual enrollment, and more!
Additional links:
- Jason – Find all things Jason, including his books, videos, and other resources over at his site YourMarginMatters.com.
- Debt-free habits – Beyond education, here are some habits to live a completely debt-free life.
- Credit Card Tool – Looking for the right credit card for you? Then check out our new credit card tool that’ll help you to easily filter through all the cards based on your preferred airline, whether or not they have an annual fee, or simply by the cashback offer! Just toggle the sliders and you’ll know which card to consider.
- Newsletter – Don’t forget to sign up for the best personal finance newsletter in all the land! It’s completely free and something we create to help you along your journey to financial freedom. It drops every Tuesday morning and you can always unsubscribe if you don’t dig it!
During this episode we enjoyed a Prophetmaker by Burial! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!
Best friends out!
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Concurrent (high school & college) and AP tests are definitely a way to shorten college! Our middle child started college as a sophomore so only needed 3 years to get a BS in computer science. But wait! She went to a college that has a program where, once accepted into the program, she could start her Masters before graduating with her Bachelors. So, she ended spending four years in school but graduated with both a BS and MS in computer science. She also interned during her last two years for a major corporation(summers and during the school year) and she was offered a permanent position with them six months before graduating with her Masters. At 23, she is set and, since her school was in-state with a good merit scholarship, she also graduated with zero debt.