Quote:
Originally Posted by sik68
Anyone down to talk about student loans for a minute? What a crock that government student loans never adjusted with QE and rate-cutting, and banks won't refinance the loans either probably because the Fed won't let them. Fortunately, there are a few private companies popping up that will refinance debts. We are applying to SoFi.com which will cut our average rate from about 7.5% down to hopefully 4%-ish.
I only bring this up because a 4% refi gives us 2 options instead of just 1 at 7.5% (which has been to pay down like banshees):
1) Keep the monthly payments the same to pay down the loan more quickly.
2) Invest the difference in monthly payment into the market.
If you already own a home with equity, I have also read (but have no first hand knowledge) that refinancing your house and using the home equity to pay off BIG student loans (JD, MD, MBA) can also be a smart decision too. Just planting some seeds for the 102'ers to look into.
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Been working through this with my wife recently and her law school loans. They vary from 3 to 7.9%. I just closed a bigger/better 2nd on my home and was considering that option of paying down the higher loans, but I think I'd rather employ that money elsewhere.
Just for scorekeeping both student loan interest and primary residence mortgage interest are tax deductible, so even though they are a wash in this instance, it is always something to consider when doing your own analysis.
We will also check out SoFi.com as well -- thanks for the link.