2023 is a great year to plan your goals for paying off that college debt once and for all. Here are some of the best ways to tackle your student loans to pave the way for a better financial future.
How to determine your ideal student loan payoff goal
Setting achievable goals is a great life skill no matter what the focus. Goals require thought and succeed when they are specific, measurable, and action oriented.
Specifically, financial goals should be performance based and not outcome based, i.e., “consolidate all student loans with reduced interest rate to be paid off in XX years” versus “work hard to payoff student loan debt.”
Free eBook: How to Conquer Student Loans
Free eBook: How to Conquer Student Loans
Determine where you are financially
When tackling student loan debt, look at the situation realistically. Decide what is important and the tools that you have to offer. For instance, if you are considering refinancing your student debt, how are you situated to enter the loan negotiation process:
- Figure out what your monthly budgetary responsibilities are, including housing, credit/car payments, insurance, food, taxes, and expendables.
- Be sure to find out your credit report results. You are able to get one free report from each of the three credit bureaus annually – Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.
- Calculate your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) – Monthly Expenses / Gross Income = DTI. This number should ideally be less than 43%.
- If you are not at a point financially to pursue options yourself, consider using a cosigner. Having either a parent, a grandparent, or a friend that can sign with you would allow you to find the best lending situation with their support. At some point in the future when you are better positioned, you can reorganize your overall debt and alleviate them of their responsibility.
What are you hoping to achieve with your student loans?
The end result is paying off your student loans once and for all. But when developing a strong student loan payoff goal, give some thought to how you want to get there. What is the best strategy for you and your lifestyle?
- Pay off your loans faster so that you can focus on other life goals, like buying a house or starting a family.
- Lower your monthly payment to make your budget more manageable. This can often be accomplished with a lower interest rate or a longer repayment term.
- Or possibly a bit of both — you might choose a shorter repayment term and be eligible for a much lower interest rate when refinancing.
- Simplify multiple loan payments each month by consolidating all of your student loans into one easy package with a single monthly payment and one lender.
- If you’re married and both you and your spouse have student loans, your total debt can be combined with a spouse consolidation loan to help simplify your household finances.
See How Much You Can Save
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Step 3: See How Much You Can Save
$15,310
Lifetime Interest
Savings
$1,018
New Monthly
Payment
$128
Monthly
Savings
| Current Loan | New Loan | Savings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate | 6.7% | 4.2% | 2.5% |
| Lifetime Interest | $37,520 | $22,210 | $15,310 |
| Monthly Payment | $1,146 | $1,018 | $128 |
Like what you see? Check your actual prequalified rates from the industry’s top lenders in just 2 minutes or less.
One of the fastest ways to get on track with repaying student debt
If one of your 2023 goals is to make student loan debt easier to manage, there are plenty of smart repayment solutions including student loan refinancing.
When you refinance, you consolidate all of your student loans, federal and private, into one package and get the best interest rate available for your financial circumstances. While you lose some of the flexibility that you have with federal loans, i.e., deferment, alternative repayment options, loan forgiveness, you have the opportunity to negotiate a loan package that more fully meets your overall financial goals.
More about student loan refinancing
When considering fast student loan repayment options through refinancing, the research process can be overwhelming. A simple search online and you are bombarded with a large number of lenders offering all manner of enticing “deals” and interest rates. Where to even begin?
Understanding the problem, Purefy developed a customized tool that allows you to compare student loan refinance rates among a curated group of industry-leading private lenders. Our rates comparison tool allows you to submit several pieces of financial and personal information to receive pre-approved offers from our top lenders.
With this initial investigative process, there is no obligation, no fees, and it won’t affect your credit score.
Remember, there are lots of lenders out there ready to compete for your business. With our free tools, you can proactively determine the best option for you based on real numbers and highly qualified lenders. If you complete the rate comparison tool and still have questions, be sure to take advantage of our free refinance consultation and schedule a call today.
Our team of experts can help you reduce the stress of the decision-making process, clarify the terms, rates, or any other unfamiliar information, and help select the right lender for you.
To sum up…
If one of your 2023 goals is to make student loan debt easier to manage, there are plenty of smart repayment solutions available including refinancing. Once you have determined your financial goals and resolutions for the coming year, let Purefy help you find the best deal on refinancing your student debt. Take a look at what our best lenders have to offer when you compare student loan rates at Purefy.
