Shows / The College Investor Audio Show
The College Investor Audio Show
The College Investor podcast is a daily audio show that's dedicated to bringing you the best of TheCollegeInvestor.com. We discuss a variety of topics, all relating to millennial money - including student loan debt, investing, earning more money, and more! Robert Farrington, the founder of The College Investor and a Millennial Money Expert, shares how to get out of student loan debt so that you can start investing and building wealth for the future. Instead of cutting expenses and living a…
Episodes
- The College Investor Audio Show
What's The Latest With The PSLF Lawsuits?
Robert joined Chuck Jaffe on the Money Life Show this week and discussed the latest that was happening with the PSLF lawsuits. You can listen to the clip and…
- The College Investor Audio Show
What To Do If You Can’t Get A Student Loan For College
For most undergraduates, paying for college starts with a Federal Direct Loan in the student's name, with no credit check and no cosigner. The problem is the…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Do Unemployment Benefits Count On The FAFSA? 2027-28 Rules
Yes. Unemployment benefits count as income on the FAFSA because the IRS treats them as taxable income, and the FAFSA starts with your adjusted gross income…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Free Tuition Still Leaves Students With $20,000 To $25,000 A Year In Costs, Brookings Says
More than 870 colleges now advertise free tuition for some students, but a new Brookings Institution analysis finds most of these programs repackage existing…
- The College Investor Audio Show
University Of Arizona Moves To Freeze Tuition For Every Student In 2027-28
The University of Arizona announced that it will freeze tuition and mandatory fees for every undergraduate and graduate student for fall 2027. Resident…
- The College Investor Audio Show
UC Covers Tuition For California Families Earning Under $100,000
The University of California’s Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan covers systemwide tuition and fees for California residents with family incomes under $100,000…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Penn State Targets 47 Programs For Closure, Mostly At Commonwealth Campuses
Penn State released final recommendations from its Academic Portfolio and Program Review on October 12, 2026. The university recommends closing 47 of its 403…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Bank Of America To Pay $1.2 Billion, Including Record $750 Million OCC Penalty
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency fined Bank of America $750 million on October 13, 2026, for failures in its anti-money laundering program. It’s…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Inflation Hits 3.7% In September As Gas Prices Jump 9.1%
Consumer prices rose 0.6% in September on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics September CPI report released October 14…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Social Security Benefits Rise 3.6% In 2027, The Largest COLA Since 2023
The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2027 on October 14. The increase follows September consumer price…
- The College Investor Audio Show
States That Require The FAFSA To Graduate: 2026 Update
A growing group of states has turned the FAFSA into a high school graduation requirement. The idea, known as “universal FAFSA,” is simple: every senior either…
- The College Investor Audio Show
New Senate Bill Would Give First-Time Homebuyers $5 For Every $1 They Save
Sen. Jeff Merkley introduced the Homeownership Promise Act (PDF File) on September 23, 2026, a bill that would have the federal government match first-time…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Lawsuit Says Education Department Still Reports $4.6 Billion In Cancelled Student Loans
Two former for-profit college students filed a proposed class action against the U.S. Department of Education on September 24, 2026, alleging the agency keeps…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Education Department And Treasury Launch Online Portal For Student Loan Borrowers In Default
The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of the Treasury launched the Defaulted Loans Support Center on September 30, 2026, a new section of…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Education Department Extends 1% Student Loan Auto Pay Discount Deadline To December 31
The U.S. Department of Education announced on September 29, 2026 that it was extending the enrollment window for its temporary 1% student loan interest rate…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Senate Passes The Protect College Sports Act: What It Means For NIL Money And Families
The U.S. Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act (PDF File) by a 77-22 vote late Monday, after nearly six hours of debate and seven amendments. Drafted by…
- The College Investor Audio Show
89 Groups Demand Congress Take Action As Student Loan Errors Hit Borrowers
A coalition of 89 advocacy groups, unions, and nonprofits is asking Congress to convene an emergency hearing on the student loan system, citing servicing…
- The College Investor Audio Show
My Student Loans Are Finally Being Forgiven. Could I Owe Taxes On Them?
I’m expecting to get my student loans forgiven soon. I’m at about $148,000. I borrowed $65,000 for a social work degree back in 2001 and I’ve paid something…
- The College Investor Audio Show
9.3 Million Federal Student Loan Borrowers Are Now In Default, New FSA Data Shows
Federal Student Aid posted its quarterly portfolio update on September 22, 2026, and the data through June 30 shows student loan defaults still rising. The…
- The College Investor Audio Show
FAFSA Skipped The Asset Questions? Here’s When Assets Don’t Have To Be Reported
The 2027-28 FAFSA launches for everyone by October 1, 2026, and the beta version is already open. Parents working through the FAFSA step by step are reaching…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Notre Dame Will Require SAT And ACT Scores Again Starting With Fall 2028 Applicants
The University of Notre Dame will require SAT or ACT scores from undergraduate applicants beginning with the 2027-28 admissions cycle, the university announced…
- The College Investor Audio Show
UVM Cuts Tuition By $18,000 For Students From Five New England States
The University of Vermont announced on September 9 a Regional Tuition Break that drops annual tuition to $30,240 for incoming undergraduates who are permanent…
- The College Investor Audio Show
U.S. Teens Rank 23rd In Math, 10th In Reading On The 2026 Global Exam
American 15-year-olds tied for 10th out of 91 worldwide school systems in reading on the 2025 PISA exam, released September 8. In math, they tied for 23rd…
- The College Investor Audio Show
How Much Should You Have In A 529 Plan By Age
How much should you have in a 529 plan? The short answer: about $96 a month from birth, or roughly $37,000 by the time your child is 18, if your goal is to…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Who Wins College Scholarships? Sallie Data Shows Early, High-Volume Applicants
Sallie surveyed 511 U.S. scholarship applicants (both students who won at least one award and students who applied but never won) and published the results as…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Student Loan Debt Reaches $1.86 Trillion, Up $55.6 Billion From A Year Ago
The Federal Reserve’s G.19 consumer credit release published September 8 put outstanding student loan debt at $1,858.2 billion at the end of the second quarter…
- The College Investor Audio Show
New Bipartisan Bill Would Count SAVE Forbearance Months Toward PSLF, No Buyback Required
Reps. Bill Foster (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Inclusion Act of 2026, which would update what counts as a…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Newsom Signs Laws Letting California Community Colleges Add Up To 12 Bachelor’s Degrees
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 960 and Assembly Bill 2694 on September 18, 2026, rewriting the rules for bachelor’s degrees at California community…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Why Elite Colleges Are Racing To Offer Free Tuition
Several of the most selective colleges have adopted generous financial aid policies that provide free tuition to low- and moderate-income students. Depending…
The College Investor Audio ShowWhat Colleges Look For In 2026-27: Test Scores Are Back And Legacy Is Fading
Colleges have a "type" of student they are looking for when they make admissions decisions, and not all of it shows up on the application checklist…
- The College Investor Audio Show
New House Bill Would Make Farm And Ranch Workers Eligible For PSLF
A bipartisan House bill would add farm and ranch work to the list of jobs eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. H.R. 9974, the Young Farmer Success…
- The College Investor Audio Show
IRS Proposes Ending Tax-Exempt Status For 18,000 Private Schools Over Race-Based Policies
The Treasury Department and IRS released proposed regulations that would deny 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status to any private school that “adopts, maintains, or…
- The College Investor Audio Show
UC San Diego’s Remedial Math Class Is Full — Reigniting The Debate Over Test Requirements
Both fall quarter sections of MATH 2 at UC San Diego are full, and 175 students are sitting on waitlists. A screenshot of the campus booking system posted this…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Texas State Doubles Free Tuition Income Cap To $100,000 For 2027 Freshmen
Texas State University is doubling the income limits on its free tuition program. Starting with the Fall 2027 entering class, first-time freshmen who graduate…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Bill Gates Says Heavy AI Use Could Cause Students To End Up Learning Less
Bill Gates published a 6,000-word essay on the AI transition, calling it “one of the most turbulent times in human history” and arguing the world has no real…
- The College Investor Audio Show
ASU’s New “Influencer Degree” Costs Up To $60,000 A Year. Will It Pay Off?
Arizona State University has launched a Bachelor of Arts in Content Creation through its Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, available…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Free Community College Pays For Itself, New NBER Study Finds
A new NBER working paper finds that Tennessee Promise, the nation’s first statewide free community college program, increased college enrollment, boosted…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Senators Demand ED Account for $1 Billion Student Loan Fund as Defaults Hit 9M
Four Senate Democrats want the Department of Education to provide answers on how it spent a $1 billion student loan administration fund created by last year’s…
- The College Investor Audio Show
New Bill Would Use IRS Data To Automatically Put Struggling Student Loan Borrowers Into Low Payments
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) reintroduced the Streamlining Income-driven, Manageable Payments on Loans for Education (SIMPLE) Act on September 2, 2026, with…
The College Investor Audio ShowHow College Refunds Work Plus The Benefits Of Tuition Insurance
College tuition refunds are rare. Many colleges only give a full refund if you withdraw before the first day of class, and most stop refunding anything at all…
- The College Investor Audio Show
NIL Money And Taxes: What College Athletes Owe The IRS, The FAFSA, And Their Agent
College athletes are getting paid, and many of them don’t know what to do with it to maximize their long term wealth. The money arrives with no tax withheld…
- The College Investor Audio Show
ED Changes Grad PLUS Rule: Credit Hours Now Decide Who Keeps Uncapped Student Loans
The Education Department has quietly changed how it decides whether continuing graduate students can still borrow uncapped Grad PLUS loans, and the change is…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Parent PLUS Caps At $20,000 A Year, Leaving Cosigners Fewer Options In Year 4
As of July 1, 2026, new Parent PLUS borrowers are capped at $20,000 per dependent student per year and $65,000 for that student's entire undergraduate career…
- The College Investor Audio Show
PSLF Payment Counts Drop as Education Department Corrects IDR Adjustment Errors
Borrowers chasing Public Service Loan Forgiveness have spent the past two weeks watching their qualifying payment counts move in the wrong direction. Some lost…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Sanders Bill Would Ban Social Security Garnishment For Defaulted Student Loans
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced on August 17 that he will introduce the Stop Social Security Garnishment Act of 2026, a bill that would permanently bar…
- The College Investor Audio Show
College Is Not Risk-Free: The Hidden Costs Families Never Expect
College is not a risk-free investment - and one $15-a-month decision can save families from a five-figure mistake. GradGuard CEO John Fees breaks down the…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Education Department Moves To Break Up Accreditor Power With New Proposed Rule
The U.S. Department of Education released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on August 19, 2026 that would rewrite the rules governing how college accreditors are…
- The College Investor Audio Show
The Final SAVE Plan Lawsuit Is Fully Briefed — Here’s When Borrowers Could Get An Answer
The U.S. Department of Education filed its reply brief in support of its motion to dismiss in Havens v. U.S. Department of Education on August 17, 2026…
- The College Investor Audio Show
ED Changes Grad PLUS Rule: Credit Hours Now Decide Who Keeps Uncapped Student Loans
The Education Department has quietly changed how it decides whether continuing graduate students can still borrow uncapped Grad PLUS loans, and the change is…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Families Spent $34,019 On College Last Year, Up 10%
American families spent an average of $34,019 on college during the 2025-26 academic year, a 10% increase from $30,837 the year before, according to the annual…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Unions Sue To Block Student Loan Rule That Caps Nursing And Social Work Borrowing At $100,000
A coalition of four major unions (the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, the American Federation of Teachers, and National Nurses United) filed a lawsuit on August 11, 2026 (PDF…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Trump May Forgive Upwards Of $170B In Student Loan Debt
When voters think of student loan forgiveness, they often picture executive actions and legal battles. Under President Biden, student loan debt relief efforts…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Nearly 92% Of U.S. Kids Qualify For The New $1,700 Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
An estimated 51.7 million children (91.7% of everyone eligible to enroll in a K-12 school) meet the income test to receive scholarships under the Education…
- The College Investor Audio Show
OIG Report: Education Department Cut 40% Of Staff, Gutting Student Loan Oversight
The Department of Education's Office of Inspector General has put hard numbers on the Trump administration's push to dismantle the agency, and the findings for…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Senate Committee Advances Bill To Block Education Department Transfers
A bipartisan group of senators is moving to block at least some of the Trump administration's effort to dismantle the Department of Education. The Senate…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Senate Bill Would Exempt State Student Loans From 2007 Scandal Conflict Rules
A bill moving quietly through the Senate would let colleges steer students toward state-run and nonprofit student loans without triggering the federal…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Student Loan Interest Elimination Act Gets Second Push as Defaults Hit $233 Billion
Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) held a press conference on Capitol Hill last week urging Congress to take up the Student Loan Interest…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Howard University Readmits 200 Of 502 Unenrolled Freshmen After Backlash
Howard University unenrolled 502 incoming freshmen on July 22, weeks before move-in. It has since readmitted more than 200 of them — a roughly 40% reversal of…
- The College Investor Audio Show
You Insure the Phone, the Car, and the Spring Break Trip. Why Not the $30,000 Tuition Bill?
Think about everything your family pays to protect. The phone gets a protection plan at checkout. The car carries full coverage at an average of $2,237 a year…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Waiting On Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Cost Borrowers Up To 43%, NBER Finds
Borrowers who believed the student loan payment pause would keep getting extended (or that their debt would be forgiven outright) cut their payments, spent…