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
Three Myths About Leaving the SAVE Plan — and What Borrowers Should Know
As federal student loan borrowers weigh their repayment options in 2026, confusion around the SAVE income-driven repayment plan has grown. Data from the loan…
- The College Investor Audio Show
What Families Really Pay For College Out Of Pocket
For many families, the cost of college feels unknowable until the bills arrive. Sticker prices climb past $70,000 a year at some private colleges, while…
The College Investor Audio ShowCollege Scholarship Gotchas: How To Avoid Mistakes When You Apply
There are many benefits to receiving one or more private scholarships. It eases the financial burden of getting a college degree and minimizes the need for…
The College Investor Audio ShowHow Do Tuition Payment Plans Work
A tuition payment plan is a lesser-known way to pay for college as you go. It breaks your tuition bill up into smaller payments, allowing you to pay in…
The College Investor Audio ShowHow To Create Multiple Streams Of Income
If you are thinking about diversifying your income, you may be asking yourself, “How do I diversify my income?” It's actually pretty straight forward, and many…
The College Investor Audio ShowDebt Snowball vs. Debt Avalanche: Which Debt Payoff Method Is Best?
The debt snowball and debt avalanche are two of the most popular methods for paying off debt. When you first start paying off debt, the most important thing is…
- The College Investor Audio Show
How To Pay Off $10,000 Of Debt In One Year
It’s that time of year when we look back on what we have and haven’t accomplished and decide what to tackle in the second half of the year. Even though we're…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Three Ways To Make $50,000 Per Year Without Working
Can you imagine a life where you didn’t have to work every day? Instead of needing to work you could work because you wanted to or, you could choose not to…
The College Investor Audio ShowStudent Loan Forgiveness Due To Disability: What To Know
When your student loans are discharged due to disability, you may be limited in whether you can work or go to school for a period of time. Otherwise, your…
- The College Investor Audio Show
New Court Filing: Student Loan Processing Delays Continue
The Education Department’s latest court-ordered status update shows some progress on one front of the student loan system — and continued delays on another. In…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Student Loan Rehabilitation To Get Out Of Default In 2026
As federal student loan collections resume, millions of borrowers who fell behind during the pandemic-era pause are again facing wage garnishment, tax refund…
- The College Investor Audio Show
New Federal Study Warns On Grad Loan Access
When Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, it changed a central feature of how graduate education in the United States is financed. For nearly two…
The College Investor Audio ShowHow To Become A Billionaire
Curious how to become a billionaire? It's a question that got me thinking... Earlier this year, I was browsing social media and came across an interesting…
The College Investor Audio ShowAre The Benefits of Business School And An MBA Worth It?
The thought of going back to business school appeals to those who want to boost their income and advance in their career. However, business school can cost…
The College Investor Audio ShowIs College Worth It In 2026? It Depends On How Much You Spend
Is college worth it? The answer depends on how much you spend. That's it. If you spend too much on college, it's not worth it because your lifetime earnings…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Best Budgeting Apps For 2026 (Free And Paid)
Ready to start using the best budgeting app to tackle your finances and track your net worth? Organizing your financial life is the first step to growing…
- The College Investor Audio Show
5 Major Student Loan Changes Coming in 2026
Federal student loans are a critical component in how families pay for college. Beginning in 2026, new laws will change how much students and parents can…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Why Tax Refunds May Be Bigger in 2026
Americans may be heading into the largest tax refund season on record - even though it may be one of the latest start tax refund seasons in recent memory…
The College Investor Audio ShowKey Life Skills For Incoming College Freshman
As families juggle decisions about housing, orientation dates, and class schedules, one area that often gets overlooked is life skills. The transition from…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Why Your 2026 Tax Return Could Be Delayed
For years, taxpayers have grown accustomed to filing season opening in late January. But for the 2026 tax year, current projections point to a much later…
The College Investor Audio ShowHow To Invest In Real Estate: 19 Ideas To Get You Started
Close to 90% of the world’s millionaires have some sort of real estate exposure. Real estate investing can help you grow your net worth and develop new forms…
The College Investor Audio ShowHow To Write A Financial Aid Appeal Letter
If your financial aid package falls short of your need, you can ask the college for more financial aid by sending them a financial aid appeal letter. A…
The College Investor Audio ShowOptions If You Don't Have Enough Financial Aid Or Student Loans To Pay For School
What can you do if you can't afford college? The answer is duct tape. What? Duct tape has a lot of practical uses, such as reinforcing book bindings, patching…
The College Investor Audio ShowWhat Is The 529 Plan Penalty And How To Avoid It
One of the biggest fears families have about using a 529 plan to save for college is the dreaded 529 plan penalty. There are many ways to save and pay for…
The College Investor Audio Show5 Things Your Millionaire Neighbor Isn't Telling You
It's currently estimated that there are about 3,000,000 millionaires in the United States today. And given that there are about 300,000,000 Americans according…
- The College Investor Audio Show
How Students Can Avoid The Full Cost of College
For many parents scrolling Facebook, the same comment keeps appearing under college-related posts: “I don’t know how we’re supposed to pay $30,000 a year for…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Why Private Lenders May Not Replace Grad PLUS Loans
Starting in 2026, Grad PLUS loans are ending, and there will be new borrowing options for graduate and professional education. The new borrowing limits…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Student Loan Delinquencies Hit New High as Borrowers Face Fresh Uncertainty
The vast majority of student loans in the United States remain effectively paused, and delinquency rates are climbing again, according to new data from the…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Status Report: Student Loan IDR Backlog Still Near 800,000
The Department of Education has filed its first status report (PDF File) since the government shutdown in response to its lawsuit with the American Federation…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Holiday Tipping Guide 2025: Who to Tip, How Much, and What to Give
Tipping during the holidays isn’t about keeping score — it’s about showing appreciation to the people who help you all year. Whether that’s your babysitter…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) vs. IBR, PAYE, and SAVE
Millions of federal student loan borrowers are entering a new repayment era. After years of uncertainty (payment pauses, injunctions, administrative…
- The College Investor Audio Show
U.S. Six-Year College Graduation Rate Stays at 61%
The latest national data on college completion shows a stark picture: the cohort of students who started college in fall 2019, only 61.1% earned a degree or…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Court Deals Final Blow To End SAVE Student Loan Repayment Plan
A long-running legal battle over the Biden administration’s Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan reached a conclusion on Tuesday, when the U.S…
The College Investor Audio ShowHow To Handle An Inheritance Step-By-Step
Getting an inheritance is the epitome of a mixed blessing. You receive a financial windfall, but the cause is the death of a loved one. On top of complicated…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Can You Use AI In Your College Essay? What 24 Admissions Offices Told Me
Students today are worried about whether AI use is allowed in college admissions essays, whether schools use AI detectors, and if an application can be…
The College Investor Audio ShowStudent Loan Forgiveness for Lawyers
Practicing law can be a fulfilling and lucrative career, but the price of a J.D. keeps rising. In 2024, the average law school graduate had $130,000 in student…
- The College Investor Audio Show
How To Read A Financial Aid Award Letter And Package
Getting a financial aid award letter is the first step in making a college admissions decision. You’ve been accepted to your school of choice and have been…
- The College Investor Audio Show
How New Federal Loan Limits Could Shape Nursing Programs
The Department of Education moved this week to counter a wave of online claims about how the federal government will classify nursing programs under new…
- The College Investor Audio Show
House Democrats Propose Misguided HSA Reforms
House Democrats are moving to curb the benefits of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), arguing that the popular tax-advantaged accounts increasingly double as…
- The College Investor Audio Show
How To Give A Gift Of Stock (For Kids And Family)
Giving a gift of stock is a fantastic way to help a child (or anyone) learn about the power of investing to build wealth. Plus, there are some really fun ways…
The College Investor Audio ShowWould You Rather Have A Penny That Doubles Each Day For A Month Or $1 Million?
Would you rather have a penny that doubles each day for a month or 1 million dollars? I saw this question the other day, and it reminded me of one of my…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Student Loan Forgiveness And Insolvency: Avoid The Tax Bomb
The student loan debt tax bomb can happen when you have to pay taxes on the student loan forgiveness you received. However, most people will avoid the tax bomb…
- The College Investor Audio Show
The Hidden Expense Driving Up College Costs: Room And Board
When families talk about the rising cost of college, tuition tends to dominate the conversation. But for many students, tuition isn't the largest expense. Room…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Why One-Third Of College Students Drop Out Without A Degree
More than one in three students who enroll in college never complete their degree. That figure is not just a statistic - it represents millions of families who…
The College Investor Audio ShowHow California Helps Families Save: A Conversation With Treasurer Fiona Ma
California families have more tools than ever to save, invest, and build long-term financial security but many people don’t know these programs exist or how to…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Trump Administration Could Defund CFPB By 2026
The Trump administration has escalated its campaign to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - setting in motion what could be its effective closure…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Could Your Nonprofit Job Lose PSLF Status?
For nearly two decades, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program has offered a straightforward promise: make 120 qualifying payments while working full-time…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Trump Admin Moves Six Education Dept Programs As Breakup Begins
The Trump Administration continues its efforts to hollow out the U.S. Department of Education by sending six programs to other federal agencies. The U.S…
The College Investor Audio ShowStrategic Default For Student Loans: What You Need to Know
In 2011, some protestors encouraged borrowers to refuse to repay their student loans as part of Occupy Wall Street. They said that if enough borrowers joined…
The College Investor Audio ShowIs There Such A Thing As A Guaranteed Return On Investment?
We live in a world of unprecedented consumer guarantees. When you buy a t-shirt online, you expect to be able to return the shirt if it doesn’t suit you. If…
The College Investor Audio ShowHow to Research Stocks If You're A Beginner Investor
Investors have likely heard that investing in stocks is a smart move for your financial future. But that’s only true if you build an investment portfolio that…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Don't Trust AI With Your Personal Finances!
Robert was on Money Life with Chuck Jaffe this week discussing how Google AI overviews get the answer wrong over one-third of the time. This has serious…
The College Investor Audio ShowHow To File An Amended Tax Return
Being on top of your finances means that financial mistakes become fewer and farther between. But tax filing happens just once per year, and it’s easy to make…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Tuition Reciprocity Agreements Can Help Save On College
College tuition can vary widely between in-state and out-of-state rates — often more than double the cost for nonresidents. To make higher education more…
- The College Investor Audio Show
Trump Wants $2,000 Dividend Checks For Most Americans
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that his administration plans to send “a dividend of at least $2,000 per person” to most Americans, excluding…
- The College Investor Audio Show
What’s Changing For Student Loans In 2026?
Starting July 1, 2026, the federal student loan system will enter a new era. A sweeping set of federal policy changes will reshape how families and graduate…
- The College Investor Audio Show
The New Middle-Class Squeeze: Why $100K Feels Broke
For decades, earning six figures was seen as the turning point between “getting by” and “getting ahead.” But today, more Americans are discovering that…
- The College Investor Audio Show
How To Use A 529 Plan For Trade School
You can potentially use a 529 plan to pay for trade school, vocational school, and apprenticeships. If you or your family have saved money for your education…
- The College Investor Audio Show
New Federal Student Loan Limits Shift Profitable Loans To Private Lenders
At first glance, the Trump administration’s push to privatize federal student loans might look like a political calculation. But the economics behind recent…
- The College Investor Audio Show
RAP vs. IBR: What Student Loan Borrowers Need To Know
The final version of the One Big Beautiful Bill is going to reshape the future of student loan repayment. Starting July 1, 2026, all new federal student loan…