Author: administración
Student loan rates have are getting even more competitive as peak back to school season starts. As of July 14, 2026, private student loan lenders are offering fixed rates as low as 2.29% APR and variable rates starting as low as 3.03% APR, depending on credit profile, degree program, and repayment term. Ascent Student Loans is currently offering the lowest fixed rate loan available. Student Choice is currently offering the lowest variable rate student loan available.While federal student loan rates are set annually by Congress, private lenders continue to adjust based on market conditions and Treasury yields. Staying current on these…
Key PointsRoughly 40% of Americans would likely be denied a private student loan, and most approvals depend on a cosigner.About 84% of private student loan borrowers applied with one in 2024.Borrowers can appeal federal PLUS denials, add a cosigner or endorser, unlock extra federal loan money, or apply with second-look lenders like GradBridge and Funding U. A student loan denial in July hits at the worst possible moment. Financial aid packages are set, fall tuition bills are landing in inboxes, and the first day of class is weeks away, while your lender has just said no. But a denial is…
Key PointsHouse Education and Workforce Committee Republicans introduced 10 bills that would permanently transfer nearly all Department of Education functions (including federal student loans, Pell Grants, and the FAFSA) to the Treasury, Labor, HHS, State, and Interior departments.The student aid bill contains a provision that would force mandatory collections of defaulted student loans, locking in tax refund offsets, wage garnishment, and Social Security offsets by statute.The package faces long odds in the Senate, but the Trump administration is already carrying out most of these transfers through interagency agreements and these bills would make them permanent and harder to challenge in…
The University of California’s admissions board voted Friday to withdraw its month-old plan to study whether the SAT and ACT should return to UC admissions, leaving the system’s biggest admissions fight without a road map just days before the Board of Regents meets in San Francisco.The Backstory: UC regents voted unanimously in May 2020 to phase out the SAT and ACT, and the system has been fully test-blind since. The current saga started with a UC San Diego workgroup report showing freshmen placement test scores collapsing (a roughly 30-fold jump since 2020 in students testing below high-school math) while UC…
Most physicians have an estate plan. The problem isn’t that they skipped it. The problem is they did it once, filed it away, and never thought about it again. If you drafted your documents more than five years ago, and your life has changed in any meaningful way since then, that plan is probably wrong. Not slightly off. Wrong in ways that could leave your family dealing with a legal and financial mess at exactly the moment they’re least equipped to handle it. Here’s how to think about it, what to actually check, and where physicians specifically tend to get…
Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. July 14, 2026 Minutes of the Board’s discount rate meetings on June 8 and June 17, 2026 For release at 2:00 p.m. EDT The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday released the minutes from its recent meetings to review and determine the discount rates provided to depository institutions through the discount window. Today’s minutes cover the Board meetings that occurred on June 8 and June 17, 2026. The Board’s process for setting the discount…
High-yield savings account rates have dropped heading into July, with many of the popular top options seeing large cuts last week, with one major exception – the market leader EverBankAs of July 13, 2026, some online banks are still offering interest rates up to 4.15% APY. This is still much better than the average of 0.38% APY, according to the FDIC.Banks and credit unions are constantly adjusting their annual percentage yields (APYs) as markets react to Federal Reserve policy and inflation data, so staying up to date can make a real difference. Here’s where the best savings rates stand today…
The Department of Education has revised its court-ordered list of professional degree programs for the second time in two weeks, clarifying which nursing programs qualify for higher federal student loan limits and fixing an omission that had excluded Ph.D. clinical psychology students.The July 10, 2026 update to Electronic Announcement GENERAL-26-42 makes two changes. Nursing programs coded anywhere within the four-digit CIP families for Registered Nursing (MSN) and Nursing Practice (DNP) now qualify, as long as they award the same credential. And Clinical Psychology (CIP 42.2801) now includes the Ph.D. designation, which the Department says was “inadvertently not included” when the…
Key PointsFor most families, the best 529 plan is your own state’s plan: most states only give the tax break if you use their plan, and the break usually outweighs fee differences.Indiana residents get the best deal for 2026: an 87.8% net ROI, driven by the state’s 20% tax credit on contributions.45 of 49 plans cut fees this year, and 21 states lowered their top income tax rates, shaking up the rankings more than usual. 529 plan performance is tough to measure — it’s not just investment returns, but also tax benefits and fees. A low-cost plan sounds great on…
Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. July 09, 2026 Federal Reserve announces the leadership and objectives of its task forces to advance the conduct of monetary policy For release at 3:00 p.m. EDT The Federal Reserve on Thursday announced the leadership and objectives of its task forces to advance the conduct of monetary policy. “The Federal Reserve’s commitment to price stability and maximum employment is unwavering. As is our resolve to pursue our mandate with rigor,” said Chairman Kevin…