Student Finance 101 Blogs

  • Government Website Blues

     

    The reason this non-profit website has been operating - since 1999 - was that our tax dollars still don't buy the student loan repayment information we need from Canada's provincial and federal governments.

    When it comes to adequate information on these programs, most governments flunk out.




  • More Hidden Costs of School

     

     In a sequel to yesterday's blog post, Hidden Costs of School, here are 3 things that could mess up your school budget if you don't prepare for them:

     

    1) Other interest costs.

    In yesterday's post, I discussed the interest on your student loan. But now we're talking about the interest costs on credit cards, a car, private student credit lines and so on.

    Some of these products have very high interest rates, like store and credit cards. Unless you can pay them in full every month, your debts could snowball fast.




  • Hidden Costs of School

     

    Student Finance 101 often fields media requests for information related to students or higher education. For example, we recently provided student summer savings tips to jobpostings.ca (on an article we'll link when it appears).

    This week I talked to Jon Tattrie of Metro News about the hidden costs of education. 

    The idea isn't to scare students from getting their education - quite the opposite. We just want to make sure they're prepared, by having a good understanding of the costs beyond tuition. 




  • New! How Student Loan Aid Really Works! Q & A covers RAP, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and more!

     

    That's right. We talk to the experts. We ask them to explain the fine print.

    Okay, the fine print of student loan repayment aid rules - that sounds boring. But by learning them, you could save yourself hassle - and possibly thousands of dollars. 

    That's why Student Finance 101 keeps looking for ways to explain the often-complicated student loan programs across Canada. Especially those student loan repayment programs.




  • 'Debt Sentence' Campaign Followup 1

     

    The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) continues rolling out developments in its "Education Shouldn't be a Debt Sentence' campaign.

    The campaign was launched October 20 to focus attention on the growing problem of student debt in Canada. Tuition fees and student debt continue rising faster than inflation.

    Across Canada, BC seems to be facing the most extreme rise in student debt.




  • Education Shouldn't Be a Debt Sentence!

     

    This week, the Canadian Federation of Students launched its campaign to bring down the ever-growing costs of getting an education.

    The campaign is aptly called "Education Shouldn't Be A Debt Sentence" and we at the Student Finance 101 Society have lent our support as partners. Use this link to the campaign site to see the latest facts and how to take action!