Articles by Kevin Walker
Choosing Private Student Loans
We get asked all the time, "Where should I borrow if my federal loan isn't enough?" With television advertising, marketing mailings, and the hundreds of websites about supplemental student loans, sorting through all of the data to make an informed… More »
Cost of attendance, i.e. What is college really going to cost?
What is college really going to cost? That's a question on the minds of lots of students and (especially) parents. It is sometimes hard to get a sense for the total cost because there are so many components that add… More »
Private loans – don’t call them “alternative”
One of the beefs I have with my own industry is some of the silly terminology we've come up with. My least favorite example is how private student loans - education loans from non-governmental sources - are sometimes referred to… More »
The skinny on co-signers
Let's talk about co-signers. These are the generous folks who agree to sign on to a private student loan along with the student.
Why do students even need a co-signer? Well, for undergraduates, the usual reasons are that the student… More »
Student loans and the credit crunch
Federal Loans and the Credit Crunch
Federal student loans are the first and best choice of education borrowing. Rest assured that the current credit "crunch" is not going to shut down the flow of federal loans, such as Stafford Loans,… More »
Second semester payment blues
Do you get them, too? I know I felt blue in graduate school when second semester tuition was due. You scrimp and plan with an eye toward front loading payments for the fall semester. But then January comes and that… More »
The two pillars of paying for college: free money… and work.
Well, it's not all gloom-and-doom, folks. There are resources out there to take the sting out of the high cost of college. It basically comes down to free money and work.
Free money
Everyone's favorite. First, get used to the… More »
