|
 A survey from Citizens Bank found that fewer than half (47 percent)
of millennials, those in the 18-35 age group, who are college
graduates, would be willing to limit their online food delivery in
return for reducing their student loans.
Other priorities? Concerts, sporting events and lattes, as well as
travel and vacations.
The prospect of limiting any of these luxuries got the "no thanks"
from the majority of millennials who were asked if they would cut
back to lower their student loans. The same holds true for cutting
Internet service.
Despite being so unwilling to give up life's little pleasures, more
than half (57 percent) said they regret taking out as many student
loans as they did, and about a third said they would not have even
gone to college if they knew how much it was going to cost them.
That is a big conflict, says Brendan Coughlin, president of consumer
lending at Citizens Bank.
"They are very committed to living their life the way they want to
live their life, and as frustrated as they are by student loans,
they are not willing to make those lifestyle tradeoffs," he said.
Part of the problem may be one of denial and math. The same survey
found that nearly half of millennials (45 percent) with student
loans do not even know how much of their annual salary they spend on
them. It is 18 percent on average, for the record.
On the upside, the vast majority do at least know what they owe -
over $40,000 for most. But more than a third (37 percent) are
clueless on the interest rate they pay.
Some suggestions for getting that number down:
KNOW WHAT YOU OWE
The National Student Loan Data System tracks federal loans (www.nslds.ed.gov
or 1-800-4-FED-AID). For private student loans, borrowers should
check out their annual credit reports (www.annualcreditreport.com).
REFINANCE
Three-quarters of millennial graduates told Citizens Bank that
refinancing is not part of their plan to pay off their student
loans. Millennials who have graduated and have jobs often qualify
for better rates than they did when they had no income at the start
of school.
In addition to Citizens Bank, SoFi, CommonBond, Wells Fargo, Earnest
and other institutions offer refinancing programs. There is also an
opportunity for students to move from variable-rate loans to
fixed-rate ones as a hedge against rising interest rates.
[to top of second column] |
At Citizens, a regular undergraduate loan ranges from 5.25 percent
to 11.75 percent. Refinancing loans start as low as 4.74 percent.
Variable rates range from 2.44 percent to 9.44 percent. On average,
a customer will save 1.5 percent APR when refinancing, or $147 a
month, according to Citizens.
GET HELP AT WORK
A number of companies, including Fidelity and PwC, are offering help
to pay down student debt. This is becoming a more mainstream perk
and is worth looking into with your current employer, and keeping in
mind if you are looking for a job.
While only about 3 percent of employers are offering this perk,
according to the Society for Human Resource Management, it is
gaining steam as companies work to attract and retain millennial
workers.
SEEK FORGIVENESS
Some professions, such as public service jobs, offer student loan
forgiveness. They include public defenders, law enforcement
officers, doctors, nurses and some teachers.
For example, teachers who work in low-income school districts and
teach certain needed subjects may qualify for even full cancellation
of some types of loans.
Volunteering can also pay off. Many organizations like the Peace
Corps and AmeriCorps offer eligibility for student loan payments
through Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) or other options.
(Fixes typo in word "move," paragraph 13, no other changes to text.)
(Editing by Beth Pinsker and Dan Grebler)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
