Listen in as student debt experts and Board Member Drs. Tony Bartels and Rebecca Mears in this next installment of our Student Debt Series. This episode we’re covering the top three trends from the trenches of student loans: 1) Consolidation procrastination 2) Using the wrong repayment plan 3) Incorrect minimum monthly payments. Now is the time to pay attention if you’ve had your head in the sand with your student loans, so listen in and also learn if you are in The Pickle!

As always, we want to hear from YOU. Please share your thoughts by sending an email or joining the conversation.  

GUEST BIOS:

Dr. Tony BartelsTony Bartels, DVM, MBA graduated in 2012 from the Colorado State University combined MBA/DVM program and is a VIN Foundation Board Member and Student Debt Expert, and an employee of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN). He and his wife, a small-animal internal medicine specialist practicing in Denver, have more than $400,000 in veterinary-school debt that they manage using federal income-driven repayment plans. By necessity (and now obsession), his professional activities include researching and speaking on veterinary-student debt, providing guidance to colleagues on loan-repayment strategies and contributing to VIN Foundation resources. Beyond debt, his professional interests include small- and exotic-animal practice. When he’s not staring holes into his colleagues’ student-loan data, Tony enjoys fly fishing, ice hockey, camping and exploring Colorado with his wife, Audra, daughter, Lucy, and their two rescued canines, Addi and Maggie.

Dr. Rebecca Mears

Rebecca Mears, DVM is from Lexington, KY, where she completed her BS at University of Kentucky. She is a graduate of University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine. While in vet school, she served as the National Business Certificate Director for the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) and as a board member for Vets for Pets and People. During this time she took an active role in wellbeing awareness and access within the veterinary community. Rebecca then worked as an equine general practitioner and is an active AAEP member. In her time away from veterinary medicine, she can be found hiking, baking, and hosting impromptu dance parties. She is passionate about giving back to the profession and improving the lives of veterinarians, pre-vet and vet students. 

LINKS AND INFORMATION:

VIN Foundation Student Debt Center: https://vinfoundation.org/studentdebtcenter

Check your current student loan servicers and other loan details -- VIN Foundation My Student Loans tool: http://www.vinfoundation.org/mystudentloans

Loan Repayment Simulator: https://vinfoundation.org/loansim 

VIN Foundation WikiDebt: https://vinfoundation.org/wikidebt

VIN Foundation Webinars: https://vinfoundation.org/resources/webinars/

VIN Foundation get updates: https://vinfoundation.org/updates/

VIN Foundation GIVE page to support these programs & tools: https://vinfoundation.org/give

VIN Foundation Blog, Related Student Debt Blog posts: 

• Veterinary student loan repayment: trends from the trenches: https://vinfoundation.org/youre-running-out-of-time-to-consolidate-your-loans/
• A ‘new’ income-driven repayment plan? https://vinfoundation.org/a-new-income-driven-repayment-plan/ 
• Common Student Loan Consolidation Questions and Answers: https://vinfoundation.org/fed-student-loan-consolidation-faqs-questions-answers-considerations/
• I have federal student loans. When do I need to recertify my income?https://vinfoundation.org/i-have-federal-student-loans-when-do-i-need-to-recertify-my-income/
• Got Federal Student Debt? You’re Now Closer to Forgiveness Than You Think: https://vinfoundation.org/got-federal-student-debt-youre-now-closer-to-forgiveness-than-you-think/
• Student Loan FAQs: The one-time forgiveness count adjustmenthttps://vinfoundation.org/faq-one-time-forgiveness-count-adjustment/
• Student Loan Forgiveness Planning: Preparing for the Tax Bill: https://vinfoundation.org/veterinary-student-loan-forgiveness-planning-preparing-for-the-tax-bill/ 

Personalized student loan Help from VIN and VIN Foundation: https://vinfoundation.org/veterinary-student-loan-debt-help/ 

Infographic ONE-TIME FORGIVENESS COUNT ADJUSTMENT:https://vinfoundation.org/resources/veterinary-student-debt/student-debt-one-time-forgiveness-count-adjustment/

One-Time Forgiveness Count Adjustment Video Case Study, 1999 DVM may save more than $65,000 in student loan costs:https://youtu.be/6gp7cXvEy8c

Income-Driven Repayment Plan Discretionary income calculations, WikiDebt: https://www.vin.com/studentdebtcenter/default.aspx?pid=14352&catId=74141&id=7249857 

Repay Wiser:https://vinfoundation.org/resources/repay-wiser-veterinary-school-debt-loan-repayment/

Borrow Better: https://vinfoundation.org/resources/borrow-better-veterinary-school-loan-debt/ 

New Grad Student Loan Repayment Playbook: https://vinfoundation.org/resources/veterinary-new-grad-student-loan-repayment-playbook/ 

Federal Student Aid Data, Consolidation, and Repayment Applications: https://studentaid.gov/

SAVE Repayment Plan Offers Lower Monthly Loan Paymentshttps://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/save-plan

New Proposed Regulations Would Transform Income-Driven Repayment by Cutting Undergraduate Loan Payments in Half and Preventing Unpaid Interest Accumulation: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/new-proposed-regulations-would-transform-income-driven-repayment-cutting-undergraduate-loan-payments-half-and-preventing-unpaid-interest-accumulation 

Payment Count Adjustments Toward Income-Driven Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness Programs:

https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/idr-account-adjustment

Department of Education press release (Nov 2022):  https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-continues-fight-student-debt-relief-millions-borrowers-extends-student-loan-repayment-pause 

Department of Education press release (April 2022): https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/department-education-announces-actions-fix-longstanding-failures-student-loan-programs 

One-time Forgiveness Count Adjustment  https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/idr-account-adjustment

Federal Student Loan Servicers: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/servicers

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF): https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service

Stay up to date with VIN Foundation updates: https://vinfoundation.org/updates/

Email VIN Foundation: [email protected]

Get updates to stay tuned for the VIN Foundation webinars on student debt. 

You may learn more about the VIN Foundation, on the website, or join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

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