Figuring out how to pay for grad school is about to get a lot trickier—and the fate of student loan forgiveness hangs in the balance. We break down what the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act means for new grads, why programs like PSLF and SAVE are under the microscope, and how upcoming changes will shift federal loan limits and forgiveness options. We tackle real listener questions on recertifying your income during a dental residency, PSLF processing times, loan capitalization, and married filing strategies.

Key moments:

(02:29) The new rules after July 2026: federal loan limits and the RAP plan for grad/professional students

(03:32) Whether you can avoid in-school deferment to earn IDR credit during residency

(06:14) How recertifying income before forgiveness can impact your spouse's payment under IDR

(07:41) Why PSLF buyback is moving at a glacial pace, but traditional PSLF is still processing

(13:12) Who will still benefit from forgiveness after the OBBB Act

Resource mentioned:
studentloanplanner.com/voicemail – submit questions to the show

Like the show? There are several ways you can help!

• Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music
• Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community

Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans?

• Try our free student loan calculator
• Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated
• Book your custom student loan plan
• Get profession-specific financial planning

Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at help@studentloanplanner.com and we might feature it in an upcoming show!

If you've been coasting since COVID without recertifying your income-driven repayment plan, that grace period is officially over. We break down what recertification actually looks like right now and talk about recalculation, payment caps, the kinds of forbearances that help (or hurt) your progress toward forgiveness, and a weird glitch flagging people as Parent PLUS borrowers when they're not. You'll learn where to find your recert date, what to do when your loan servicer fumbles your file, and how to avoid common mistakes in a system that seems designed to trip you up, all while staying on track for PSLF or long-term forgiveness.

Key moments:

(04:02) Servicers pulling income 4 months before recertification dates — and sometimes applying new payments early

(06:49) How to choose whether to recalculate, switch plans, or manually recertify in the IDR recertification portal

(14:59) 626,000 pending IDR applications, and what to do if yours has been sitting for months

(21:01) Payment caps and why denial letters aren't always bad

(24:19) The Parent PLUS glitch making recertification impossible for some, and how to fix it

Resources mentioned:

StudentAid.gov for up-to-date recertification information and account access

Like the show? There are several ways you can help!

• Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music
• Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community

Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans?

• Try our free student loan calculator
• Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated
• Book your custom student loan plan
• Get profession-specific financial planning

Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at help@studentloanplanner.com and we might feature it in an upcoming show!

The One Big Beautiful Bill didn't kill PSLF outright, but once you run the numbers on the new borrowing limits and the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), the financial incentive for Public Service Loan Forgiveness essentially evaporates for future borrowers. I walk through exactly how this plays out for physicians, PAs, NPs, teachers, lawyers, and other professions — and why existing borrowers are grandfathered in but should still pay attention.

I also break down what the new math means for private universities, which degrees still pencil out financially, and a critical deadline for Parent PLUS borrowers that could affect your ability to retire.

Key moments:

(03:57) How the new $50K/year loan cap makes PSLF nearly worthless for physicians entering med school this fall

(07:51) Second-year students are grandfathered in and can borrow Grad PLUS to finish their program

(09:18) How lower borrowing limits gut PSLF for NPs, PAs, teachers, and lawyers

(16:09) The Parent PLUS consolidation deadline before July 2026, and why waiting too long could make income-based repayment permanently inaccessible

Like the show? There are several ways you can help!

• Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music
• Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community

Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans?

• Try our free student loan calculator
• Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated
• Book your custom student loan plan
• Get profession-specific financial planning

Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at help@studentloanplanner.com and we might feature it in an upcoming show!