Student Loans Got You Stressed? Here’s How to Navigate the Chaos [BA QA]

Brown Ambition

iHeartPodcasts

Careers, Education, Self-improvement, Investing, Business

4.9 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 23 May 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Student loan repayments are officially back, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or just plain confused, you’re not alone. This week on Brown Ambition, we’re diving deep into the chaos with two of our favorite money minds: Yanely Espinal, author of Mind Your Money, and Chris Browning from Popcorn Finance.

We break down what’s really going on inside the federal student loan system from glitchy portals to a laundry list of repayment plans and why so many borrowers are left in the dark.

Here’s what we’re unpacking:

-🔍 How to spot and avoid shady loan forgiveness scams

- 💸 What income-driven repayment plans actually mean for your wallet

- 🧩 Why the student loan simulator on studentaid.gov should be your new best friend

- 🧾 The IRS confusion that’s messing with people’s payment plans

- 💬 The power of community when you’re navigating money decisions solo

Whether you're just restarting payments or knee-deep in the forgiveness process, this episode is packed with tips, real talk, and the support you need to take back control of your student loans.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	There's 70-11 different repayment plans. So the opportunity for bad actors to call you on your phone and be like, oh, have you applied for the federal student loan forgiveness program? Those types of scams can proliferate.
0:13.9	Then no one's making sure that loan servicers are giving borrowers the right information. So they're not getting scammed.
0:20.2	Yeah, it is. It's like when you don't
0:21.3	have a trusted source to go to and even if people working there are confused, so what's going on,
0:25.4	like what are you supposed to do? You got people who go to a school to be a teacher and they got
0:29.6	$120,000 student loan debt because they, you know, they were just told college, college, college,
0:34.9	you know, go to a good college, go and get your graduate degree.
0:47.9	There was never a framework for them to understand, like, realistically, there's a certain amount of money that at that point, it's just, it's a hard no because financially you're putting yourself in the red.
1:11.6	Hey, BA fam. Welcome to the Friday BAQA where we take your questions and try to give you some answers. Now, just keep in mind, because I am not your financial coach, your dedicated advisor, I am just your financial bestie on these here internet streets. Don't sue me.
1:12.7	That would be nice.
1:15.1	Take everything in this episode with a grain of salt.
1:18.3	I want y'all to start thinking about some of the ideas that I share on the show.
1:27.1	But at the end of the day, you really want to seek out professionals who have a holistic picture of your finances before you make some big financial choices. You're listening to an IHeart podcast.
1:32.4	Run a business and not thinking about podcasting.
1:35.1	Think again.
1:35.8	More Americans listen to podcasts than add supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora.
1:39.9	And as the number one podcaster, IHearts twice as large as the next two combined.
1:44.0	Learn how podcasting can help your business.
1:45.9	Call 844-844-I-Hart.
1:48.6	In a world of economic uncertainty and workplace transformation,
1:52.7	learn to lead by example from visionary C-suite executives like Shannon Schuyler of PWC
1:58.3	and Will Pearson of IHeart Media.
	...

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