What is the best student loan?
I got an email this weekend from a dad who was hoping to get the answer to that question. His son needed to borrow for the last year of college.
That was an easy question to answer. The best education loan available is the federal Stafford loan. There are two types of Stafford loans: subsidized and unsubsidized. You can find out more about Stafford loans and why you should use federal student loans in a recent college blog post of mine: 4 Things You Need to Know About Federal Student Loans
Because we are about to embark on the college loan season for families with college students, I’m providing you links to recent posts I wrote about college loans. Unfortunately, many parents make poor choices when borrowing for college. For instance, lots of families turn to private student loans before they have exhausted their federal loan options.
Read the following education loan posts and you’re more likely to cut your college costs:
4 Big Changes in College Loans Start Today
Federal Student Loans: When Do I Apply
Best College Loan Advice: 9 Tips for Borrowing for College
Private Student Loans: 6 Tips To Picking the Right Loan
5 Things You Need to Know About Private Loans
How Much College Loan Debt is Too Much?
College Loans When Parents Need to Borrow
Lynn O’Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution and a new eBook, Shrinking the Cost of College. She also blogs for CBSMoneyWatch and US News. Follow her on Twitter.