April is Financial Capability Month — a perfect opportunity for financial professionals to help their clients strengthen their financial foundations. As financial professionals and advocates, it's crucial that you not only manage portfolios but also guide your clients toward smarter everyday financial decisions.
Topics: Financial Advisors, Financial Advising, Independent Financial Advisor, Business Building, Client Relationships, Financial advisor, Long Term Planning, Vanderbilt Financial Group, Financial Literacy, College Debt, Investment, Investment Behavior, Financial Fraud, Managing Debt, saving, saving money, financial stress, mental health, Advisor Tools, Client Tips
Federal Student Loan Debt is a major issue that affects 43 million adult Americans. Many of them, like borrower Nicole Nelson, a native of Illinois, sought the advice of her loan servicer, Great Lakes Educational Loan Services. In a recent article by MarketWatch, the company allegedly deceived her by steering her towards repayment plans that benefit them, not her.
On June 2019, the federal appellate court unanimously decided that a loan servicer could not allegedly and deliberately misrepresent repayment options and use federal laws to shield the servicer from state rules barring deceptive business practices. The case highlights how the Education Department rarely holds servicers accountable. Due to these weak state consumer-protection laws in student-loan litigation, clients might end up with costly repayment options.
Topics: Financial Advising, College Debt, Student Loan, Back to School