Money Talk: Is graduate school worth borrowing for?
Dear Liz: As a student I was not aware of finances as much as I should have been and borrowed too much. I have about $60,000 in student loan debt plus an $11,000 car loan. I am contemplating going back to school because the job I really want — to be a counselor — requires that I have a master’s degree. My friends say I’d be crazy to go into that field because the pay isn’t that high and I would most likely incur more debt. I am hoping to get scholarships and grants or pay out of pocket as I go. I currently pay all my bills and am really tight with spending. I want to take this leap without destroying my financial future. Any advice?
Answer: In general, you shouldn’t borrow more for an occupation than you expect to make the first year out of school. If you check the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, which tracks pay for various occupations, you’ll see that the median wage for counselors depends on their specialty (vocational counselors get paid more than rehab counselors, for example), but the median wage tends to be in the $30,000-to-$50,000 range. Expect your starting salary to be somewhat lower.
That doesn’t mean you can’t go back to school, but you probably shouldn’t take on more debt to do so. You can apply for financial aid but expect stiff competition for grants and scholarships — most aid comes in the form of loans. Your best bet may be to attend a public college, perhaps at night so you can keep your day job. For more on attending college without loans, read Zac Bissonnette’s “Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships or Mooching Off My Parents.”
• Free credit scores usually aren’t free
Dear Liz: How can we obtain our credit score without paying, especially on websites? We have asked at our bank, but they say they cannot give it to us. Is that true?
Answer: Some websites advertise free credit scores, but they typically require you to sign up for other services, such as credit monitoring, which definitely aren’t free, or they offer credit scores that typically aren’t used by lenders.
If you want to see the credit scores that most lenders use, called FICO scores, you can buy them for $15.95 each at MyFico.com.
Your bank is not required to provide you with free scores. You are allowed one free annual look at your credit reports — the site to use is https://www.annualcreditreport.com — but free scores aren’t part of the law. In the future, you will have free access to a credit score if it’s used against you in a lending, insurance or employment decision, but that part of the financial reform law has yet to go into effect.
Elderly debtor has a few options
Dear Liz: I felt really bad for the 74-year-old woman whose adult children discovered she had $41,000 in credit card debt. Is bankruptcy really her best option? Maybe she’s “judgment proof” because of her lack of assets. Bankruptcy is expensive to file. If her creditors can’t sue her, she might be better off just not paying.
Answer: She may well be judgment proof, which means she doesn’t have income or assets that can be seized by creditors. Social Security income is exempt from creditors’ claims, for example, and other property (personal belongings, clothing, furnishings) is typically exempt by state law.
Her being judgment proof wouldn’t necessarily stop creditors from suing but would prevent them from doing anything, at least initially, with the judgments they win against her. If her circumstances improve dramatically — if she inherits money or wins the lottery, for example — the creditors could use their judgments to collect.
Some people who are judgment proof file for bankruptcy anyway to stop collector harassment and legally wipe out their debt. Others opt to simply do nothing. The best course depends on her situation, and she’d be smart to consult with a bankruptcy attorney about her options.
Liz Pulliam Weston is the author of the book “Your Credit Score: Your Money and What’s at Stake.” Questions for possible inclusion in her column may be sent to 3940 Laurel Canyon, No. 238, Studio City, CA 91604, or via the “Contact Liz” form at asklizweston.com. Distributed by No More Red Inc.
