BA Q&A: Should I Pause Student Loan Payments During Grad School?

In this week’s  BA Q&A, Mandi answers a listener question about student loan deferment, Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), emergency savings, and navigating major life transitions without blowing up your financial stability. Sydney, a 34-year-old nurse, is three years away from qualifying for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). While pursuing her master’s degree, her loans are currently in in-school deferment. She’s also planning to sell her home, purchase a new one closer to work, and manage a $600 monthly car payment. Her big question:Should she continue making $500 student loan payments during deferment — or pause and focus on building savings?   What You’ll Learn in This Episode: How Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) actually works Whether payments made during in-school deferment count toward PSLF How to prioritize between student loans, emergency savings, and a car loan Why a 3-month emergency fund may not be enough in today’s economy How to prepare financially for buying and selling a home What to do if you’re worried about changes to federal student loan forgiveness Stay Connected  - Email your questions: [email protected] Send a voice note or DM on IG: @brownambitionpodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.