Mint is fresh, intelligent online money management. Not only is Mint free, it saves you money. While existing personal finance software packages require hours to set up, a passion for accounting (is that possible?) and hours of weekly maintenance, Mint is virtually effortless.

With Mint, you can achieve better online financial management in less than five minutes. After that, revolutionary, patent–pending Mint money management software does the rest, with virtually no more work required. It automatically pulls together your bank, credit union and credit card data, and provides up–to–date and amazingly accurate views of your financial—life from the big picture to specific details, in a friendly and intuitive way.

Mint seems to be simple and secure and will make organizing all my finances that much easier and more cozy. Being able to jump in and really see what you are facing is sure helpful.

A big part of going to grad school is the funding, and many students turn to student loans. The Project on Student Debt is an organization that offers advice on loans to student borrowers. The site includes a list of schools that have made pledges towards giving students an opportunity to apply for financial aid, so they will not have to rely on loans. It also explains student loan initiatives and policies that have been/could be passed in Congress, and a section where you can tell your own story about having debt because of your education. Definitely worth checking out if you are looking into financing your grad degree.

This is bad news for future borrowers of both private and federal student loans. Because of the poor demand of the securities, loan issuance could go down by next month. Even students with good credit could have trouble getting funds. Read the rest of the article here.

Source: CNNMoney.com

Unbeknownst to me, Upromise is now also open to students who have a Sallie Mae student loan. You earn cash back on the site, and the money is then transferred to your student loan account quarterly. If you don’t have a Sallie Mae serviced loan, they will send you a check once you have earned enough money. I’ve only earned $6.11 so far, but I can’t refuse free money to help me pay off my debt!

Think about it–getting a higher education costs major money, but it can also lead to a higher salary. According to the US Census, people with master’s degrees make 2.6 times as much as people with high school diplomas. But is the salary you would be able to get with a master’s degree high enough to justify the tuition spent on a graduate school education?

Someone with a bachelor’s degree in Computers on average makes $60,600. If that same person had a master’s degree his earnings could go up to $72,600. That is a difference of $12,000 a year. If your graduate school education cost $50,000, how long would it take you to recoup your investment? Just a little over 4 years, which is actually not bad.

For occupations where the earning potential is higher, such as lawyers and physicians, the pay off for an investment in a higher education pays off even more quickly (even though the cost of medical school can be much higher than your average graduate program). In general, the higher the salary is for the occupation you’re interested in the better investment a graduate degree is.

For fields where the pay is lower, such as teaching and social work, the jump in salary is much smaller, so it would take longer to recoup your educational investment. For some jobs having a master’s degree does not add much marketplace value, and folks with bachelor’s degrees make pretty much the same as those who got their masters. To top it off, those who went straight into the workforce after college have more years where they’re earning money.

Going to grad school can be a great investment in your future, but don’t assume that getting a master’s degree will automatically make you a more sought after job applicant or earn you more money. Do your research first. Basically the questions you want to ask to help you decide if going to grad school is the right path for you are:

Do I really need a master’s degree to do the job you want to do?

Would my degree pay for itself within the next 10 years?

Source: SmartMoney
Photo: via

MyRichUncle provides student loans and approaches the student loan industry from a different angle. They believe students are credit-worthy. Thank God!

Creditworthy borrowers have a history of borrowing responsibly and paying off debt in a timely manner. Your creditworthiness is typically determined by your credit history.
borrowers. We believe student loan debt should be taken seriously by borrowers and lenders alike. Students need to pay attention because their decisions matter now. MyRichUncle offers changes in the student loan industry that work better for parents, schools and most importantly, students.

MyRichUncle pays close attention to the obstacles students face. People seem to forget all about these things. This company has really helped and allowed me to apply once and let them do all the footwork for the loan application process. It’s not a given. MyrichUncle chooses its investments wisely. So I’m taking a wait and see approach to this whole process and will let you know.

If I quality MRU will give me the money I need to pay for Grad School, and in return I will pay my loan back based on future income. Rates for graduate students start at 0.1% per $1,000, for up to 10 years, with a maximum rate of 0.4% per $1,000, depending on such things as my major, my employer, and my academic performance. Amazing. Wish me luck.

Duke, Williams, Princeton, Davidson, Amherst, Colby, and Wellesley have decided to phase out loans in favor of grants for certain groups of students. And in its never-ending game of catch up, Yale’s president promises his own “major announcement” in January regarding financial aid overhaul. Better late than never.

The Ivy League Tuition Arms race means maybe we can keep the cost of education down for low and middle class families and instead of having to increase debt we increase opportunities for people who really do need it. Yale’s changes will surely result in increased applications and possibly expansion, but who knows time will only tell if the prime Ivy League Schools can continue growth or if more people will continue turning to cheaper alternative forms of education like MBA’s Online.