When you're working toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness, it can be hard watching your qualifying payments slowly rack up, bit by bit. It can feel like you'll never be free of your student loans, taking all your patience to tell yourself that it will pay off. For those who don't yet know, I'm a gardener, and it's taught me a lot about patience. I want my garden to thrive, burst with color, but it doesn't happen overnight. Sometimes I need to remind myself that just a tiny bit of progress is still progress, and it may take years before plants reach their mature, most vibrant selves. There's a saying that some gardeners use: "The first year your plants sleep. The second year, they creep. The third, they leap."
So how does one cultivate this kind of patient approach to PSLF and their student loans? It starts with preparation. The best thing you can do for your garden is to prepare the soil before you plant it. Sunlight, water, nutrients, drainage--all of these things are crucial to a plant's growth, and all are most difficult to address after your plant is in the ground. With your student loans, some things can be changed later--like your payment plan (depending on the circumstances)--but it's easiest to stay on track if you start on track. Doing things like getting on an IDR plan, making sure your servicer has the right contact info, and setting up auto-debit in the beginning can allow you to have confidence that things are progressing like they should be without having to sweat about your loans each month. That way, when you come back to check in on your loans for something like your annual income recertification, you can see how your QPs have leapt forward without you having to worry about them!
Give us a call to make sure that you have all the basics covered. We'll make sure you're on track from the very start so you can put your feet up and watch your progress with confidence!
