By Hermond Palmer, NFCC Published: June 24, 2026 (Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August 2020.) Main Facts The threat of missing a mortgage payment can trigger immediate anxiety for homeowners, casting a long shadow of uncertainty over their financial stability. For millions of Americans, homeownership represents the cornerstone of personal wealth, generational…
SAN FRANCISCO — August 19, 2026 — As California accelerates its transition toward a carbon-neutral future, a new battlefront has emerged in the fight for consumer protection. A scathing issue brief released this week by the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) and the National Housing Law Project (NHLP) has cast a spotlight on "tariffed on-bill…
By Travis Hornsby, CFA®, CFP® Founder and CEO, Student Loan Planner Main Facts: What Borrowers Need to Know About the Repayment Assistance Plan The official application window for the newly introduced Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) is officially open, allowing federal student loan borrowers to submit their applications online. Designed to reshape how millions of Americans…
By Sarah Brady, National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) Updated: June 25, 2026 Landing a new job offer is typically a moment of celebration. Whether it represents a long-awaited career pivot, a step up to a prestigious executive title, or an exciting chance to experience life in a vibrant new city, state, or even another…
Main Facts The U.S. Department of Education has officially updated its online regulatory guidance to reflect sweeping legislative and systemic changes to federal student loan programs that went into effect on July 1, 2026. While these transformations impact millions of borrowers across diverse demographics, they hit Parent PLUS Loan borrowers hardest. Parent PLUS Loans are…
Author: Bruce McClary, National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) Published: July 3, 2026 (Originally published January 2023) Main Facts In an era defined by persistent economic shifts, rising costs of living, and complex personal finance ecosystems, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) has re-released and updated its comprehensive digital budgeting resource. Authored by veteran…
WASHINGTON — For millions of American professionals, checking off the employer-provided long-term disability (LTD) insurance box feels like checking off a critical financial safety measure. Listed neatly in human resources portals alongside medical and dental coverage, these policies promise peace of mind: if an illness or injury prevents you from working, your paycheck will keep…
Author: Sarah Brady, National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) Updated: July 10, 2026 Introduction and Main Facts For millions of Americans holding federal student loan debt, the landscape of higher education financing has felt like a moving target over the past several years. A flurry of policy shifts, court battles, administrative overhauls, and shifting eligibility…
Main Facts Borrowers depending on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program face an increasingly hostile regulatory and administrative environment. Created by Congress in 2007 under federal statute, PSLF allows public servants—such as teachers, nurses, government workers, and nonprofit employees—to have their remaining federal student loan balances forgiven after completing 10 years of full-time employment…
Author: Barry Coleman, National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) Published: July 17, 2026 (Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2022 and has been comprehensively updated to reflect the evolving student loan landscape in 2026.) Main Facts Millions of borrowers across the United States continue to wrestle with the complexities of student loan…
