Student Debt

New figure raises worries that millions of them may never repay more than $200 billion owed.

$1.017m for Pros

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sigmafs

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$1.017m in federal student loan debt @ 7.125% for recent Pros grad. Met with him to discuss repayment strategies. Private school undergrad, 2 Masters, DMD, and Pros residency = $1.017m. His annual income ~ $120k in a HCOL. Recommended REPAYE so debt service manageable and to mitigate increase accrual (which is approximately $$62k/year at $120k AGI, but REPAYE offers a 50% interest subsidy). Top honors for most debt by an individual.

As for a couple, a pediatric dentist and dental anesthesiologist - just north of $1.3m total.

And the bar will only continue to get higher...

Sergio Estavillo, EA

Sigma Financial Solutions, Inc

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Is your debt for college and dental school worth what it costs you

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ScamperSqueaks

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I enjoy dentistry. I don't enjoy about 50% of the patients I see, I don't enjoy my $450K+ loans. Graduated in 2015, wouldn't do it again. If I didn't have any debt or even just $100K of debt my answer would be very different.

Yeah I don't even make $6,000 in a month! Let alone enough to have extra after an 8-10K payment. I can only afford about $4600 a month to all my loans, undergrad and DS and my husband's income pays for all the bills except my disability and my gas.

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Is your debt for college and dental school worth what it costs you

jbrann15

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Quote: (DrWheels)

I've been out about a year from dental school and I have $400,000+ in student loans. It may sound naive, but I consider myself blessed. Even if I pay 8-10k back every month for student loans I still live pretty well and have extra spending money if I want to go on a vacation or buy something expensive.

Maybe we lose site of how hard it is to make a 6 figure income. I know a lot of people that are engineers, businessmen, or other respectable professions that work just as hard as we do and may not even be cracking 100k/year. My point? Even with my hefty student loan payments I still make really good money and have a future with a lot of potential for growth.

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I am just about 1 year out and have just under $400,000 in student debt and I'm struggling just making the IBR payments at about $2,500. (Struggling is probably not the right word, but I definitely don't have extra money to go on vacations and buy expensive things). Are you a specialist?

Is your debt for college and dental school worth what it costs you

Cap'n Willard

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I got out with $110K and after 14yrs out I am down to $63K. I was unable to service the debt aggressively for the last 8yrs because I did a scratch start up in a rural area and it never took off to the point where I could aggressively chip away at student loan debt, practice debt, and pay myself well.

Long story short: closed the practice in Jan '17 and went to work for an FQHC. GA has a rural physicians/dentist loan repayment if we go to work in a qualifying facility in qualifying underserved area. The repayment guarantees $25K/yr. It's a commitment but it's worth it given the situation I just got out of.

I prefer private practice to an FQHC, but this is good for now.

As for the comment above regarding having north of $400K in debt, aggressively servicing it, and STILL enjoy vacations, etc.; you must live in a parallel universe. I associated in all types of scenarios for five years before I owned and I never saw an associateship where I could make enough to service that level of debt and enjoy vacations, etc. Why own if you can bring down that kind of bank?!?

If I own again, it will be after my remaining student debt is discharged, I will fly way below the radar on practice debt, and avoid banks like the plague.

Debt is toxic.

Is your debt for college and dental school worth what it costs you

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DrWheels

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I've been out about a year from dental school and I have $400,000+ in student loans. It may sound naive, but I consider myself blessed. Even if I pay 8-10k back every month for student loans I still live pretty well and have extra spending money if I want to go on a vacation or buy something expensive.

Maybe we lose site of how hard it is to make a 6 figure income. I know a lot of people that are engineers, businessmen, or other respectable professions that work just as hard as we do and may not even be cracking 100k/year. My point? Even with my hefty student loan payments I still make really good money and have a future with a lot of potential for growth.

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Is your debt for college and dental school worth what it costs you

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6eteeth

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I left school with $420k in debt. Three years out I am at $450k because of interest and have a practice loan of $240k. Right now I am working so hard on my practice I am not worrying about my student loan. Just the way it goes I guess

Is your debt for college and dental school worth what it costs you

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akmalhot

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I just met 2 nyu 2014 students: 510K / 590K debt remaining. Insane. They should redo this poll with an option being - my debt was less than XXXXX - I imagine a lot of the older guys on this board had much much smaller debt loads

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Is your debt for college and dental school worth what it costs you

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pietrodds

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It's a sad state of affairs when students only out if they don't have a rich daddy or mommy is to sell their soul to the military industrial complex. If I had to do it over again, I would either join the war machine or not go to school at all. I am 13 years out and still owe 70K, had 150K originally. No way I would take out 500K in debt at 7% interest... the days of just follow your heart are dead when you have a higher educational system that is a total racket as it is today.

Quote: (Cavity Killer)

Sold my soul to Uncle Sam for 4 years to be debt free...

Would you let your kids go to dental school with future insane tuitions?

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JerryReed2015

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Most of my fellow graduates, if they decided to do standard repayment (10 year) their money note on their student debt would be nearly $5,500 per month.

$5,500!!!!! That's insane!!!!

The hygienist I work with has student loans of $1,000 per month.

Ohhhh... And as of July 2016, anyone under IBR trying to buy a house will no longer be approved using their IBR payment schedule and will need to use the standard repayment option OR 1% of their total loan as montly payment to qualify. The govt is cracking down and is forcing people to put on their student loans.

So every new grads/ few years out trying to buy a home with 200k + paying salaries are going to have a tough time buying a home costing more than 250k...

Housing prices will drop as a result of this. I started a post a little while back about the new housing bubble. There will be a housing and student loan bubble.

Good luck 2017 and the next prez. Hold on, it's going to be a bumpy ride!

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