SoFi Blog

You’ve likely heard a lot of buzz about how the gig economy is disrupting the job market in the US. Perhaps you’re ready to join the legions of Americans working at home in their PJs or starting a little side hustle to earn extra cash. Here’s a look at what the gig economy is and tips for staying financially successful if you join it.

In our efforts to bring you the latest updates on things that might impact your financial life, we may occasionally enter the political fray, covering candidates, bills, laws and more. Please note: SoFi does not endorse or take official positions on any candidates and the bills they may be sponsoring or proposing. We may occasionally support legislation that we believe would be beneficial to our members, and will make sure to call it out when we do. Our reporting otherwise is for informational purposes only, and shouldn’t be construed as an endorsement.

Student loan forgiveness has become (finally!) a hot topic in our national conversation, but it looks like the complex system that services these loans to begin with is in very sad shape. (Yep, another broken cog in the bureaucracy wheel.)

In fact, the shape is so sad that it’s actually violating federal law and even the Constitution. It’s looking like before any progress can be made on student loan forgiveness, the system has to first be straightened out so it can fly right.

Hopefully, this fix can be hammered out with the help of our justice system. On July 11, 2019, the American Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit in federal court asking the U.S. Department of Education to fix the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program in order to meet legal standards.

A second request was included: have the department create an appeals process for those who feel they were treated unjustly.

Your child’s transition to college can be a time of great excitement. From the moment that he or she begins to apply to colleges, new horizons are opening up. Next come the acceptance letters, and then there’s choosing the right college for your child’s goals, moving him or her to college housing, and so forth.

Your child will likely make new friends, perhaps join clubs or other organizations, discover new interests, and so much more. But, what happens when you discover that your child’s grades are slipping?

How to deal with bad grades, of course, depends upon numerous factors, including how your child performed academically in high school, your child’s personality, reasons why grades are falling, and much more.

Fortunately, no matter why the grades are slipping (reasons may be immediately clear or they may take some investigating), this post will share helpful tips and strategies about what to do when your child gets bad grades in college.

Remember back on December 31, when you vowed this would be your year to get financially fit? How’s that working out for you, now that it’s mid-year?

If you’re like many Americans, it might not be going so great. Turns out, many folks forget or give up on their New Year’s resolutions by January 17 —and by spring, those good intentions are a tiny speck in the rearview mirror of life.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t get back on track. Financial resolutions are among the most popular each new year because we really do want to feel more secure about the future. The problem is, we tend to go too broad.

We say we’ll “save money” or “get rid of debt” or “stop spending so much.” But according to fans of the goal-setting acronym SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound), those resolutions aren’t the most effective.

So let’s talk specifics. Here are six tips that can help you do a reset and give your old financial resolutions new meaning.

No one plans to get divorced or separated. It’s not what a couple hopes for when they say their vows. And it’s definitely not what they envision when opening joint bank accounts, purchasing a car, getting a dog, or buying a house together.

But if a pair does end up divorcing, figuring out what will happen to joint assets like these can be confusing and painful—at a time that’s already an emotional rollercoaster.

Taking out a mortgage is the single biggest financial commitment that most married couples make. Collectively, Americans owe $9.1 trillion on their mortgages, which make up by far the largest share of consumer debt.