How to Start a Cryptocurrency: Can Anyone Create a New Coin?

How to Start a Cryptocurrency: Can Anyone Create a New Coin?

Despite ongoing crypto volatility, there’s nothing to stop people from launching new crypto projects. In fact, anyone could start a cryptocurrency, but not everyone has the knowledge or resources necessary to take on the task.

Even after someone manages to create a new type of crypto, one that offers new features or aims to solve existing problems, there is still work to do in terms of promotion, listing on exchanges, never mind ongoing maintenance and upgrades.

Understanding Coins vs Tokens

Before getting started, however, it’s important to know the difference between a token and a coin. Both fall under the blanket term of “cryptocurrency,” but while a coin like Bitcoin or Litecoin exists on its own blockchain, a token like Basic Attention Token, functions within an established blockchain technology infrastructure like Ethereum. Tokens also do not have uses or value outside of a specific community or organization.

Cryptocurrencies function like fiat currencies, without the centralized bank. Users typically hope to use their coins to store, build, or transfer wealth.

Meanwhile, tokens usually represent some kind of contract or have specific utility value for a blockchain application. Basic Attention Token for example, rewards content creators through the Brave browser. Tokens can also serve as a contract for or digital version of something, such as event tickets or loyalty points.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) represent a unique piece of digital property, like artwork. And DeFi tokens serve many different purposes in that space.

Recommended: What is Cryptocurrency? A Guide to Understanding Crypto

Ways to Create a Cryptocurrency

There are three primary ways to create a cryptocurrency, none of which is fast or easy. Here’s how each of them works:

Create a New Blockchain

Creating a new blockchain from scratch takes substantial coding skills and is, by far, the most difficult way to create a cryptocurrency. There are online courses that help walk you through the process, but they assume a certain level of knowledge. Even with the necessary skills, you might not walk away from these tutorials with everything you need to create a new blockchain.

Fork an Existing Blockchain

Forking an existing blockchain might be a lot quicker and less complicated than creating one from scratch. This would involve taking the open source code found on GitHub, altering it, then launching a new chain with a different name and a new type of crypto. The developers of Litecoin, for example, created it by forking from Bitcoin.

Developers have since forked several coins from Litecoin, including Garlicoin and Litecoin Cash. This process still requires the creator to understand how to modify the existing code.

Use an Existing Platform

The third and easiest option for those unfamiliar with coding is making a new cryptocurrency or token on an existing platform like Ethereum. Many new projects create tokens on the Ethereum network using the ERC-20 standard, for example.

If you’re not familiar with writing code, you might consider a creation service that does the technical work and then hands you a finished product.

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How to Make a Cryptocurrency: 7 Steps

After considering everything above, you can start taking the steps to build the cryptocurrency. Some of these steps will be less relevant when paying a third-party to create the new coin. Even then, anyone undertaking the task should be familiar with these aspects of how to create a cryptocurrency.

1. Decide on a Consensus Mechanism

A consensus mechanism is the protocol that determines whether or not the network will consider a particular transaction. All the nodes have to confirm a transaction for it to go through. This is also known as “achieving consensus.” You will need a mechanism to determine how the nodes will go about doing this.

The first consensus mechanism was Bitcoin’s proof-of-work. Proof-of-Stake is another popular consensus mechanism.  There are many others as well.

2. Choose a Blockchain

This goes back to the three methods mentioned earlier. A coin or token needs a place to live, and deciding in which blockchain environment the coin will exist is a crucial step. The choice will depend on your level of technical skill, your comfort level, and your project goals.

3. Create the Nodes

Nodes are the backbone of any distributed ledger technology (DLT), including blockchains. As a cryptocurrency creator, you must determine how your nodes will function. Do they want the blockchain to be permissioned or permission less? What would the hardware details look like? How will hosting work?

4. Build the Blockchain Architecture

Before launching the coin, developers should be 100% certain about all the functionality of the blockchain and the design of its nodes. Once the mainnet has launched, there’s no going back, and many things cannot be changed. That’s why it’s common practice to test things out on a testnet beforehand. This could include simple things like the cryptocurrency’s address format as well as more complex things like integrating the inter-blockchain communication (IBC) protocol to allow the blockchain to communicate with other blockchains.

5. Integrate APIs

Not all platforms provide application programming interfaces (APIs). Making sure that a newly created cryptocurrency has APIs could help make it stand out and increase adoption. There are also some third-party blockchain API providers who can help with this step.

6. Design the Interface

There’s little point in creating a cryptocurrency if people find it too difficult to use. The web servers and file transfer protocol (FTP) servers should be up-to-date and the programming on both the front and backends should be done with future developer updates in mind.

7. Make the Cryptocurrency Legal

Failing to consider this last step led to trouble for many who initiated or promoted ICOs back in 2017 and 2018. At that time, cryptocurrency was in a kind of legal grey area, and they may not have realized that creating or promoting new coins could result in fines or criminal charges depending on the circumstances.

Before launching a new coin, it a good idea to research the laws and regulations surrounding securities offerings and related topics. Given the complexity of the issues and their regular updates, you might consider hiring a lawyer with expertise in the area to help guide you through this step.

The Takeaway

This is only the beginning of what someone needs to know about how to create a cryptocurrency. In addition to the technical aspects, creators of a new coin or token will have to figure out how their cryptocurrency can provide value to others, how to persuade them to buy in, and how the network will be maintained. Doing so often involves many costs like hiring a development team, a marketing team, and other people who will help keep things going and perform needed upgrades.

Creating a cryptocurrency can take a lot of time and money, and there’s a high risk that it will not succeed. There are more than 5,000 different types of cryptocurrencies listed on public exchanges according to data from Coinmarketcap, and thousands more that have failed over the years.

Simply participating in cryptocurrency trading might be a better route for those who don’t have the time, money, or interest in creating their own. A great way to do that is by opening an investment account on the SoFi Invest brokerage platform, which makes it easy to trade crypto, stocks, and exchange-traded funds.

Trade crypto and get up to $100 in bitcoin! (Offer is available through 12/31/23; terms apply.)

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Crypto: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies aren’t endorsed or guaranteed by any government, are volatile, and involve a high degree of risk. Consumer protection and securities laws don’t regulate cryptocurrencies to the same degree as traditional brokerage and investment products. Research and knowledge are essential prerequisites before engaging with any cryptocurrency. US regulators, including FINRA , the SEC , and the CFPB , have issued public advisories concerning digital asset risk. Cryptocurrency purchases should not be made with funds drawn from financial products including student loans, personal loans, mortgage refinancing, savings, retirement funds or traditional investments. Limitations apply to trading certain crypto assets and may not be available to residents of all states.

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Closed School Loan Discharge Eligibility

Closed School Loan Discharge Eligibility

The Department of Education allows federal student loan borrowers to seek a student loan discharge in certain circumstances. One such scenario involves a discharge related to permanent school cancellation.

If your college or university closes while you’re enrolled you may be wondering if you still have to repay loans you took out to fund your education. Closed school loan discharge can relieve you of the financial responsibility of repaying federal student loans.

There are certain eligibility requirements you need to meet to qualify for a closed school discharge. Understanding the guidelines, along with other options for student loan discharge, can help with managing your student debt.

What Is School Cancellation Loan Discharge?

The Department of Education can discharge up to 100% of federal student loans through the closed school discharge program.

The types of loans eligible for school closure discharge include:

• Federal Direct Loan Program loans (including Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans, consolidation loans, Parent PLUS loans and graduate PLUS loans)

Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFEL) loans

Federal Perkins loans

School cancellation discharge of eligible loans is not the same as loan forgiveness. Federal loan forgiveness programs, including the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF) and Teacher Loan Forgiveness, have service and repayment requirements. With PSLF, you’re required to work in a public service job and make 120 qualifying payments toward your loans. Teacher Loan Forgiveness requires you to teach in a qualifying school for five consecutive years to be eligible for loan forgiveness.

A closed school loan discharge, on the other hand, imposes no requirements with regard to any minimum number of payments you need to make toward your loans or work service commitments. If you qualify, your obligation to make payments to your loans disappears.

Recommended: Types of Federal Student Loans

Who’s Eligible for Closed School Loan Discharge?

Borrowers may qualify for a school cancellation discharged if their school closed and they meet any of these conditions:

• They were enrolled at the time of the closure

• They were on an approved leave of absence when the closure occurred

• The closure occurred within 120 days of their withdrawal from the school and their loans were first disbursed before July 1, 2020

• The closure occurred within 180 days of their withdrawal from the school and the loans were first disbursed after July 1, 2020

Borrowers may not qualify for any discharge of student loans related to a school closure if:

• The student’s withdrawal happened outside the 120-day or 180-day windows allowed, based on the date of their first loan disbursement

• They are continuing education at another school

• They completed all coursework toward their degree before the school closed, even if they haven’t formally received a certificate or diploma

If any one of those things happens to be true then it’s possible a borrower won’t qualify for a closed school loan discharge.

How Does A Closed School Discharge Work?

If the school closes while a student is enrolled, they can apply for a federal student loan discharge. In general, students who meet the eligibility criteria will automatically receive an application from the Department of Education. The application is also available on their website.

Automatic Closed School Loan Discharge

School closure discharge is automatic if the school closed between November 1, 2013 and July 1, 2020 and the borrower hasn’t enrolled in another school within three years of the date of the closure. The Department of Education handles the closure for the borrower, there’s no need to complete the application. However, borrowers who would prefer to fill out the application, are able to do so.

Once your loans are discharged, the borrower is no longer responsible for paying anything toward them. But while an application for closed school discharge is under review it is important to continue making payments toward the loans as usual if they’re already in repayment. This can help avoid late payments.

Any discharged loans are removed from a borrower’s credit reports once the discharge is complete. That includes your entire payment history as well as negative items such as late payments.

Other Options for Discharging Student Loans

If you aren’t eligible to have your loans discharged because of school cancellation, there are some other scenarios that may allow it.

Disability Discharge

For example, you could apply for a discharge of your loans if you become totally and permanently disabled. The disability discharge option is available to eligible borrowers who owe:

• Federal Direct loans

• FFEL program loans

• Federal Perkins loans

It’s also open to TEACH Grant program recipients. In order to be eligible for a student loan disability discharge, you must be able to provide proof of your disability through a physician, the Social Security Administration, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. You’ll need to complete a separate application for this type of discharge and once approved, you’re subject to a three-year monitoring period to certify that you lack sufficient income to pay your loans.

Discharge in Death

Student loans can also be discharged due to the death of the borrower. That includes loans taken out by a student as well as Parent PLUS loans. In the case of Parent PLUS loans, discharge is an option if the parent who took out the loans passes away. To qualify for a death discharge of student loans, proof of death (i.e. a death certificate) must be submitted to the Department of Education.

In Rare Cases: Declaring Bankruptcy

Though it is rare, bankruptcy may be another option for discharging federal student loans, though it can be difficult to achieve. In order to have student loans discharged through bankruptcy, the borrower must be able to prove through an adversary proceeding that having to repay their loans would cause a sustained undue financial hardship for both themselves and their family.

Filing a bankruptcy case could result in all of the loans being discharged, some of them being discharged or none of them being discharged. Declaring bankruptcy adversely affects a person’s credit score and is generally a last resort. Always consult with a qualified and trusted financial advisor, accountant, or attorney before considering bankruptcy.

Other Options for Managing Student Loans

Federal student loan borrowers who are ineligible for other forms of discharge or student loan forgiveness may want to consider alternative options such as income-driven repayment options or student loan refinancing instead.

Income-driven repayment plans are offered to borrowers with federal student loans and consider a borrower’s discretionary income when determining their loan terms and payments. This can help make monthly payments more manageable but may make borrowing the loan more expensive over the life of the loan by extending the loan term.

Student loan refinancing may allow qualifying borrowers to secure a more competitive interest rate or loan terms. Though, keep in mind, refinancing any federal student loans will eliminate them from federal plans and protections, including income-driven repayment plans and closed school loan discharge.

Does School Closure Discharge Apply to Private Student Loans?

Federal closed school discharge applies to federal student loans only. Borrowers with private student loans wouldn’t be able to apply for a discharge through the Department of Education should their school close.

It may be possible to contact your private student loan servicer to see if any type of discharge option is available. Your lender may be able to offer a solution for handling private student loans if your school closed while you were enrolled and you have no plans to re-enroll elsewhere.

The Takeaway

Closed school loan discharge can help erase federal student loan debt, in the event a qualifying borrower’s school has closed. But if your school remains open or you have private student loans, you may need to consider other possibilities for keeping up with your payments.

Refinancing student loans could help borrowers secure a lower interest rate. Know that refinancing a federal student loan into a private loan eliminates it from federal student loan borrower protections, like income-driven repayment plans, deferment, and loan forgiveness options. So it may not be the best option for everyone.

If you’re considering student loan refinancing, take the time to look around for the best loan rates and repayment terms for you. SoFi, for example, offers competitive student loan refinancing rates with no hidden fees. Weighing student loan refinancing alongside other options can help make your loans more manageable.

Learn more about student loan refinancing with SoFi.

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SoFi Loan Products
SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC). For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. Equal Housing Lender.


SoFi Student Loan Refinance
SoFi Student Loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLS #696891. (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). SoFi Student Loan Refinance Loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers, or may become available, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Income-Based Repayment, Income-Contingent Repayment, PAYE or SAVE. Additional terms and conditions apply. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal.


Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.

External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

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Consequences for Late Student Loan Payments

If you fail to make a student loan payment by its due date, your loan becomes delinquent, and there are all sorts of consequences that can result, from late fees to having your loan sent to collections. These consequences will typically depend on how long your loan is delinquent and whether you have a federal student loan or a private loan.

If you miss a student loan payment, take action immediately so you can work to avoid these consequences.

Federal Student Loan Late Payment Penalties

If you fall behind on federal student loan payments, you can expect the following consequences:

Late Fees

Your loan becomes a delinquent payment the day after you miss a payment. During the first 30 days of your delinquency, your loan servicer may charge you a late fee penalty. Your loan servicer will determine when to charge you a penalty and how much to charge.

Damaged Credit

If your loan is delinquent for 90 days or more, your servicer will report the late payments to the three major national credit bureaus—Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax—which keep track of consumer credit scores.

A delinquent loan can potentially damage your credit score. A lower credit rating can make it more difficult to open a credit card, take out loans to buy a house or a car, and limit your ability to obtain other types of consumer credit.

A low credit rating means that lenders likely see you as a greater risk. As a result, borrowers with a less than stellar credit score may qualify for a high-interest rate or be subject to less favorable terms for lines of credit or loans than a borrower with a more competitive credit score.

Credit scores can impact other areas of life too. For example, someone with a low credit score may have trouble signing up for homeowner’s insurance options and utilities or even getting approved to rent an apartment.

Recommended: How Do Student Loans Affect Your Credit Score?

Default

If your loan is delinquent long enough, it can go into default. The timeline for this varies depending on the type of loan you have.

After 270 days of delinquency, loans made under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program or the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program go into default.

For loans made in the Federal Perkins Loan Program, a default may be declared more quickly such as soon as a payment is late.

Borrowers with a Perkins Loan, which stopped being made by the federal government in 2017, can contact the school that made the loan or the school’s loan servicer to learn more about repayment requirements.

Once a federal loan goes into default, it can trigger the following consequences, among others:

•   The entire loan balance becomes due immediately, including any interest that you owe. This is a process known as acceleration.
•   Deferment or student loan forbearance, which allow borrowers to temporarily suspend loan payments, are no longer options. Borrowers may also lose the ability to choose a repayment plan.
•   You lose eligibility for additional federal student aid, so you won’t be able to take out federal student loans in the future should you decide to go back to school.
•   Your transcript is the property of the school you attend, and your school is allowed to withhold it until you are out of default.
•   Your tax refunds may be withheld to repay your defaulted loans. This process is known as a Treasury offset. The government will send a notice of intent to your last known address before these offsets begin, and they will continue until your loan is repaid or the default status of your loan changes.
•   Your employer may be forced to garnish your wages. This means that they will withhold up to 15% of your paycheck and send it to your loan holder to repay your loan. The government will send a notice that explains the intent to garnish your wages in the next 30 days. At this point you may have a chance to enter into a voluntary repayment agreement.
•   You may be taken to court by your loan holder, and you may be liable for court costs, collection fees, attorney fees, and other costs.
•   You are liable for the cost of collecting your defaulted loans. Your default loan may be placed with a private collections agency, which may charge 17.2% of your outstanding balance, including interest and fees. Before your loan is sent to collections, the Department of Education will send you a notice explaining how to avoid this outcome and how to avoid having it reported to the credit bureaus. Having a defaulted loan turned over to a private collections agency can significantly increase the total cost of the loan. That’s because when you make a payment after your loan has been sent to collections, the 17.2% collections cost is taken out first and the remainder is put toward paying off your loan.

Recommended: Types of Federal Student Loans

Private Student Loan Late Payment Penalties

When you miss payments on private student loans, you may face similar consequences as when you miss federal payments. However, private lenders can choose the actions they pursue, and they may operate on completely different timelines.

For example, they may report late payments to credit bureaus or declare that a loan is in default faster than with federal loans.

Private lenders do not have the option of accessing your tax refund to pay back your defaulted loan. However, they can take you to court to gain the ability to garnish your wages.

Lenders may have different policies when it comes to late or missed payments on student loans so check with your lender directly if you have questions about a private student loan.

What To Do If You Miss A Payment

First things first: When you miss a payment, contact your lender immediately and let them know. This is your chance to clue them into any financial hardships that you might be experiencing. For example, if you missed a payment due to job loss or a medical emergency, there may be things your lender can do to help.

If paying off your loans looks like it will be difficult for the foreseeable future, consider deferment or forbearance. Federal student loan deferment is a program offered by the government that allows you to pause student loan payments for up to three years.

The deferment can give you time to put your finances back in order so you can start making regular payments again. Those with direct subsidized loans won’t usually be responsible for paying the interest that accrues over the deferment period. On the other hand, those with unsubsidized loans, are on the hook for those interest payments.

Forbearance can allow you to stop making payments for specific periods. This program can help you if you’re facing short-term emergencies. Unfortunately, interest continues to accrue on your loans, adding to your total cost over time.

Private lenders may or may not have an option that allows borrowers facing financial difficulties to pause their payments.

If you have a federal student loan in default, consider enrolling in a student loan rehabilitation program. To rehabilitate a defaulted Direct Loan or FFEL Program Loan you’ll enter into an agreement with your loan holder under which you’ll make nine affordable monthly payments, each within 20 days of its due date. And you’ll need to make all nine payments during a 10-month consecutive period.

To rehabilitate a Perkins loan, you’ll have to make full monthly payments each month (within 20 days of the due date) for nine consecutive months. Your loan holder will determine the monthly amount you’ll pay.

The Takeaway

Late student loan payments can have consequences for borrowers. For many federal loans, after 90 days of missed payments, the late payments will be reported to the three major credit bureaus. This has the potential to negatively impact an individual’s credit score.

After 270 days of missed payments, a borrower’s loan will be placed in default where additional consequences can kick in. These consequences can include the full total of the loan being due immediately, wage garnishment, and more.

The consequences for late payments on private student loans may vary by lender but can include things like late fees and the loan being sent to a collections agency.

Taking Action

Missing a student loan payment can lead to some serious consequences, especially if you let it go for too long. Understanding the consequences and taking action immediately can help you avoid some of the most serious effects and keep you on track to eliminate your debt.

If the cost of a student loan has become too much, one option borrowers may consider is refinancing to a loan with better terms and a lower interest rate.

Note that refinancing is not the right option for everyone, and borrowers who have struggled to make payments on an existing loan or have a low credit score may not qualify for more competitive terms on a refinanced loan.

Refinancing a federal loan also results in the elimination of federal benefits, such as deferment or forbearance which may be useful tools for borrowers who are struggling to make on-time payments on an existing student loan.

Check out SoFi to learn more about the refinancing student loan options available.



SoFi Loan Products
SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC). For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. Equal Housing Lender.


External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

Disclaimer: Many factors affect your credit scores and the interest rates you may receive. SoFi is not a Credit Repair Organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. SoFi does not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit record, credit history, or credit rating. For details, see the FTC’s website .

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

SoFi Student Loan Refinance
SoFi Student Loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLS #696891. (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). SoFi Student Loan Refinance Loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers, or may become available, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Income-Based Repayment, Income-Contingent Repayment, PAYE or SAVE. Additional terms and conditions apply. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal.


IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO REFINANCE FEDERAL STUDENT LOANS, PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE WHITE HOUSE HAS ANNOUNCED UP TO $20,000 OF STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR PELL GRANT RECIPIENTS AND $10,000 FOR QUALIFYING BORROWERS WHOSE STUDENT LOANS ARE FEDERALLY HELD. ADDITIONALLY, THE FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN PAYMENT PAUSE AND INTEREST HOLIDAY HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO DEC. 31, 2022. PLEASE CAREFULLY CONSIDER THESE CHANGES BEFORE REFINANCING FEDERALLY HELD LOANS WITH SOFI, SINCE THE AMOUNT OR PORTION OF YOUR FEDERAL STUDENT DEBT THAT YOU REFINANCE WILL NO LONGER QUALIFY FOR THE FEDERAL LOAN PAYMENT SUSPENSION, INTEREST WAIVER, OR ANY OTHER CURRENT OR FUTURE BENEFITS APPLICABLE TO FEDERAL LOANS. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

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The Student Loan Discharge Process Explained

Being able to forget about a debt altogether—instead of having to pay it back—sounds like a dream come true. But waving goodbye to some types of debt doesn’t always require a Fairy Godmother. For those who qualify for a student loan discharge, it can be possible to make some or all student debt disappear.

Student debt forgiveness, cancellation, and student loan discharge all refer to programs that allow graduates to stop paying off their student loans and cancel out any remaining debt.

There are some slight differences between forgiveness, cancellation, and discharge, generally having to do with the reason for which the debt is discharged.

In each case though, the end result is the same: having a student loan forgiven, canceled, or discharged means no more loan payments and an outstanding balance of zero dollars.

Who Qualifies for Student Loan Discharge?

Student loan forgiveness programs are offered by the federal government for certain individuals working in some public service jobs, including some teaching positions.

With the average annual cost of tuition, fees, room, and board coming in at an average of $21,950 for individuals enrolled in in-state public institutions in 2019-2020, and $49,870 for those attending private schools, it’s unsurprising that many people have to borrow money to fund their education.

The Federal Reserve estimates that some 55% of people under 30 who attended college—and 31% of all adults—had to incur some debt to pay for their schooling, while in all, the total value of all student debt in the U.S. was worth a whopping $1.7-trillion dollars as of December 2020.

While many of these individuals will have to repay their student loans, some may qualify for student loan discharge and forgiveness programs.

Individuals may also apply for a federal student loan discharge under certain circumstances such as total and permanent disability, school closure, and, in some cases, bankruptcy.

Student loan discharge programs are intended for individuals with federal student loans. But the type of loan matters too. With the exception of Borrower Defense to Repayment, which is available for Direct Loans only, all of the below discharge programs are available for both Direct and FFEL Program loans.

Perkins Loans have their own forgiveness and discharge programs, though most of the below scenarios qualify. Note that the Perkins Loan program ended in 2017.

There are no blanket programs or rules about private student loan discharge. While some lenders will discharge a student loan in the event of disability or death, there are no regulations obligating them to do so.

Recommended: What Is the Student Loan Forgiveness Act?

Types of Federal Student Loan Discharge Programs

The federal government offers a number of programs for canceling or discharging student debt.

Forgiveness/cancellation programs are generally available to individuals who:

•   work in the public sector, for a government or not-for-profit organization
•   or for full-time teachers at low-income schools or educational services agencies, who have been employed there for five full consecutive years.

There are also a number of circumstances under which an individual may qualify to have their student loan discharged. Read on for more details on the different reasons federal student loans may be discharged.

Recommended: Types of Federal Student Loans

Closed School Discharge

Individuals may be eligible for a 100% discharge on some types of student loans if their school closes while they are still enrolled or soon after they withdraw. Students on an approved leave of absence at the time of school closure are still eligible.

There are some exceptions:
•   For loans disbursed prior to July 1, 2020, an individual may not have withdrawn from their program more than 120 days before the school closure (180 days prior to closure for loans disbursed after July 1, 2020)
•   The individual may not have completed the coursework for their program prior to the closure
Students cannot transfer to another school to complete the program or do so via other means

Total and Permanent Disability Discharge

In order to qualify for a total and permanent disability discharge, an individual must be able to provide documentation that they have become totally and permanently disabled. There are only three allowed sources that can provide the documentation required to qualify:
•   the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
•   the Social Security Administration
•   or a physician

Each of these sources carries unique requirements in order to verify eligibility.

Recommended: Student Loan Disability Discharge Eligibility

Discharge Due to Death

A federal student loan may be discharged with acceptable proof of death. Documentation such as a death certificate generally qualifies as acceptable proof of death.

Discharge in Bankruptcy

Though not automatic, it is possible to have a student loan discharged in the event of Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. This discharge requires a separate legal action, called an adversary proceeding, in which the court must agree that having to continue to repay the debt would impose an undue hardship on the individual.

In addition to discharges granted due to an individual’s personal circumstances, there are also some scenarios where the school’s actions may confer eligibility. These include:
•   Borrower Defense to Repayment: if the school engaged in certain types of misconduct based on certain state laws
•   False Certification Discharge: if an individual’s school falsely certifies their ability to receive a loan
•   Unpaid refund discharge: if an individual withdraws but the school does not return loan funds as required

Recommended: Bankruptcy and Student Loans: What You Should Know

The Takeaway

There are a few programs that allow eligible borrowers to discharge their student loan debt. For private student loans, there is no universal rule or regulation governing discharge.

While getting rid of student debt would indeed be a dream come true for most people, the stringent requirements for receiving federal student loan discharge means many people are not eligible.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to reduce the burden. Refinancing a student loan is one way to help lower the total cost of student debt by tapping into more favorable interest rates for qualifying borrowers, which could reduce the total amount of interest paid.

The benefits of federal student loans are eliminated when the loan is refinanced, so those pursuing federal loan forgiveness, and others, may not want to refinance.

Learn more about whether student loan refinancing is the right option for you.



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External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

SoFi Student Loan Refinance
SoFi Student Loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLS #696891. (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). SoFi Student Loan Refinance Loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers, or may become available, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Income-Based Repayment, Income-Contingent Repayment, PAYE or SAVE. Additional terms and conditions apply. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal.


IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO REFINANCE FEDERAL STUDENT LOANS, PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE WHITE HOUSE HAS ANNOUNCED UP TO $20,000 OF STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR PELL GRANT RECIPIENTS AND $10,000 FOR QUALIFYING BORROWERS WHOSE STUDENT LOANS ARE FEDERALLY HELD. ADDITIONALLY, THE FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN PAYMENT PAUSE AND INTEREST HOLIDAY HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO DEC. 31, 2022. PLEASE CAREFULLY CONSIDER THESE CHANGES BEFORE REFINANCING FEDERALLY HELD LOANS WITH SOFI, SINCE THE AMOUNT OR PORTION OF YOUR FEDERAL STUDENT DEBT THAT YOU REFINANCE WILL NO LONGER QUALIFY FOR THE FEDERAL LOAN PAYMENT SUSPENSION, INTEREST WAIVER, OR ANY OTHER CURRENT OR FUTURE BENEFITS APPLICABLE TO FEDERAL LOANS. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

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What Are Currency Hedged ETFs?

What Are Currency Hedged ETFs?

Currency-hedged ETFs are exchange-traded funds created to minimize the risks of fluctuating exchange rates in ETFs that have foreign holdings.

Many investment companies offer two versions of the same ETF with one version including a currency hedge. The latter ETF has the same holdings as the former, but it also includes derivatives purchased to protect–or hedge–against currency risk. The protections come at a cost, however, and hedged ETFs may have higher fees than non-hedged ETFs.

Recommended: ETF Trading 101: How Exchange Traded Funds Work

Why Do Investors Use Currency-Hedged ETFs?

Since currency values fluctuate, exchange rates can affect the total return on an asset. While ETFs provide investors with a significant diversification, they don’t offer any protection against the investment risk created by foreign exchange rates. So purchasing an ETF focused on overseas markets creates an additional layer of volatility within the investment.

Currency shifts can boost or diminish returns on international investments — but they almost always make them more uncertain. If the local currency loses value against the ETF’s currency (in this case the dollar), that can offset returns for the dollar-based investor, even if the assets that make up the security’s returns go up in their own currency.

Since many ETF investors are not interested in forex trading, they can minimize their currency risk by purchasing a currency-hedged ETF, which can smooth out volatility related to foreign exchange rates.

Currency-hedged ETFs may have a slightly higher expense ratio than non-hedged ETFs, due to the cost of the futures contracts as well as potential expenses associated with the tools and people who develop the hedged currency strategy.

Recommended: How to Invest in International Stocks

How Do Exchange Rates Impact Investment Returns?

While a strong dollar may be good when you’re buying assets in a foreign currency, it can hurt returns on assets denominated in a foreign currency. Over the past decade, the strong dollar has meant that hedged portfolios tend to outperform those that weren’t hedged.

Here’s an example: If the dollar-to-foreign-currency conversion rate is 1 to 2, as in one dollar buys you two units of the foreign currency, and you buy 100 shares of a stock at 5 foreign currency units per share, it will cost you $250, or 500 foreign currency units. Now, let’s say those shares double, so that 100 shares are worth 1,000 foreign currency units instead of 500 and your investment is now worth $500, compared to the $250 you spent initially.

But if the dollar strengthened so that the conversion rate went from 2 foreign currency units per dollar to 4 foreign currency units per dollar, those 100 shares are still worth 1,000 foreign currency units but for a US investor, their $250 investment would have shown no gain. While this is an extreme currency fluctuation, it illustrates the reason that some investors might purchase currency-hedged ETFs.

How Does Currency Hedging Work?

Investors use two methods to hedge against currency risk: static hedging and dynamic hedging.

Static Hedging

Static hedging is the most basic kind of hedging. An ETF that uses static hedging has one strategy that it executes, regardless of market conditions. An ETF using this strategy would buy contracts in the future market that lock in a currency’s value relative to the dollar or set parameters around it.

The contract is an agreement to buy a currency at a future price, which has the same effect of cancelling out currency gains or losses if they move from the currency’s current value against the dollar.

Dynamic Hedging

Dynamic hedging may incorporate multiple strategies or change strategies as market conditions change. Dynamic hedging is not always in effect, instead the hedge is “put on” based on the judgment of the ETF manager. Sometimes this judgment reflects an algorithm or series of rules that looks at market conditions for determining when to buy and sell financial instruments that hedge currency exposure.

For example, an ETF might have a rules-based system that looks at the trend of a currency’s value against the dollar, the interest rates in both countries, and the overall value of that currency (namely if it’s more expensive than the dollar). Those data points and, specifically, how they change over time, would determine whether and how much to hedge the ETF at any given time

The Takeaway

Currency-hedged ETFs are one way to get exposure to foreign markets and protection against the currency risks that come with that type of investment, but they may cost more than non-hedged ETFs. It’s important for investors to understand how they work, as they start to build their own investment strategy and learn how to pick ETFs to include (if any) in their portfolio.

If you’re ready to start putting that strategy into action, a great place to start is the SoFi Invest investing platform, which offers personalized investment advice, a range of ETFs, and automated investing.

Start investing today.

Photo credit: iStock/Delmaine Donson


SoFi Invest®

INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE

SoFi Invest encompasses two distinct companies, with various products and services offered to investors as described below: Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of these platforms.
1) Automated Investing and advisory services are provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser (“SoFi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC.
2) Active Investing and brokerage services are provided by SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA (www.finra.org)/SIPC(www.sipc.org). Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above please visit SoFi.com/legal.
Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform.

Fund Fees
If you invest in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) through SoFi Invest (either by buying them yourself or via investing in SoFi Invest’s automated investments, formerly SoFi Wealth), these funds will have their own management fees. These fees are not paid directly by you, but rather by the fund itself. these fees do reduce the fund’s returns. Check out each fund’s prospectus for details. SoFi Invest does not receive sales commissions, 12b-1 fees, or other fees from ETFs for investing such funds on behalf of advisory clients, though if SoFi Invest creates its own funds, it could earn management fees there.
SoFi Invest may waive all, or part of any of these fees, permanently or for a period of time, at its sole discretion for any reason. Fees are subject to change at any time. The current fee schedule will always be available in your Account Documents section of SoFi Invest.


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