Debt-Free U

My friend, Larissa, tells a story about a collections agent who called while she was working at an entry-level job for a non-profit and having a hard time making payments on her student loans. "You can't use your degree if you can't pay for it!" the woman almost shrieked at poor Larissa. Even...

There's data out there showing that, on average, private college graduates don't graduate with that much more debt than public college graduates. But the rosy numbers don't tell the whole story, and what they leave out is costing students and their families tens of thousands of dollars.

Ask anyone you know where the smartest people go to college. Chances are you'll get all the same answers: Harvard, MIT, Yale, etc. But what's smarter than saving $100,000 and getting an education that is just as good, and perhaps even better, than you can get at many top universities?

If you pick an affordable school, live within your means and work during college, college without loans, scholarships or tapping into personal savings is within reach.