The Personal Finance Podcast · Andrew Giancola

How to Master Your Student Loans with Robert Farrington

·58 min·4 clips

Parent PLUS loans are the only profitable federal loans—and policy is phasing them out.

Andrew interviews Robert Farrington on massive July 2026 federal student loan changes: new borrowers get 2 repayment options (standard or income-based RAP), existing borrowers lose access to SAVE/PAYE/ICR plans, parent PLUS loans face new $20K annual/$65K lifetime caps and zero income-driven repayment access (new borrowers after July 1). Robert reveals policy shift toward privatizing parent PLUS loans by making federal options uncompetitive, creating urgent deadlines for existing PARENT PLUS borrowers to consolidate and enroll in IDR by June to preserve options.

As heard by us

A practical map through student loans, aid, and the tradeoffs that shape college costs.

The piece stays with student loans, but it keeps widening the frame to the full price of college and the need to run the numbers before signing anything.

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Why you'd press play

You want a calmer numbers-first read on student loans before college costs and FAFSA decisions pile up.

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