Expert guides grads to zero debt

“Zero Debt for College Grads,” is a savior for college graduates.

As Dec. 12 draws near, college graduates have mixed emotions about their careers, relationships and more importantly their money.

With an average student loan debt of $23,000, a rising unemployment rate, decreasing excess to credit for graduate school loans and a national economy that is weakening by the hour, Lynette Khalfani-Cox provides a reassuring roadmap for stress-free living that will allow students to pay down debts and save for the future.

Khalfani, a noted personal finance expert who has been featured in The New York Times and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, breaks the book down into three parts: Manage Today’s Bills Wisely, Pay Off Student Loans and Build Great Credit.

She devotes over half of the book to helping solve the student loan dilemma while ensuring that the audience understands the basic personal finance rules and money management techniques with Personal Finance 101. Five money management lessons that she shares are:

1. Everything always cost more than you think it will

2. Even millionaires have a budget

3. Your credit standing is as important as your degree

4. Credit cards and student loans are not fee money

5. Saving now saves problems later

She outlines everything that students need to know about managing and ultimately getting rid of student loans. Though she does not mention loopholes right out, there are ways to be eligible for loan cancellation and how Uncle Sam can “forget” about student loans through certain government programs.

Ashlei Hudson, 22, a graduating nursing student from Little Rock, South Carolina said, “I’m not much of a reader but this book was extremely informative and got to the root of the student loans and money management.”

Hudson, who will be commissioned as a nursing officer in the United States Navy next Friday may be eligible for student loan cancellation according to Khalfani and she said, “I’m definitely excited about that.”

In part three of the book, Khalfani shares her insider secrets for wiping out credit card debt and establishing a great credit rating.

With a diploma in one hand and this book in the other, graduates are guaranteed to walk away with zero debt.