Breaking Student Debt Podcast

In this episode of The Breaking Student Debt Podcast, Will interviews Physical Therapist and Home Health Contracting business coach, Bert De Vera, PT. Bert shares his story of moving from the Philippines after passing his Board Exam and starting life in America as PT. After working for someone else for 6 years, he hit a wall and started to wonder if the American dream he came for meant working endless hours for someone else and not having time to spend with his family. That wondering led him to researching different ways to leverage his knowledge and increase his financial stability. He learned about Home Heath Contracting (the details of which he explains in this episode), started his own business, and has since been able to significantly increase his income and help other rehab professionals do the same, providing them with more time with their families and improving their financial lives. If you're interested in learning more about Bert or seeing what his Home Health Contracting business program is about, you can connect with Bert at www.rehabpreneur.com / www.bertpt.com /www.homehealthcontract.com or find him on Facebook under Bert De Vera. Hope you enjoy this one! 

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Natalie Nelson, Au.D., an new grad Audiologist who has reduced her debt by over $55,000 since finishing her graduate program. She was actually first a listener of the BSD Podcast and reached out to us on LinkedIn sharing her personal wins she has learned from listening to the show. We chat about her personal strategies for reducing her debt (and doing it FAST), the current state of student loan debt, and her new project, www.doabledebt.com

In this episode, Will and Aaron sit down and discuss the idea of delayed gratification and being smart with needs vs. wants. Is it worth the fancy object for temporary satisfaction? The guys break down their thoughts on this in the latest episode of BSD.   

In this episode, Aaron and Will sit down with Nick Skye, the Co-Founder of ChangEd, an app that rounds up your digital transactions to the next dollar and puts that into an account to use to pay towards your student loan debt! Imagine a digital piggy bank for all your loose change! Nick joins us to break down how ChangEd is helping students across the country put massive dents into their student loan debt. If you want to learn more about ChangEd, check them out at their website: https://www.gochanged.com/

In this episode, Will and Aaron talk about their upcoming transitions from secure and financially stable jobs to pursue new entrepreneurial endeavors and the emotions arising about their money/debt situations.

In this episode, I sit down with my best friend, Aaron Abodeely, who shares his story of tackling $19,000 credit card debt down to $0. We dive a lot into this episode, including Aaron's reasons for confronting his rising debt, how he assessed his situation, and how created a game plan to go from in the red to in the black. Hope you enjoy this one and as always, if you find it helpful, please share this with a friend who could get something out of it!

In this episode I sat down with Josh Reif, a former medical student who graduated with his MD, but decided to make a shift to the online world before ever accepting a residency. Why bring on Josh? Well, I constantly hear from listeners who are unsure if the field they're in (physical therapy, medicine, OT, nursing, etc.) is really the right fit for them or they didn't think it would be like it turned out to be. I thought it would be great to bring on someone who has gone through that exact feeling and even in the midst of significant student loans, had the courage to follow his gut and create the life he wanted. Moral of the story: never settle for anything in life because you think you'd disappoint what others want for you. If you're interested in Josh and want to join his Facebook group, Digital Skills for Entrepreneurs, check it out here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/digitalskillsforentrepreneurs/ Or check him out at his website: https://www.joshreif.net/home-2 As always guys, keep on climbing!

This episode features second-time guest on the podcast, Joe Reinke, the CEO of FitBUX. Joe sits down with me on this episode and gives us the 30,000 foot view of the various federal student loan repayment plans one can choose when the time comes to start making payments.   Joe covers the basics of: 1. The 10 year standard repayment plan 2. The 25 year extended repayment plan 3. The 25 year graduated plan 4. The income-based repayment plans Check out FitBUX at www.fitbux.com to sign up for a free phone call! Joe also breaks down some vocabulary including fixed vs. variable interest.   Hope this helps guys!

In this episode I sat down with Erin and Kevin Jones, a couple based out of Arizona, that got out of $107,000 in debt in 33 months. They run the successful blog www.debtfreehappens.com where they share their story from deep in debt to financial freedom. As a quick note, over $70,000 of their debt was rooted in student loan debt. Erin and Kevin are one of the kindest couples you will ever meet and in this episode we dive into:   Kevin's mindset on money, saving, & spending before he met Erin Erin's mindset on money, saving, & spending before she met Kevin How Erin and Kevin met and how they each shaped the other's mindset on money, saving, & spending The breakdown of their combined debts Erin and Kevin's individual stories on how they approached their personal student loan debt The resources that shaped their mindset to commit to getting out of debt Erin and Kevin's advice for anyone else with student loan debt Where you can keep up with their journey and learn more about how Erin and Kevin became debt free

It's been a few weeks and I wanted to share what it's been like staring at my first student loan bill, which was.....$1,099! :(  I thought I'd break down for you guys how and why I switched my repayment plan from a 10 year standard plan to a 25 year extended fixed plan. Very cool guests coming down the pipeline!

In this week's episode I sat down with Jack Zoeller, former Army Ranger and current CEO of Purefy, a company dedicated to providing refinancing options for lenders. We start out with some basic background information about refinancing and what it actually means to refinance a student loan. We then get into some of the nitty gritty details about who could benefit from refinancing their student loans, when is the best time to refinance, and how exactly does one go about making it happen. Hope you enjoy this one! Keep climbing! - Will

In this episode I dive into the details of how Alex and Clayton (both newly licensed physical therapists) saved thousands of dollars on tuition through taking advantage of credit card rewards. Pay close attention in this episode as Alex and Clayton break down just who exactly can benefit from this (hint: if you're the type to not keep track of your expenses, this is not a good option). Check out Alex's work out at www.habithacked.com as well as be on the lookout in the coming weeks for Alex and Clayton's new website: www.gotherefree.com   Enjoy this episode and please leave me a review on iTunes!

in this episode I sat down with Alan Collinge of Student Loan Justice. Alan has spent over a decade working on understanding and providing solutions for student loan debt. He has built a massive following and has been featured on every major news network to talk about student loan debt. Check out his work at:   studentloanjustice.org   If you enjoy this episode, please consider leaving me a review on iTunes!

My guest on this episode, Jocelyn Paonita, graduated from college debt free after earning over $125,000 in scholarship money both during AND while in college. She has since gone on to create her own course, The Scholarship System, which coaches people how to implement the strategies she used to earn scholarship money to graduate debt free. Can you imagine $125,000 in scholarship money and what that would mean to a young person? That could mean buying their first car, their first house, or even the wedding of their dreams. This episode is POWERFUL. You MUST, MUST share this with anyone you know that is either in college or in high school.  

Did you know that there's an app that will pay your student loan debt by just playing trivia? this week's episode I sat down with Preston Blakely of Givling, Inc. the app that does just that. In this episode we dive into: The history and story behind Givling, Inc. Preston's previous entrepreneurial endeavors prior to focusing on Givling, Inc. How crowdsourcing and advertising is used to make Givling work as it does How Givling has both a free to play and pay to play option Is it really as simple as it sounds? Yes, it actually is. The details behind the payout system Givling has in place I hope you enjoy this episode and definitely check out the app, Givling, on iTunes! As always, keep climbing guys!   -Will

In this episode, I sat down live on Facebook with a financial and media expert in the world of physical therapy, Dr. Ben Fung, PT, DPT, MBA. Dr. Fung breaks down how to approach getting the job that you want and how to leverage your skill sets in order to be compensated the highest you can be compensated. For more information about Dr. Fung, check out his website: http://drbenfung.com/   Follow Ben on social media as well at:   https://www.facebook.com/DrBenFung/   https://twitter.com/DrBenFung   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbenfung/  

How did this amazing couple turn their net worth from $51,000 in credit card debt to over $750,000 in just over a decade? This newest episode of the Breaking Student Debt Podcast features the Debt Free Guys, hosts of the Queer Money Podcast and authors of the book The 4 Principles of a Debt Free Life. The strategies in this episode are game changers and the ways in which David and John tackled their credit card debt can also apply to those faced with student loan debt.  Check out their work at: http://debtfreeguys.com/

It was a huge honor to record this episode with Financial Rockstar Scott Alan Turner of the Scott Alan Turner Show, a podcast dedicated to educating every day people about personal finance. He is also the author of the 99 Minute Millionaire: The Simplest and Easiest Book Ever on Getting Started Investing and Becoming Rock Star Rich. Scott breaks down so much about hacking his way out of student loan debt in this episode. Can't wait to share this episode with the world Thursday morning. For more about Scott and his podcast, check out his website:https://scottalanturner.com/

In this episode with guest, Joseph Reinke, the CEO of FitBUX, we discuss whether or not we are currently headed towards a student loan bubble. A few weeks ago I was watching The Big Short, which is a great movie that provides some insight into what led to the housing market crash a decade ago. Watching it, it all eerily reminded me of what is currently happening with how we use student loans when it comes to higher education. Immediately there was one person I thought of who could help enlighten me about whether there would be any connections. Enter Joe Reinke, the CEO of FitBUX. Are we headed for a student loan bubble? Listen to find out.

In this episode I speak with Dr. Jared Casazza, PT, DPT about how travel physical therapy is helping him cut down on his student loan debt. In this episode we chat about how he and his girlfriend have gone to some creative measures to keep their costs low including buying a camper to live in while they travel. If you are interested in learning more about Jared's travel experiences, check out his blog at fifthwheelpt.wordpress.com I hope you all enjoy this episode, which is brought to you in part by PT Helper (pt-helper.com)

This week's episode is all about BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS and why those relationships can ultimately lead to exponential financial success. I'm no financial expert, but I do know that the victories I've achieved when it comes to starting a small business have come from building solid relationships. In this episode I break down the importance of providing VALUE first before seeking any type of help, advice, or mentorship.   Check us out at breakingstudentdebt.weebly.com for more information!

In this episode I talk about the emotional aspects of debt and how the past few weeks have been a roller coaster applying for my first job out of graduate school. The pressure of student loan debt is mounting and I share my thoughts.

In this week's episode, I talk with Physical Therapist turned Financial Planner, Will Butler, PT, DPT. I have had the fortune of crossing paths online with Will for awhile and have always appreciated his views on time management and financial planning. In this episode Will's story and how a family tragedy shaped his future The importance of self-reflection when it comes to creating a path to being financially successful Are schools doing enough to help students understand personal finance? Will's thoughts on if university educations are overpriced or fairly priced? Will's story of switching from Physical Therapy to doing Financial Planning Will's advice for any young person looking to start building a financial plan for their future If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on iTunes and let us know what you think!

You probably don't even realize that right now you are sitting on an array of skill sets that could lead you to starting a side hustle today. In this episode I talk about how I've started my side hustle by becoming a consultant for different companies. Hope this helps get the wheels turning for you to start your side hustle and start bringing in additional income!

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Professor of Economics at Temple University, Dr. Doug Webber, Ph.D about student loan debt from a macro level. Doug is one of the nicest and brightest people I have had the pleasure of talking with. He has been published in FiveThirtyEight.com and has such an incredible perspective about higher education policy. Have you ever wondered where all of that tuition money goes to? Are colleges and universities just pocketing huge sums of money? How can we curb the amount of student loan debt from an institutional level? I ask Doug all of these questions and more in this episode. About Dr. Doug WebberDr. Doug Webber, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Economics Department at Temple University and a Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). His main areas of interest are labor economics and the economics of higher education. He provided his testimony to the Senate HELP Committee on risk-sharing and student loan policy in May of 2015. You can find out more about Doug through his website, doug-webber.com Follow Doug on Twitter: @dougwebberecon Show Notes: Doug's background and how he became interested in studying higher education policies The history behind why student loans were created in the first place in America Doug explains the difference between the "cost" of higher education and the "price" of higher education Where does your tuition money go? The role marketing plays into driving up the "price" of higher education Doug addresses why public universities are receiving less and less funding from the state level Doug speaks about the future of student loans and his thoughts on the benefits and downfalls of higher education

This week's episode is an interview with Physical Therapist, Entrepreneur, and person mentor, Greg Todd. I first discovered Greg in the middle of 2016 through Twitter where he was constantly putting out motivational and business savvy content. Greg was kind enough to join the guys and I on Episode #19 of The Knowbodies Podcast and since then, I have tried to pick Greg's brain as often as possible about how he has become the successful business owner he is today.  Greg Todd is the owner of Renewal Rehabilitation in the Tampa Bay area where he lives most of the year. He runs Physical Therapy Builder as well as a host of courses through www.gregtoddpt.com I highly recommend any current physical therapy students or recent graduates to check out his Smart Success PT program. Greg is a leader in the field and he delivers amazing content. In this episode we touch on: Greg's personal history with student loan debt The financial principles that Greg and his wife have lived by since they got married and how they have impacted their lives The secret to earning....is through GIVING What it means to build your personal brand and why that will ultimately lead to financial opportunities How to share your brand with the world Specific strategies Greg would use right now if he were to be graduating tomorrow from graduate school Hope you all enjoy this episode. Don't forget to leave us a comment on what you thought about this interview with Greg!

In this episode, I had the fortune to sit down with John Groen of the Declassified Dollar Blog. John is a young guy, but he has already taken on the role of educator when it comes to dealing with personal finance. This episode covers some of the basic habits and strategies for anyone who is struggling with their debt, spending, or savings. Specific topics covered in the show: John's background and reason for starting the Declassified Dollar Blog Simple strategies to start cutting back on spending How to monitor your spending Basic strategies for how to improve your saving habits Where you can learn more about John Hope you all enjoy this episode!

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Melanie Lockert, author of Dear Debt: A Story About Breaking Up With Debt and founder of www.deardebt.com  Melanie paid off $81,000 in student loan debt in 4 years on her own. We discuss the emotional toll debt takes on a person, strategies she used to reduce her debt, and why we as a society don't talk about debt. Melanie became an expert in the "side hustle" during her 4 years of paying off her debt. She explains how she and you can start bringing in extra income through unique ways outside of you day job. You can find out more about Melanie and her work through the following links: www.deardebt.com  - Melanie's personal blog about how she has overcome $81K in debt. You can also purchase Melanie's new book, Dear Debt: A Story About Breaking Up With Debt through her website! You can also follow her on social media: Twitter (@deardebtblog):https://twitter.com/DearDebtBlog Instagram (@deardebt): https://www.instagram.com/deardebt/  

This episode is an introduction to what is to come. My name is Will and this is my journey of trying to take $155K in student loans and make it to financial freedom. We talk about expectations and I share my story of personal struggle with money management.