Customer Reviews

Zero Debt for College Grads: From Student Loans to Financial Freedom

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was very disappointed in this book after seeing it highly praised in my daily newspaper's finance section. The useful information would make a much smaller book. The first third wastes time and pages saying, "you will learn...this book will teach you..." Well, I already have the book. You've sold me the book! Get to the point! The info about different types of college loans and refinancing them I had just found myself on the college financing Website, so I was disappointed she had no new information there. And how to pay off your credit cards quickly...duh! Pick a strategy: pay off higher interest rates first, lower balances first, or highest balances first, whatever floats your boat. The problem with that is it all requires money. I never learned how she paid off $100,000 worth of credit card debt in three years unless she made $100,000 more than she needed to live on in those three years. All she is teaching you is how to manage your vast income so it quickly pays off your vast indebtedness. The book I really need is how to pay off vast debt with inadequate income. This is not that book.

My mother loves saving money and making a budget so I grew up in an atmosphere of financial gain. After college, grad school, and entering the "real world" for the first time I found myself charging too much on my credit cards and having to pay high student loan fees. I heard Ms. Khalfani on the Russ Parr Morning Show and I decided to give her book a try.

Now there was a lot of information that did not pertain to me because I'm not heavily in debt, BUT everything she said was on point. She offers great money saving suggestions/options that I forgot about or was too lazy to actually do; she provides wonderful links and info on ways to "beat the system." For example, my mother has been nagging me for months to call my credit card company's to lower my interest rates. I slowed around to doing it but I was glad to read that Ms. Khalfani mentioned the same advice, she tells ppl how to get through to creditors, how to lower their interest rates, how to move their payment dates and why. Most of all she provides one of the best suggestions for credit card debt reduction.

Overall I found her book to be full of great information. This book is for those who truly want to pay off their bills and not just pay on them or live paycheck to paycheck. If you want to eventually, have more money in your pocket I suggest you buy this book.

Edited Aug. 7, 2007:

I strongly believe the author provides the readers with enough suggestions to bring in additional income. She spends an entire chp. discussing how to cut corners how to help you manage your debt. I can see her getting out of 100,000 dollars of debt by slicing her living expenses in half and getting another income flowing. I think anyone even with limited means can do this. Essentially what the author is saying is that if you live in a 1 bedroom, downgrade to a studio and get a part time job. Or move into a 2 bedroom with a reliable roommate. I think a lot of her tips are helpful. However, I do think for some who are aware with budgets and how they work I would recommend her other books, such as, The "Money Coach's Guide to Your First Million." If money is extremely tight and you are working on a really tight income with high debt I also recommend: "Girl, Make Your Money Grow!: A Sister's Guide to Protecting Your Future."

I recommend any one with college debt or any considering going to college to read this book. Its wonderful. I have alot of debt and this is helping eliminate it quicker thank I thought. Thanks!

SO FAR SO GOOD - NOT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE BOOK YET, BUT I DO THINK I FOUND UNCLAIMED MONEY ON THE RECOMMENDED WEBSITE AND HAVE ALREADY SUBMITTED MY CLAIM TO THE STATE TREASURER. GOOD TIPS INSIDE, WORTH THE READ FOR THE SMALL COST - ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW YOUR STUDENT LOANS WORK.

Personal finance expert and television personality Lynnette Khalfani presents Zero Debt for College Grads: From Student Loans to Financial Freedom, a guide that lives up to its title. Written in plain terms for readers of all backgrounds, Zero Debt for College Grads covers money management lessons not taught in school, how to negotiate with a lender for better terms on a loan (or with an employer for help with loan repayment), determine what to do if immediately paying off a loan is not possible, clear up defaulted loans, establish a good credit rating, and much more. The tips range from cutting housing, transportation, and clothing costs to earning extra money at home (sell extra stuff, get a roommate or tenant, and itemize your deductions) to the pros and cons of loan consolidation to how to wipe out the plague of credit card debt. A "must-have" for anyone about to graduate from college.

This book is a great reference for strategies you can use to pay off your debt and live cheaply. For the most part, a lot of this information is common sense or can be found on the internet, but it's great to have it available all in once place, and the author presents it in a way that I found much easier to understand than the way the same information is presented elsewhere. Sometimes her advice does not always match up; every once in a while an example sneaks in that seems completely out of place (websites that sell clothing costing on average, $150/ea.), but the majority of the book is sensible and straightforward. I would recommend getting this book right off the bat when starting college, that way you can avoid many of the pitfalls that create a large debt.

Product was shipped as quickly as possible and received in the condition promised. I would highly recommend this seller and definately purchase from them again!

The goals this book sets out to achieve are noble: giving good advice to college graduates on how to reduce debt and live a financially sound life. However, I see little reason to pay even [...] [...] because it can mostly be found for free on the internet or by using a bit of common sense. Luckily, you'll find some right here:

[...] Don't buy this book (or other worthless pieces of garbage). Save your money and pay down your debt.

There, I just saved you 10 bucks.

Good luck everyone!

I purchased this book because I am a recent college grad with more debt than I would like. While I was reading I was hoping more for how to get out of debt sooner as opposed to what the book was trying to do and that is getting a person's credit back on track. I still like the book though because of Khalfani's tips of do's and don'ts for managing finances. I would mostly recommend this book if you are in financial hardship rather than if you are just looking for ways to better control debt.