{"podcast":{"title":"The College Investor Audio Show","slug":"the-college-investor-audio-show-414113","podcast_index_feed_id":414113,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/the-college-investor/","website_url":"https://thecollegeinvestor.com","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/f3c20c77-1ea5-4d2e-a65a-e87b0a5c9f68/college-investor-podcast-cover-c1.png","author":"The College Investor","episode_count":1036,"summary":"The College Investor podcast is a daily audio show that's dedicated to bringing you the best of TheCollegeInvestor.com. We discuss a variety of topics, all relating to millennial money - including student loan debt, investing, earning more money, and more! Robert Farrington, the founder of The College Investor and a Millennial Money Expert, shares how to get out of student loan debt so that you can start investing and building wealth for the future. Instead of cutting expenses and living a frugal life, he advocates side hustling and entrepreneurship to earn extra money to achieve your financial goals.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-30T20:18:09.903988+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-college-investor-audio-show-414113"},"episode":{"title":"Why Consolidating Your Student Loans in 2026 Can Set You Back","slug":"why-consolidating-your-student-loans-in-2026-can-set-you-back","published_at":"2026-07-10T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-college-investor-audio-show-414113/why-consolidating-your-student-loans-in-2026-can-set-you-back","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-college-investor-audio-show-414113","url":"https://thecollegeinvestor.com/83302/why-consolidating-your-student-loans-in-2026-can-set-you-back/","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/fcd9e270-7b33-4558-89dc-33d7ec481fa6.mp3","summary":"For most borrowers after July 1, 2026, consolidating federal student loans no longer offers a real upside — and it can quietly erase progress you've already earned towards loan forgiveness . The one situation where it still helps is getting out of default . Consolidation used to be a helpful tool for many borrowers. It turned old FFEL loans into Direct Loans , unlocked income-driven repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) , and let borrowers capture the one-time IDR account adjustment . Those windows have closed. The adjustment is over, FFEL cleanup deadlines have passed, and the menu of repayment plans is shrinking — so the cost-benefit math has flipped for most people. There is no real requirement for any borrower to consolidate their loans at this point in time, and except for defaulted student loan borrowers , doing so may be more harmful than helpful.","meta_description":"For most borrowers after July 1, 2026, consolidating federal student loans no longer offers a real upside — and it can quietly erase progress you've alrea…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":350,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-college-investor-audio-show-414113/episodes/why-consolidating-your-student-loans-in-2026-can-set-you-back/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-college-investor-audio-show-414113/why-consolidating-your-student-loans-in-2026-can-set-you-back.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}