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Jan 14, 2025 | 
tcf.org | Tiara Moultrie |Robert Shireman |Laura Valle-Gutierrez |Denise Smith
Before federal student loan repayment paused in spring 2020, nearly 20 percent of borrowers—8 million Americans—were in default due to failure to make payments, while the overall total of outstanding student debt reached $1.5 trillion. To facilitate a new era of student loan repayment marked by a lower risk of defaulting, the U.S. Department of Education debuted the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan in August 2023, whose benefits were scheduled for phase-in over the following year.
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Nov 26, 2024 | 
tcf.org | Tiara Moultrie |Denise Smith |Peter Granville |Robert Shireman
To make their college dreams possible, students and families increasingly depend on financial aid, such as the federal Pell Grant, state-based grants and scholarships, and institutional tuition discounts. Financial aid programs help bridge the gap between families’ means and the sky-high sticker price of college; they are also critical components of elected leaders’ strategies to equip the nation’s workers with skills the economy demands.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
homebusinessmag.com | Denise Smith
There is no doubt that small businesses are the engine behind the economy. But what you might know, is that according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, around half of all businesses start at home. And while running a business from home offers flexibility and freedom, it also comes with its own set of risks. While you may enjoy being your own boss, it's essential to protect your business with the right insurance coverage.
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Oct 31, 2024 | 
tcf.org | Tiara Moultrie |Denise Smith |Margot Ngo |Peter Granville
Wealth is important. A person’s wealth—measured by summing their total assets, such as a home, retirement savings, and emergency savings or rainy day funds, and subtracting debts such as student loans and medical debt—is a major indicator of that person’s economic security, helps them and their family weather economic downturns, and supports their overall well-being. But wealth is not distributed equally; in fact, there are staggering gaps in wealth when measured by gender and race.
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Oct 16, 2024 | 
tcf.org | Qyana M. Stewart |Amber Villalobos |Robert Shireman |Denise Smith
TCF senior fellow and director of higher education Carolyn Fast testified before the New Jersey State Senate Higher Education Committee on October 10, 2024.
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Oct 10, 2024 | 
tcf.org | Peter Granville |Margot Ngo |Denise Smith |Qyana M. Stewart
Much of the current conversation in the higher education community is focused on value and the return on investment (ROI) that students obtain as a result of pursuing higher education. But while the nation seems to be reconsidering whether a college education is worth the cost, not enough attention is being paid to how individual institutions manage to provide a high ROI to students.
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Jun 21, 2024 | 
tcf.org | Amber Villalobos |Denise Smith |Carolyn Fast |Jonathan Zabala
Looking at the coverage of Asian-American students in mainstream media, it’s easy to see why the myth of Asians as the “model minority” persists. In story after story, Asian students across the United States are portrayed as faring well—sometimes almost too well.
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Mar 22, 2024 | 
tcf.org | Peter Granville |Robert Shireman |Carolyn Fast |Denise Smith
There is no end in sight to the financial woes at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA). FSA needs funds to carry out crucial services, including processing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and overseeing the $1.6 trillion dollar student loan program. Unfortunately, the agency is starved for funds.
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Feb 6, 2024 | 
tcf.org | Robert Shireman |Peter Granville |Denise Smith |Tiara Moultrie
In the last weeks of 2023, with momentum building in the House for a Pell Grant expansion that would require new funding, lawmakers on the Education and Workforce Committee turned to the student loan program to craft a funding mechanism, known as a “pay-for.” To offset the cost of expanding the Pell Grant so that it could be used for programs less than fifteen weeks in length, the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act would create a new rule prohibiting institutions with lavish endowments from...
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Jan 11, 2024 | 
tcf.org | Carolyn Fast |Stefan Lallinger |Denise Smith |Amber Villalobos
On November 23, 2023, the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and The Century Foundation held a discussion, “What’s Next after Affirmative Action for College Admissions?” moderated by Denise Smith, deputy director and senior fellow at The Century Foundation.
