Staff Writer

Bill Fay

Bill “No Pay” Fay has lived a meager financial existence his entire life. He started writing/bragging about it in 2012, helping birth Debt.org into existence as the site’s original “Frugal Man.” Prior to that, he spent more than 30 years covering the high finance world of college and professional sports for major publications, including the Associated Press, New York Times and Sports Illustrated. His interest in sports has waned some, but he is as passionate as ever about not reaching for his wallet.

Aid Based on Your Career Choice

By Bill Fay | August 14, 2017

Want a scholarship or grant money for your education? The easiest way to accomplish that might be to select a career that’s in demand. Whether it’s the government, college and…

Can You Inherit Debt?

By Bill Fay | August 2, 2017

Statistically speaking, almost three out of four people are going to die with debt, which raises a very real concern for spouses and children of the deceased: Can you inherit their…

Student Loan Repayment Plans

By Bill Fay | August 1, 2017

Types of Repayment Plans Standard Extended Graduated Income-Based (IBR) Income-Contingent (ICR) Pay As You Earn Plan (PAYE) Perkins Loans & Private Loans If you have a Perkins Loan or a…

Debt Myths

By Bill Fay | July 27, 2017

Stories about the Loch Ness Monster, George Washington having wooden teeth and cracking your knuckles causing arthritis are nice pieces of fiction with no proven basis in fact. In other…

What to Tell Your Aging Parents about Debt

By Bill Fay | July 25, 2017

Retirement can be an idyll time or a struggle depending on how well you’ve prepared. For an increasing number of Americans approaching their golden years, mountains of unpaid debt threaten…

Debt Consolidation For Military Members & Veterans

By Bill Fay | July 20, 2017

In 2024, 45% of military households said debt was a problem for them. Sure, managing debt is easier than going into battle, but it’s a problem that can still keep…

Managing Student Loan Debt

By Bill Fay | July 14, 2017

College graduation day is supposed to be fun, but it’s hard to celebrate when there is a hefty student loan debt attached to your diploma That is the grim reality…

How to Teach Your Children about Debt

By Bill Fay | July 12, 2017

Genes are important. A mother’s sparkling eyes or a father’s big feet are among the countless traits parents pass to their children. The same thing can happen with debt. Though…

Debt Management Programs

By Bill Fay | July 6, 2017

What Is a Debt Management Plan? How Can It Help? A debt management plan is a way to pay off high-interest unsecured debt – mostly credit cards – without having…

Do I Have Too Much Debt?

By Bill Fay | July 5, 2017

For American households, debt has become a way of life and in some of those houses, the figures are staggering. Household debt (mortgage + home equity loans + credit cards…

What to Do if You Can’t Pay Your Student Loans

By Bill Fay | June 30, 2017

Note: Payments for federal student loans are suspended through May 1, 2022 » More Information here: Student Loans Payments During Covid-19  The “honeymoon” phase for most college graduates lasts exactly six…

What is a Stafford Loan?

By Bill Fay | June 27, 2017

A Stafford Loan was provided by the federal government to help college and university students pay for their education. They were in use until July 1, 2010. None of these…

Debt Settlement vs. Debt Consolidation

By Bill Fay | June 26, 2017

Debt settlement and debt consolidation share a common goal – help consumers find a way out of credit card debt – but take very different routes to achieve that goal.…

Pell Grants

By Bill Fay | June 16, 2017

A Pell Grant is the gold-plated financial award at colleges and universities for a lot of reasons, the most obvious one being it is money for tuition, room and board that doesn’t…

Personal Loan Options

By Bill Fay | June 16, 2017

What Are Personal Loans? Personal loans used to be a simple part of the American economy. Homegrown savings and loans lent money to buy boats and barbeque pits based on…

How to Avoid Landing in Debt

By Bill Fay | June 12, 2017

The best way to avoid debt is to be proactive about managing your money. Avoiding debt requires you to establish a sound financial plan and steer clear of the foolish…

What To Do When Upside Down on a Car Loan

By Bill Fay | June 5, 2017

It doesn’t take long after you buy a car for it to be worth less than what you owe. Owing more than the vehicle is worth is known as “being…

Bankruptcy

By Bill Fay | May 22, 2017

Bankruptcy is a legal process that allows individuals or businesses who are unable to repay their debts to seek relief through court-supervised reorganization or liquidation of assets. It provides a…

Do I Need a Debt Lawyer?

By Bill Fay | May 21, 2017

A debt lawyer is someone with the knowledge, credentials and skill to help consumers struggling with debt sort through their financial troubles. Representing clients in cases against debt collectors is a…

Using Rehabilitation Loans for Student Loan Default

By Bill Fay | May 20, 2017

Tens of millions of Americans struggle with a mountain of student loan debt and each year huge numbers simply stop making payments and end up in default. That is a…

Medical Debt To Be Removed From Credit Reports in 2025: What You Need To Know

By Bill Fay | January 8, 2025

Medical debt and the problems they cause credit reports, have long gone hand-in-hand. Consumers behind on payments to healthcare providers, especially those whose bills have been sold to collection agencies,…

How to Survive Inflation

By Bill Fay | July 22, 2022

With a nod to Mark Twain, inflation has replaced the weather as the thing everyone talks about it, but nobody seems to do anything about it. Until now. Not that…

The Great Resignation: Why Is It Happening?

By Bill Fay | February 8, 2022

America has turned into a nation of quitters, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Spurred by the COVID pandemic, millions of people have joined “The Great Resignation” that’s happening…

How to Get a Refund on Your Student Loan Payments During COVID-19

By Bill Fay | May 3, 2021

The rules governing repayment of federal student loans contain so many nooks and crannies that it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you may have missed one created during the…

Third Stimulus Check

By Bill Fay | March 10, 2021

The average Joe – not Biden – figures to benefit most from passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Approximately 145 million Americans will receive a third round of…

$15 Minimum Wage Increase: Will It Happen?

By Bill Fay | February 10, 2021

Biden wants the minimum wage – currently set at $7.25 an hour – to jump to $15 an hour by 2025. The increases would be phased in at approximately $1.75…

Details on the American Rescue Plan

By Bill Fay | January 14, 2021

President-elect Joe Biden unveiled the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion war on the prolonged suffering of Americans hardest hit by coronavirus. Included in his proposal: a fresh round of…

Covid-19 Relief Bill

By Bill Fay | December 30, 2020

The second COVID-19 relief bill is now law – all 3,126 pages of it. The people in Congress who passed it admit they don’t know what all is in it,…

Second Stimulus Check Update

By Bill Fay | December 29, 2020

If you haven’t looked at your bank account this week, now might be a splendid time. The long wait for a second stimulus check from the U.S. government finally is…

When Will a Second Stimulus Check be Delivered?

By Bill Fay | December 23, 2020

A second stimulus check – the financial gift from the U.S. government to help consumers recover from the economic belt coronavirus gave the American economy – needs only a signature…

Google Is the Latest Company to Offer Student Loan Repayment Benefits

By Bill Fay | November 3, 2020

If the biggest employee benefit you receive is when your company bothers to fill the toilet paper rolls in the employee bathroom, you might not want to read this: Google…

Paying Down Student Loans Before the COVID Suspension Is Lifted

By Bill Fay | October 28, 2020

If you are paying on a federal student loan, you probably already know that the government CARES Act has provided benefits that suspends payment and interest requirements through May 1,…

Trump vs. Biden: How Their Plans for Student Loan Debt Compare

By Bill Fay | October 16, 2020

Americans with student loan debt have a $1.6 trillion question on their minds: What would President Trump or a President Biden do about all that money these 45 million borrowers…

Should I Apply for a New Credit Card During COVID?

By Bill Fay | September 24, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has created record unemployment, erased profit margins, closed businesses and wreaked havoc on almost every family’s money outlook. It has even affected America’s ultimate get-out-of-jail financial symbol…

VA Extends COVID-19 Debt Relief to Veterans Through 2020

By Bill Fay | September 15, 2020

Veterans indebted to the Department of Veterans Affairs won a partial payment reprieve this summer that will last at least through the end of 2020. The VA action extends a…

Coronavirus and the Real Estate Market

By Bill Fay | August 14, 2020

Dorothy surely wasn’t thinking of life in a COVID-19 pandemic when she clicked those heels in the “Wizard of Oz” and opined that ‘there’s no place like home.’ But her…

Details on the HEALS Act

By Bill Fay | August 5, 2020

Congress and the White House are still debating whether the HEALS Act, HEROES Act – or some compromise Act in between – will deliver the next round of coronavirus relief…

Details on the HEROES Act

By Bill Fay | July 21, 2020

When the House of Representative passed the $3-trillion HEROES Act on May 15, it all but guaranteed that a second stimulus check would arrive for Americans in need of financial help…

COVID-19 Bankruptcies

By Bill Fay | July 16, 2020

The storm is coming. American consumers will be filing personal bankruptcies in record numbers by the end of 2020. That is the projection from bankruptcy attorneys, bankers and other experts…

Stimulus Checks for COVID-19 Relief

By Bill Fay | July 1, 2020

The phrase “stimulus check” is second only to “coronavirus” or “COVID-19” as something to talk about these days and people are definitely talking. About 159 million Americans have received the…