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. Bill can be reached at [email protected].

Dining Costs More Than Student’s Budget

Dining Costs Eating up College Students’ Budget

By Bill Fay | May 12, 2021

As the cost of college skyrockets, students are searching for ways to cut expenses. A good place to look is on their dinner plates. Food expenses can wreck a budget…

student financial tips

10 Financial Tips for College Students

By Bill Fay | May 12, 2021

Now that you’re in college, it’s likely that you are in charge of your own financial affairs more so than when you lived at home and functioned mostly as part…

file tax return on a calendar

Didn’t File Taxes Yet? Here’s How To Limit Damage

By Bill Fay | May 11, 2021

April 15 has come and gone, but millions of Americans are still fretting over their taxes, mostly because they haven’t paid them yet. The IRS estimates that 25 percent of…

1040 tax form

Five Tax Tips for Beginners Filing on Their Own

By Bill Fay | May 11, 2021

Whether you’ve landed your first part-time job in high school or made your first career move after college, odds are that you haven’t taken a class on how to file…

Happy Dad IRS

IRS Gives Parents a Break When Adult Kids Return Home

By Bill Fay | May 11, 2021

The Millennial generation is moving back home in record numbers, and their parents are getting some sympathy from, of all people, the IRS. The much-despised agency has a soft spot…

road sign with tax refund written on it

How to Spend Your Tax Refund

By Bill Fay | May 11, 2021

The big financial question for Americans every spring: How should I spend my tax refund? The Internal Revenue Service says most of you – somewhere between 75 and 80 percent…

Tax return preparation

IRS Shares Tips on How to Avoid Fraudulent Tax Preparation Services

By Bill Fay | May 10, 2021

Tax fraud related to identity theft is a rapidly growing problem. It involves thieves using your personal identifying information to file false tax returns in order to receive big refunds.…

Blocks that spell out wealth tax next to bag of money

Will the Wealthy Be Taxed More?

By Bill Fay | May 10, 2021

There has been much talk this campaign year about a “Wealth Tax” and whether it would impact the wallets of middle and lower-income America, even if its name doesn’t. Rest…

Close up of form labeled "1099-MISC" with a pen sitting atop it

What Are 1099s?

By Bill Fay | November 25, 2020

1099 forms are federal income tax information forms from businesses and other institutions to document certain financial transactions conducted during a tax year. The forms are filed with the U.S.…

Couple buying their first New York home

New York

By Bill Fay | September 10, 2020

The state of New York is ready and willing to help first-time homebuyers who want to fulfill that part of the America dream. If home ownership seems out of reach,…

Red virus on blue background with words "CORONAVIRUS"

Financial Help for COVID-19

By Bill Fay | September 9, 2020

While many of the programs put in place by Congress to provide financial help to Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic have expired, those who need help with bills and other…

There are two paths of relief for those having trouble making payments on their federal student loans: Deferment and forbearance

Forbearance and Deferment

By Bill Fay | March 26, 2020

There always has been two paths of relief for those having trouble making payments on their federal student loans: Deferment and forbearance. Then, the coronavirus came slashing through the U.S. economy and…

close up of home model, dollar money and house keys

No Closing Cost Refinance

By Bill Fay | February 13, 2020

Just as there is no such thing as a free lunch, there’s really no such thing as refinancing a mortgage for free, no matter how appealing a no-closing-costs refi may…

Image of books stacked in shape of house

Housing and Credit Counseling

By Bill Fay | February 13, 2020

Talking to a credit counselor is probably the last thing on your mind when you’re shopping for a home. The list of people you already have to speak to —…

Household items packed and ready to move out after divorce

Divorce and Your Mortgage

By Bill Fay | January 29, 2020

The reality is about half of all marriages end in divorce, a shattering experience that forces partners to divide assets and debt. Things can get really complicated, especially when mortgage…

15 Year Mortgage Papers Being Signed By Applicant

15-Year Fixed Mortgages

By Bill Fay | January 28, 2020

There’s a lot to think about when buying a house. Deciding between a 15- or 30-year-mortgage may not seem like something you want to use a lot of mental energy…

Tax Bracket written on a notebook on desk

Tax Brackets

By Bill Fay | January 8, 2020

The United States operates under a progressive tax code, which means — all things being equal — the more you earn, the more income taxes you owe. (Exceptions apply; we’ll…

Petition for Bankruptcy papers and gavel

Pre-Bankruptcy Credit Counseling

By Bill Fay | October 10, 2019

Even if you weren’t a fan of the hit TV comedy “The Office,” you may sympathize with its main character, office manager Michael Scott, whose financial difficulties and general cluelessness…

There are many different types of loans to help you fund your education.

Types of Student Loans

By Bill Fay | October 1, 2019

Though there are two major sources of student loans — federal and private – the federal side dominates the action, both in amount of money available and loan repayment programs.…

Social security cards and 100 dollar bills in a pile

Social Security

By Bill Fay | September 24, 2019

More than 50 million people depend on Social Security benefits for part or all of their income during retirement. Although most working Americans do not plan on funding their retirements…

Chalkboard with guide on how to survive inflation

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…

Employee resigning from his job

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…

Man handing refund of cash

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…

Envelope containing the third stimulus check

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

$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…

Joe Biden announces American Rescue Plan

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…

Image of newspaper titled Covid-19 Relief Bill with ribbon attached

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 on top of the first stimulus check

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…

Calendar with dart on second stimulus date

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 search bar with phrase student loan benefit

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…

Woman deciding whether or not to pay down student loans during COVID-19

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,…

Campaign buttons for Trump and Biden

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…

Gavel on table

Court Ruling Favors Student Loan Bankruptcy Discharge

By Bill Fay | October 2, 2020

There hasn’t been much good economic news in 2020, but if you’re buried in student loans, there was an astoundingly positive development recently. Thanks to a recent court ruling, you…

Woman applying for a new credit card on her computer

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…

Sign for VA office

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…

For sale sign in front yard of house

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…

Senator Mitch McConnell at a podium

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…

Nancy Pelosi at a podium

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…

Bankruptcy court with COVID-19 sign

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…

Image of the stimulus COVID-19 relief check distributed by President Trump

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…