A surprise act of kindness has made Wiley College’s graduation day even brighter. On May 7, the historically Black college’s class of 2022 received the news that their remaining balances were paid off by an anonymous donor, according to a press release. For the college’s 133rd Commencement Convocation, the donation was announced to over 100 graduates by President & CEO Herman J. Felton, Jr. J.D., Ph.D. “You are debt-free. You do not owe the college a penny. If you have a balance, you had a balance,” Felton said in a video tweeted by Wiley College. Congratulations 2022 Graduates, YOU ARE DEBT FREE! Go Forth Inspired, glorious deeds to do. 🥹🙌🏾 #wileygrad22 #wileycollege #hbcu #hbcugrad #hbcupride #goforthinspired pic.twitter.com/a0zHUDTFc4 — Wiley College (@WileyCollege) May 7, 2022 Per the press release, the donor cleared an estimated total balance of $300,000. With the gift, the graduating class has been provided the freedom to focus on their future careers instead of student debt....

Target is the latest major retail corporation to extend an olive branch for free education to its employees. As previously reported by AfroTech, last month Walmart announced an education initiative in which the retailer would cover full tuition and book fees for their workers to go to college. Now, big-box retailer Target is joining in with its own debt-free education program that’s pledging roughly $200 million to fund the educational pursuits of its employees for the next four years. According to an announcement from the corporation, all Target workers will be eligible for its free education program that will cover fees for select undergraduate programs, certificates, certifications, free textbooks and more with zero out-of-pocket costs starting on their first day of work. The ambitious initiative is said to apply to all 340,000 plus Target employees for what the retailer describes as “the most comprehensive debt-free education assistance program available in the retail industry.”...

Clark Atlanta University (CAU) is now the latest among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to forgive student debt amid the pandemic. According to an announcement from the Atlanta HBCU, it surprised its students last week after announcing that it would be clearing unpaid student account balances from the last five semesters over the 2020-2021 school year. FOX 5 also reported that CAU officials say that roughly 900 students with nearly $2 million in debt will have their balances canceled immediately. “We understand these past two academic years have been emotionally and financially difficult on students and their families due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” President Dr. George T. French, Jr. shared in a statement. “That is why we will continue to do all we can to support their efforts to complete their CAU education. Their academic and professional future is important to me and the entire Clark Atlanta University family. We care about students and want to lighten their...

Have your finances been rocked by the coronavirus? Your credit card issuer might be willing to offer a helping hand, but you’ll likely have to ask for it. As America and the rest of the world wrestle with the COVID-19 pandemic, more daily lives are being upended. Lockdowns, self-quarantines and other drastic measures to stop the spread of the virus are becoming more common here in the U.S., leading to missed paychecks and unpaid time off from work and other hardships. For many Americans, whose financial margin for error is tiny even in the best of economic times, these disruptions can be a really big deal. They can make it hard to pay your mortgage, car loan or credit card bill, for example. The good news is that these disruptions will likely only be temporary, but that doesn’t make things any easier in the short term. Fortunately, you can take steps right now to help your situation: the simplest step is to call your credit card issuer and ask for help. Many credit card issuers have...

Becoming debt-free is no easy feat, but by the age of 24, I was able to pay off $37,000 in student loans. Through sharing my story, I uncovered fears hidden within my friend group. A common theme was believing they had too much debt, the practice of avoiding debt, the shame of accumulating more debt, and uncertainty about how to stop living paycheck to paycheck. Once the fears were in the open, there was an opportunity to heal and grow. After helping my friends, one friend noted that the information was life-changing and too valuable not to share on a larger scale. From there, CreateFinStew was born. What began as a journey of helping my social circle developed into building a company that creatively transforms the financial stewardship of individuals and organizations. Financial Stewardship Financial stewardship is important to me and should be important to everyone because it helps foster good intentions about our present and our future. We are called to be good stewards of the...

ISAs allow students to pay no tuition upfront, in exchange for a percentage of their future income after graduation. This fall, 19.9 million people are expected to attend college or university in pursuit of a degree. It is expected that around one million students will default on their student loans as well. In the past, higher education was seen as a ticket toward higher salaries and better jobs, but today, with student debt balances appreciating, people are starting to think twice about pursuing further education. As the price of tuition increases — the price of college is appreciating almost eight times faster than wages — students are increasingly relying on debt to finance their education. One method to address this problem that has already gained traction in the form of a bipartisan bill — is Income Share Agreements (ISAs) . Income Share Agreements Income Share Agreements , for which bipartisan legislation is being considered, allow students to pay no tuition upfront, in...