The U.S. Department of Education announced that its quadrupling the interest rate discount for federal student loan borrowers who enroll in autopay, raising it from 0.25% to a full 1 percentage point starting July 1, 2026.

Borrowers who sign up for automatic payments (or who are already enrolled) will get a 1% reduction on their federal student loan interest rate. The discount is temporary: borrowers who enroll by September 30, 2026 (or are already enrolled) keep the benefit through June 30, 2028.

Already on autopay? You don't need to do anything. Loan servicers will automatically apply the extra 0.75% on top of the existing 0.25% discount.

Why It Matters

This is a nice change for borrowers on standard repayment plans (Standard, Extended, Graduated), where monthly payments are tied to the loan balance plus interest. A lower rate means more of each payment goes to principal, less goes to interest, and the loan gets paid off faster.

The impact is smaller for the roughly half of borrowers in income-driven repayment (IDR) plans. Their monthly payments are based on income, not the balance, so a rate cut doesn't lower what they pay each month. It can still help shrink the eventual "tax bomb" (the potential tax liability on a forgiven balance) by slowing how much interest piles up over the years. But given this discount is only temporary, the savings is minimal.

The Catch

The new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), launching the same day, already tackles runaway interest a different way. RAP waives unpaid monthly interest when borrowers make on-time payments and adds a matching principal payment of up to $50 a month, so balances decline rather than grow. For borrowers headed into RAP, the autopay rate cut and the plan's interest subsidy do much of the same work.

Borrowers also have to stay enrolled in autopay to keep the discount, and it only applies to Direct Loans originated after July 1, 2012.

By The Numbers

Before the pandemic, more than 80% of borrowers in active repayment used autopay. Today, only 40% do. The Department says it expects the larger discount to push enrollment back up and improve repayment rates across the federal loan portfolio.

Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent called it a "temporary interest rate reduction" that should help borrowers "stay on track for key student loan benefits," including Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which requires 120 on-time payments.

Borrowers should realize the total value of this benefit is just a few hundred dollars. On a $40,000 student loan balance, the extra 0.75% is worth roughly $600 in saved interest over the two-year window (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2028). 

How This Connects

The change lands as millions of borrowers face a forced choice. With the SAVE plan gone, borrowers must pick a new plan, and starting July 1, the main options are RAP and the new Tiered Standard plan, which sets fixed terms of 10, 15, 20, or 25 years based on balance. 

The College Investor's breakdown of RAP notes that RAP's biggest edge is its interest subsidy: unlike IBR, your balance won't grow even if your payment doesn't cover the interest. For borrowers weighing those plans, see how the Repayment Assistance Plan works and these two remaining repayment options now that SAVE is gone.

If you're on a standard plan and not yet on autopay, enrolling before September 30 is close to free money. If you're in IDR or moving to RAP, the rate cut helps at the margins but the plan you choose matters far more than the discount.

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Kashkick is a free rewards platform that pays users for completing surveys, playing mobile games, and completing partner offers. While it will never replace your day job, it provides an easy way to earn a little extra money during your downtime. If you are looking for a flexible way to earn a little extra cash, Kashkick could be the solution. 

What Is Kashkick?

Kashkick is an online platform that pays users for completing simple online activities, such as taking online surveys, playing mobile games, and signing up for partner offers. 

What Does It Offer?

Let’s take a closer look at how you can make money with Kashkick. 

Play Games

Accept Reward Offers

Kashkick partners with various brands, including financial institutions, subscription services, and other companies, to provide paid offers to its users. You usually have to take a specific action to earn money, such as signing up for a service, making a purchase, or starting a free trial. 

While the reward offers are enticing, it’s usually only worthwhile to accept these offers if you are already considering the product or service.

Related: Best Bank Account Bonus Offers 

Take Online Surveys

Like many other rewards or GPT apps, Kashkick will pay you for completing surveys on its platform. The amount you can earn varies by survey, but most reports I've seen online state that $0.10 to $0.50 is pretty standard for short surveys. The question is, how many will you get? Before you can take the survey, Kashkick requires you to complete a quick pre-qualification survey. So, depending on your situation, the number of surveys you are eligible for might be limited. 

Related: Best Paid Survey Sites

Sign-Up Bonus

When you sign up with Kashkick, you’ll be asked to complete your profile, which involves providing some basic information about yourself. If you move forward with completing your profile, you can earn a $1 sign-up bonus.

Are There Any Fees?

Kashkick is completely free to use. However, you’ll need to reach a minimum threshold of $10 before you can request a withdrawal. 

How Does Kashkick Compare?

Kashkick is far from the only platform offering a way to earn cash in your free time. Here’s how it stacks up.

As the name suggests, you can earn money by taking surveys with Survey Junkie. On average, the payout per survey is between $0.50 and $3. The platform's lower $5 withdrawal threshold could make it easier to get a small amount of cash quickly.

Swagbucks is another platform that pays you to take surveys, read emails, shop online, watch videos, play games, try offers, and more. The $5 sign-up bonus is enticing, and you can cash out for some gift cards when you earn 300 Swagbucks ($3). 

How Do I Open An Account?

You can open an account with Kashkick in minutes using your email address or another supported method, such as your Facebook, PayPal, or Google account. You’ll also need to set a password. It took me less than a minute to sign up. Once you sign up, you’ll need to provide your PayPal email address to accept payouts.

It’s worth noting that Kashkick is only available in the U.S., and it cannot be accessed via a VPN.  

Is It Safe And Secure?

Kashkick is a legitimate online rewards platform with a long track record of paying users for completing surveys, playing games, and participating in promotional offers. The platform uses PayPal for payouts, which is a secure way to receive cash. According to Kashkick, it will not sell your personal information. But keep in mind that you will be required to share some personal information to qualify for surveys and offers, so you'll want to review Kashkick's privacy policy before you sign up. 

How Do I Contact Kashkick?

You can get in touch with Kashkick by emailing support@kashkick.com.

With over 7,000 reviews, Kashkick has earned a "Great" 3.9 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot. The app also earned 4.4 out of 5 stars on the Google Play Store and 4.7 out of 5 stars on the Apple App Store. While not guaranteed, these ratings suggest you can expect a positive experience with Kashkick. 

Is It Worth It?

Using Kashkick offers a way to earn cash in your spare time. While you certainly won't earn enough to generate a full-time income, there are worse ways to spend your downtime. Of course, the best way to maximize your income potential is to sign up for multiple survey apps, like Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, and other top platforms. After all, there is no rule limiting how many apps you can use. 

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) announced she will introduce a resolution to impeach Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, accusing her of illegally gutting the Department of Education by shifting more than 100 programs to other federal agencies without congressional approval.

The resolution alleges McMahon violated her oath of office, made false and misleading statements to Congress, and broke federal law by transferring the operations of multiple offices to agencies outside the Department — actions Bonamici says only Congress has the power to authorize.

What The Resolution Claims

According to Bonamici's office, McMahon has approved at least seven interagency agreements since taking office that moved core Department functions elsewhere.

Among them:

• Treasury to take over the collection of defaulted student loans
• Carl D. Perkins career and technical education programs moved to Labor
• Special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act shifted to HHS
• Civil rights enforcement was routed to the Department of Justice.

"Secretary McMahon has betrayed students, families, and educators by dismantling and demolishing the Department of Education, something she does not have authority to do," Bonamici said. "Congress created the Department and it would take an Act of Congress to shut it down."

Why It Matters

The resolution puts a formal label — "high crimes and misdemeanors" — on a dismantling effort that has been building for more than a year. McMahon told the House education committee in May that the administration was delivering on a "mandate" to sunset the Department, which has shrunk from roughly 4,200 staff in 2024 to about 2,300 in 2026.

For students and borrowers, the practical question is who actually runs the programs they depend on. Federal student aid, special education protections, and civil rights enforcement are statutory obligations.

Moving the people and money behind them to agencies that have never administered them raises real questions about oversight, continuity, and whether funds Congress appropriated reach schools as intended.

Reality Check

Impeachment of a Cabinet secretary is exceedingly rare: it has happened only twice, to Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876 and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024, and neither was convicted. 

As a resolution from a minority-party member, Bonamici's measure faces almost no path forward. House leadership controls whether it ever reaches a floor vote, and conviction would require a two-thirds Senate majority that does not exist.

The move is best understood as a formal protest and a marker for the legal and political fight over the Department's future, not a credible threat to remove McMahon.

The more consequential battles are likely to play out in court, where the central dispute is the same one Bonamici raises: whether the executive branch can relocate congressionally created programs without Congress signing off.

How This Connects

The College Investor has tracked the Department's wind-down closely, from Trump's March executive order directing McMahon to begin shutting it down to the Supreme Court greenlighting mass layoffs and the student loan portfolio's move toward the Treasury Department. In May House testimony, McMahon defended the program transfers and confirmed more than 100 obligations had already been reassigned.

Bonamici's resolution is the latest escalation in that ongoing fight, and the legal question at its core (what the administration can do without Congress) will shape how federal aid and protections function for the millions of Americans who depend on them.

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Student loan servicers have started placing automated phone calls to SAVE borrowers, warning them that their loans will reenter repayment when the forbearance ends and that they'll need to pick a new plan or one will be chosen for them.

Some borrowers have begun shared transcripts of the messages online. One automated message from Nelnet tells borrowers their "loans will reenter repayment when the SAVE plan ends" and that they "will need to choose a new repayment plan. If you don't choose a plan, one will be assigned for you."

The call points borrowers to StudentAid.gov, notes that the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) "becomes available starting July 1st," and reminds those enrolled in auto-debit that payments will pull automatically even if they don't select a plan and default to Standard.

Why It Matters

The Department of Education has been contacting borrowers in the SAVE plan forbearance over the last several months. A second email "courtesy" notice went out in May, and in an interview with The College Investor last week, Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said another round of outreach will happen in June.

This round would be the first direct outreach many SAVE borrowers will have received by phone. Roughly 7 million borrowers still need to leave SAVE, and the calls appear to be designed to ensure as many borrowers are reached as possible.

We reached out to the Department of Education for comment, but haven't heard a response.

The Details

The SAVE plan was struck down in court and the remaining borrowers in the associated SAVE forbearance will need to select a new repayment plan in the coming months. 

Starting July 1, 2026, servicers begin formally notifying borrowers, who then have a 90-day window to choose a new plan. The new options include RAP and a tiered standard plan, alongside existing IBR. Borrowers who don't act risk being moved into the standard repayment plan.

RAP, the new income-driven option, sets payments based on adjusted gross income minus $50 per dependent and includes an interest subsidy and a principal match designed so on-time payments always lower the balance.

Watch Out For Scams

Major changes like the SAVE forbearance ending are exactly when scammers ramp up, preying on confused borrowers with urgent calls, texts, and emails. 

Real servicers will never ask you to pay a fee to switch repayment plans, and no legitimate company needs an upfront payment to do something you can do yourself for free.

If you get a call about your loans, don't share personal information, your FSA ID, or payment details on the spot. These are red flags for student loan scams.

Hang up and reach out directly using a number you trust — call your servicer at the number on your official statements or log in at StudentAid.gov. 

Picking a new plan, enrolling in RAP, and setting up auto-debit are all free and can be done quickly and easily online, and nobody needs to pay a third party to get it done.

How This Connects

This latest round of outreach matches what we heard directly from the top federal official overseeing the program. In our June 10 interview, Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent told us that the SAVE plan is "dead," that servicers would notify borrowers in tranches rather than all at once, and that another round of notices would go out to borrowers in June as a reminder ahead of the July 1 changes.

Kent's advice to borrowers was blunt: "Don't wait until July 2nd."

The automated calls now circulating appear to be exactly that June reminder wave. Kent noted more than 300,000 SAVE borrowers had already switched, leaving roughly 7 million who still need to move.

He also reiterated that broad forgiveness "is not going to happen," so borrowers should plan to repay.

The calls are likely a legitimate reminder, but borrowers shouldn't make decisions over the phone. The safest move is to log in directly at StudentAid.gov, compare RAP against the tiered standard and IBR plans using a student loan calculator, and confirm auto-debit settings before billing resumes. 

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What is an asset? It’s a resource with economic value that someone controls with the expectation that it will provide future value.

When most people think about assets, they think about stocks - large cap, small cap, international. Or maybe they think about the mix of stocks and bonds (have you heard of the 60/40 portfolio).

But the problem with this approach is that stocks and bonds are just paper assets - that’s one type (or bucket) of assets. But it’s not the only bucket of assets.

And if you want to really understand your money, you need to look at all the buckets of assets you might have - and you need to create a balanced approach across them all. Let’s dive in and understand what the main buckets of assets are, and how you can use this to think about your money.

4 Main Buckets Of Assets

There are 4 main buckets of assets:

• You
• Paper Assets
• Real Assets 
• Business Assets

You: You are typically your biggest asset, at least for the first 25% to 50% of your life. You earn money, typically by working, which can provide for you and your family. 

Paper Assets: These are stocks, bonds, options, cryptocurrencies, or anything else that you don’t physically own, but represent a value of some type. This is a big bucket for a lot of people - your 401k typically holds your paper assets.

Real Assets: These are physical assets, such as real estate. There are a variety of real estate assets, but these can both provide physical ownership and cash flow.

Business Assets: This is a business that you own. It can be combined with you, but typically this asset bucket focuses on both the value and cash flow that a business provides (outside of a salary). 

Let’s dive into each a little more to understand how they impact your money.

You (Typically Your First Asset)

You are typically your first asset (I say typically because there are a few people that might have inherited money or have a trust fund, but for most of us, that’s not the case).

When I say “You”, I’m referring to your personal ability to earn money. This means going to a job and earning a paycheck. Or side hustling and earning some income. This income stream involves you doing something with your time, and in exchange, you earn money.

You can grow the amount of money you earn by increasing your skills or value. For example, this could mean specializing in a trade or going to college to get a degree. By improving yourself, you have the potential to earn more value for your time.

For example, the minimum wage in California is currently $15 per hour. However, if you build a specialized skill, like being an electrician, you can earn $36 per hour on average. And if you go to college to become an attorney, you can earn $100 per hour on the low end, or upwards of $500 or more if you specialize and gain experience.

The bottom line is your ability to earn money is an asset - treat it as such. And leverage your early ability to earn to diversify.

However, compared to other assets, your income typically does NOT grow as much as other assets. So you need to be mindful of that as you build wealth.

Paper Assets

Paper assets are a big bucket of assets - including stocks, bonds, options, cryptocurrencies, and more. The key distinguishing factor here is that paper assets can be transacted with fairly quickly and easily (whether converting to cash or trading or selling). They get their name because they used to be pieces of paper that define ownership of an asset - such as stock share certificates. Today, most of the ownership here is digital.

Paper assets are usually the first stepping stone most people take beyond themselves. For example, investing in a 401k at work. This is ownership in stocks - a paper asset.

Real Assets

Real assets are a contrast to paper assets in that they are ownership of tangible or physical things - typically real estate. As a result of being something real, transactions are typically harder or slower to process.

Real assets can provide value both intrinsically - by just existing - or by generating cash flow. Or both, in the case of most real estate assets. 

The challenge with real assets, especially real estate, is that the bar to entry can be high.

Business Assets

Finally, you have business assets. This is direct ownership of a business that can generate cash flow or hold value outside of your personal salary or wage. This is ownership beyond a side hustle - to hold a business asset means that you can sell it and another company would pay you for your business without you in it.

Business ownership has been a clear path to wealth creation over the years, but it does typically take a combination of both your time and potentially your money, to make it happen.

How To Think About Your Money Across These Asset Buckets

So, with this understanding of money, what does it mean for your personal finances? Well, in the most simple terms:

During your working years, you should be taking excess money from the “You” bucket (i.e. your earnings), and putting them to work in other buckets - paper assets, real assets, or your business. 

At some point in the future, you want the other buckets to have grown large enough that you can use the income produced by them to replace the income generated by “You”.

But there are also practical considerations you might want to think about on your journey. For example, if the “You” bucket, or maybe the “Business” bucket grows to large, you might want to make sure you’re diversifying into paper assets or real assets to protect yourself.

Of, if you have a heavy cash-flowing business, it might dictate what types of paper assets you hold. For example, you might want to keep a more conservative paper portfolio to offset a highly risky or volatile business.

Final Thoughts

This concept might seem pretty common sense - but it’s important to visualize it and strategize around it. While your “plan” might be to work until retirement by simply using the “You” bucket - your plan could be derailed by something outside of your control.

Also, when you think about diversification, it doesn’t just mean within a bucket (i.e. within paper assets). It also means diversifying across buckets.