Financial Planning for Your Student Loans
8.14.2026
Repaying student loans is just one part of the larger picture of financial planning.
The New York State Bar Association hosted a seminar discussing the strategies for building solid finances while making payments, and the many factors that affect student loans. More than 170 people attended the program.
The panel of financial experts included:
- Renee Kuperman, bankruptcy and restructuring attorney.
- Geoff Urquhart, CEO of Sharp Notions and co-founder of GradFin, a student loan advisory platform.
- Mykole Santiago, associate at Prosperian Wealth Management and financial representative at Strategies for Wealth.
Marcella Jayne, chair of the association’s Young Lawyers Section, moderated the discussion.
“Hopefully, this event will equip you all to have some additional strategies, or some additional ways of thinking of how to address your personal student debt,” said Jayne. “I don’t want to pretend that this isn’t a structural problem. It is a structural problem that’s going to require advocacy and policy changes in order to be addressed.”
Jayne added that attorneys are welcome to reach out to her if they want to advocate for change and are interested in more section programming related to student loans.
The speakers said that student loans are one part of a person’s financial picture and should be accounted for alongside savings and planning for the future.
“Don’t say, I have debt, I can’t save, I can’t invest, I can’t put money into retirement,” said Santiago. “Because when you’re done paying debt, what did you build during the meantime? So make sure that you’re taking care of different aspects at the same time. Revise your plan. You’re not going to create a 30-year plan, you’re going to create 30 one-year plans.”
Santiago said that revising one’s financial plan is important as attorneys progress through their career and circumstances change.
“You get a new job, you get a raise, you get married, you have a child, you buy a home, you become a partner,” said Santiago. “All of those things are triggers to make sure that you are revising the plan.”
Santiago also warned against lifestyle creep, or spending on expenses as one’s income increases. She advised setting aside a set amount into a separate account for savings and investments.
“The one key thing that everyone should take away from this is that the student loan strategy and repayment strategy is really part of a broader financial plan,” said Urquhart. “And everybody’s situation is unique.”
For example, he advised students who plan to start law school right after finishing their undergraduate degrees to file their taxes even if they had no income. This reduces interest on repayments – albeit it depends on the plan and changes to federal policies.
“Planning for that repayment post-graduation is becoming more and more important while you’re in school,” Urquhart said.
Kuperman discussed what happens to a person’s student loan debt when they declare bankruptcy.
“Bankruptcy isn’t necessarily the first option, but it is an option that is available,” said Kuperman. “The main question everyone wants to know is: Can student loans actually be discharged in bankruptcy? It’s not an easy answer. It is possible. It’s not easy, and it’s not a given, but they do receive special treatment.”
