Open Letter

Let me tell you about Teri and Mina.

They are different borrowers in different situations, but they are running into the same problem.

Teri has Parent PLUS loans. She’s in her late 60s and living primarily on Social Security. Like many parents, she’s trying to preserve access to income-driven repayment so her future doesn’t hinge on payments she can’t sustain.

She followed the rules as they were explained to her. She went to StudentAid.gov to consolidate her loans. She filed her taxes separately from her husband—correctly understanding that doing so can exclude a spouse’s income from IDR calculations.

Then the system told her something else.

The payment estimate appeared to include her husband’s income anyway. When she asked why, no one could explain it.

StudentAid couldn’t.

Her servicer couldn’t.

The application moved from company to company, but the answers never followed.

Only afterward did she learn that canceling meant she couldn’t reapply online for months, while the June 30, 2026 consolidation deadline continued to approach.

---

For Parent PLUS borrowers, that deadline matters. Miss it, and critical repayment options may disappear.

Sidenote: While she’s blocked from reapplying online, Teri can still submit a paper application to Aidvantage for processing.

---

Mina’s situation looks different on the surface.

She consolidated her loans and was told that her only option was ICR because she earned too much to qualify for other plans. She enrolled. At the time, the federal tracker showed she had 324 qualifying payments toward forgiveness. She could see it. It was documented.

Then the tracker was taken down.

Since then, she has done what borrowers are told to do. She followed up with her servicer. She escalated. She even had ongoing communication with someone inside the Department of Education—someone who repeatedly told her she was “going to be okay.”

But nothing happened.

Her loans weren’t forgiven. No one could explain why. The reassurance never turned into action.

When we met, I explained what the system is actually doing right now—not what it says it’s doing. Under the current administration, forgiveness has been prioritized almost exclusively for borrowers enrolled in IBR who reached 300 payments by April 2025. Borrowers in ICR, even those who appear to have crossed the finish line, have largely been left waiting.

That’s not something most borrowers were ever told.

Legally, Mina now has the right to apply to switch plans due to a recent statutory change.

---

That option did not meaningfully exist before. But her hesitation was immediate. When the stakes are this high, any movement feels dangerous.

That reaction makes sense.

Different loan products. Same unfair outcomes.

Different life circumstances. Same fear of trusting the system.

Different starting points. Same uncertainty about what happens if they make the wrong move.

This is the environment borrowers are navigating.

The rules exist, but their implementation is inconsistent. Systems change without warning. Tools disappear. Different departments give different answers.

Borrowers are left trying to decide whether acting—or doing nothing—will cause more harm.

At the same time, something broader is happening. Trust in institutions has eroded. Confidence in the people and systems meant to guide us has weakened. When authority itself feels unreliable, every decision carries more weight.

Add to that a constant stream of scam calls, fake relief offers, and threats disguised as help, and uncertainty stops feeling neutral. It starts to feel unsafe.

So when something doesn’t add up, borrowers like Teri, like Mina, like you. They don’t lean in. They freeze.

And that hesitation isn’t a lack of effort or intelligence. Rather, it’s a rational response to a system that hasn’t earned easy confidence.

---

But here’s what I want you to know.

I cannot guarantee that every process will run smoothly. It won’t.

I cannot promise that every answer will come quickly. It doesn’t.

What Icanpromise are these three things:

1. When the system sends mixed signals, we slow it down.
2. When the rules and the reality don’t match, we explain the gap.
3. When action is legally available, we make sure you understand it before you decide whether to take it.

You are entitled to certain protections under the law. Exercising those rights should not feel like a gamble—but too often, the system makes it feel that way.

Our role is not to rush you or pressure you. It’s to help you see clearly what is within your control, what is not, and what actually improves your position.

The stakes here are real: fixed incomes, retirement security, housing stability, and peace of mind.

That’s the work. And we’ll keep doing it.

I hope this email helps you move forward, get unstuck, or, even better, gives you a bit of peace. If you ever want one-on-one help with your own situation, you can schedule a consultation here: https://www.tateesq.com/book-a-call

---

I just finished His and Hers on Netflix. All I have to say about the twist at the end is this: GTFOH! That said, the limited series was not disappointing. It’s good filler while we wait for Lioness to return later this year.