I have accrued loans of all types i.e. Federal loans subsidized and unsubsidized stafford loans. I have a debt of about 48,000. Most are still in grace period and a couple in forberance because I was trying to consolidatate them all to make one payment. They are all in good standing, and I want to keep it that way to lower my debt-to-ratio to try to buy a home the next couple of years. I have heard feedback that direct loans are not always the best plan. What do you recommend I do to be most effective and less cost effective?

I would recommend trying to consolidate your loans. Doing so will enable you to repay your loans with a lower interest rate over a longer period of time. In addition, there is no penalty for making early payments on your loans.

If you've managed to accumulate a large amount of debt, you may have considered a debt consolidation loan to give you some relief. With a debt consolidation loan, you combine all your high interest rate debts into a single, lower interest rate loan. Combining your debts with a debt consolidation loan allows you to lower your monthly payment and makes