Listen in with VIN Foundation board member and Student Debt Education lead Dr. Tony Bartels in this next installment of our Student Debt Series. In this episode we’re covering the latest news on income-driven repayment application changes
Topics covered included:
As always, we want to hear from YOU. Please share your thoughts by sending an email or joining the conversation.
NOTE: This is an ongoing situation, for continued updates visit the VIN Foundation Blog and student debt message board areas.
GUEST BIO:
Dr. Tony Bartels Tony Bartels, DVM, MBA graduated in 2012 from the Colorado State University combined MBA/DVM program and is a VIN Foundation Board Member and Student Debt Expert, and an employee of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN). He and his wife, a small-animal internal medicine specialist practicing in Denver, have more than $400,000 in veterinary-school debt that they manage using federal income-driven repayment plans. By necessity (and now obsession), his professional activities include researching and speaking on veterinary-student debt, providing guidance to colleagues on loan-repayment strategies and contributing to VIN Foundation resources. Beyond debt, his professional interests include small- and exotic-animal practice. When he’s not staring holes into his colleagues’ student-loan data, Tony enjoys fly fishing, ice hockey, camping and exploring Colorado with his wife, Audra, daughter, Lucy, and their two rescued canines, Addi and Maggie.
LINKS AND INFORMATION:
VIN Foundation Student Debt Center: https://vinfoundation.org/studentdebtcenter
Time for your student loan physical exam? VIN Foundation My Student Loans tool http://www.vinfoundation.org/mystudentloans
VIN Foundation Download My IDR Progress Google Chrome extension to help you grab a copy of your IDR forgiveness progress
VIN Foundation Blog, most recent:
VIN Foundation Navigating Uncertainty Checklist, what you can do now: https://vinfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/VIN-Foundation-What-You-Can-Do-Now-Navigating-Student-Loan-Uncertainty.pdf
Climbing Mt. Debt webinar: What’s Next for Your Student Loans? by VIN and VIN Foundation, February 5th, 2025: https://vinfoundation.org/resources/repay-wiser-veterinary-school-debt-loan-repayment/#MostRecentWebinar
VIN Foundation Relevant WikiDebt Resources:
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