Student Loan Planner

What Student Loan Planner does

Student Loan Planner, operated by SL Planner LLC and founded in 2016 by Travis Hornsby, CFA, is a Durham, North Carolina-based advisory and consumer fintech focused exclusively on U.S. student loan repayment strategy. The firm pairs individual borrowers with CFP, CFA, and CSLP-credentialed consultants for one-hour, customized repayment plans targeted at high-income professionals holding $20,000 to $1 million in student debt. Its core go-to-market is a vertically segmented model: dedicated content, calculators, and community groups for physicians, dentists, veterinarians, lawyers, nurses, MBAs, teachers, and a growing list of adjacent licensed professions, supplemented by a weekly podcast and free occupation-organized Facebook groups.

The underlying technology is a web-based platform built around a proprietary suite of more than fifteen branded calculators covering PSLF, income-driven repayment (including the new RAP), refinancing scenarios, physician mortgages, disability and life insurance costs, Married Filing Separately tax impact, and debt-free-date modeling. Distribution is multi-channel: SEO-driven free tools and content, a weekly podcast, Facebook communities, employer webinars, and an affiliate network spanning SoFi, Earnest, Credible, and LendKey for refinancing, plus insurance and physician-mortgage partners. Brand reputation is supported by coverage in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, and NPR, with a 4.9/5 Google rating across 852 reviews and 4,100+ Shopper Approved 5-star reviews.

The business model spans four monetization layers: (1) fee-based one-on-one consulting, (2) referral and affiliate commissions from refinancing lenders and insurance/mortgage partners, (3) recurring subscription revenue via the SLP Wealth registered investment adviser and the SLP Insiders paid newsletter on Kit, and (4) one-time DIY course sales through Teachable ("Dreams, Not Debt" and "Six Figure Debt to Six Figure Net Worth"). Two wholly-owned subsidiaries, SLP Wealth, LLC and SLP Insurance LLC, extend the offering into fiduciary wealth management and insurance distribution across all 50 states. The company is privately held, bootstrapped since inception, and reports having served over 22,000 clients with projected savings of $1.8 billion across more than $2 billion of student loan debt consulted upon, making it the largest dedicated student loan coaching firm in the U.S. by its own account.

Name

Student Loan Planner

Legal name

SL Planner LLC

Website

https://studentloanplanner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Student Loan Planner is a Durham, NC-based advisory firm founded in 2016 that pairs U.S. high-income professionals with $20K-$1M in student debt one-on-one with CFP/CFA/CSLP consultants, monetizing through consulting fees, lender affiliate commissions, DIY courses, and the SLP Wealth RIA and SLP Insurance subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163), Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Loan Advisory & Repayment Assistance (FSAEAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Loan Refinance & Consolidation (FSAKAIAH), Student Loan Intermediation & Refinancing (FSAEAEAL), Financial Literacy, Debt Counseling & Default Prevention (EDALAJAK), Credit & Debt Management (Credit Scores, Loans, Repayment) (EDAAAJAC)

Keywords

• Student loan consulting
• Loan refinancing services
• Financial planning services
• Loan forgiveness advisory
• Debt repayment planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Chapel Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. One-on-One Consulting Services: Hour-long consulting calls with CFP, CFA, or CSLP professionals who create custom student loan repayment plans for clients with $20,000 to $1 million in debt
2. Affiliate/Referral Commissions: Referral fees from lenders for student loan refinancing, with bonuses ranging from $100 to $1,750 depending on refinance amount. Also earns commissions from insurance and mortgage product referrals.
3. Educational Courses: DIY courses including 'Dreams, Not Debt' (financial planning) and 'Six Figure Debt to Six Figure Net Worth' (investing) through Teachable platform
4. Financial Planning Services: Fiduciary, ongoing financial planning through SLP Wealth for professionals with large student loan debt
5. Newsletter Subscription: SLP Insiders paid newsletter subscription through Kit platform

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Student Loan Planner provides one-on-one consulting services with CFP, CFA, and CSLP certified professionals who create custom student loan repayment plans for borrowers with $20,000 to $1 million in debt. The firm specializes in navigating forgiveness programs (PSLF, IDR, RAP), refinancing decisions, and broader wealth building through its SLP Wealth subsidiary. Free proprietary calculators, educational courses, and a podcast support lead generation and brand authority.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Student Loan Plans One-on-one consulting service pairing clients with CFP, CFA, or CSLP certified professionals to create personalized student loan repayment strategies for borrowers with $20,000 to $1 million in debt.
• SLP Wealth Financial Planning Fiduciary, ongoing financial planning, tax planning, and investment management services through SLP Wealth, LLC (registered investment adviser with SEC) for professionals with large student loan debt.
• SLP Insurance Insurance products offered through SLP Insurance LLC in all 50 states, including own-occupation disability insurance and term life insurance to complement student loan planning services.
• Dreams, Not Debt Course DIY financial planning course delivered through the Teachable platform for students and graduates seeking to manage their finances independently.
• Six Figure Debt to Six Figure Net Worth Course DIY investing course for individuals looking to build wealth while managing student loan debt, delivered through the Teachable platform.
• SLP Insiders Paid Newsletter Premium weekly newsletter subscription providing student loan updates and strategies, delivered through the Kit platform.
• Student Loan Planner at Work Free webinar service for employers to provide employee education on student loan repayment options, PSLF, and IDR waiver programs, with exclusive employee bonuses for consulting.
• Affiliate Partnership Program Partnership program for organizations to refer members to Student Loan Planner consulting services, with branded landing pages, unique booking links, and flat-rate commissions per completed consult.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.8 billion in projected client savings across 22,000+ clients
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kit (formerly ConvertKit)coreTechnology or IntegrationEmail marketing provider used for sending newsletters, promotional materials, and the SLP Insiders paid newsletter subscription. Kit is operated by Kit, Inc.
• TeachablecoreTechnology or IntegrationCourse platform used to deliver DIY financial planning and investing courses (Dreams Not Debt, Six Figure Debt to Six Figure Net Worth).
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processor used to collect and process payments for consulting services and courses.
• PayPalcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processor option for purchasing products and services.
• SLP Insurance LLCcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRelated entity offering insurance products (disability insurance, term life insurance) in all 50 states. SLP refers customers seeking insurance quotes.
• SLP Wealth, LLCcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRelated entity and registered investment adviser with SEC, offering fiduciary financial planning services for professionals with large student loan debt. Located in Durham, NC.
• SoFi (Student Loan Refinancing)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partner for student loan refinancing with bonuses up to $1,250 for eligible clients. SLP receives referral fees.
• Earnest (Student Loan Refinancing)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partner for student loan refinancing with bonuses up to $1,500 for refinancing $200k+. SLP receives referral commissions.
• Credible (Student Loan Refinancing)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partner for student loan refinancing marketplace with bonuses up to $1,750. SLP receives referral commissions.
• LendKeyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partner for refinancing through community banks and credit unions with bonuses up to $1,250.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tuition.io: Employer student loan benefit platform offering repayment support, refinancing assistance, and 401(k) match integration. Directly comparable as a B2B2C student loan advisory and contribution platform serving overlapping employer channels.
• Candidly: Student debt and savings benefits platform sold to employers, with deep focus on PSLF enrollment and student loan repayment assistance. Closely overlaps with SLP's employer webinar channel and PSLF advisory focus.
• Savi: Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) tool and student loan assistance platform, originally incubated by the U.S. Department of Education and now a private employer-benefit solution. Direct competitor in PSLF-focused advisory and tooling.
• Splash Financial: Student loan refinancing marketplace aggregating offers from multiple lenders, similar to SLP's affiliate refinance marketplace (SoFi, Earnest, Credible). Comparable in customer segment (high-balance professional borrowers) and partner lender model.
• Credible: Multi-product consumer finance marketplace including student loan refinancing with bonus offers. Directly comparable on the refinance marketplace and bonus-driven affiliate model.
• Juno (Georgia Tech Alumni): Student loan marketplace and group-negotiation platform originally focused on private student loans and refinancing. Comparable as a student-loan-focused marketplace serving similar high-balance borrowers.

Broad incumbents

• SoFi: Large incumbent online lender and financial services platform offering student loan refinancing, wealth management, and banking. Overlaps with SLP on refinance referrals (as an affiliate partner), financial planning (SLP Wealth), and student loan content.
• Earnest: Student loan refinancing lender (a Navient company) targeting high-balance professional borrowers — the same audience SLP serves. Comparable on customer profile and bonus-driven refinance offers via affiliate channel.
• NerdWallet: Major consumer finance content and comparison platform with strong student loan content and tools. Competes with SLP for organic search-driven calculator and education traffic at the top of the funnel.
• SmartAsset: Financial planning comparison and advisor-matching platform covering student loans, mortgages, and wealth management. Overlaps with SLP on calculator content and the high-income professional advisory segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/studentloanplanner
• Facebookfacebook.com/StudentLoanPlan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/student-loan-planner
• Instagraminstagram.com/studentloanplanner
• TikToktiktok.com/@studentloanplanner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Student Loan Planner