Graduate Debt Free: Escaping the Student Loan Matrix

Escape the matrix of student loan debt

In his new book, Dave Shutler analyzes twelve faulty assumptions about obtaining a higher education and shows how they can lead to debilitating college debt. Analogizing to the two realities in the Matrix movies, he reveals underlying facts about the assumptions to high schoolers and their parents.

These assumptions range from deciding whether to attend college in the first place, to the importance of selecting a major, to how to minimize college living costs. This book is a systematic guide to the many misconceptions that students hold in the college application process. Shutler analyzes each misconception, showing how it can lead to debt, and then provides strategies to escape that debt.

Dave Shutler sheds light on scholarships and other significant funding sources that are available for the enterprising student and explores the federal laws that govern student debt. He identifies underlying policy decisions that have contributed to the $1.7 trillion federal debt burden and offers several strategies to help individuals navigate student debt without succumbing to it.

​Through planning, students can take charge of their education and escape the matrix of ever-increasing college costs.


About the Author

David F. Shutler has had careers in the military, business, and law. Graduating with a bachelor's degree in English from Duke, a juris doctor from Penn State Dickinson Law, and a master of business administration from University of Nebraska, he served as a lawyer in the US Air Force before retiring as a colonel in 1999. After retiring, he worked as a business developer for a large corporation, ran a private law practice, and founded a construction company focused on saving energy. Over his career, he has launched a data analytics company, a candy manufacturing company, and a commercial real estate venture. Dave's three sons live with their families on the East and West coasts. He lives a plane ride away in Dallas with his wife, Katie.