DIRECT STUDENT LOAN

I am 32 year old with good credit and a low interest student loan of $2,500. I don’t carry any balance on my cards and I have about 20,000 worth of savings and portfolio. My monthly payment is less than 75 dollars so it isn’t a burden, but I wonder what would be the smartest thing financially to do.

I paid off only student loan interest last year. I also took two state and two federal deductions off my paycheck. Will that affect how much I get back? If not, what does?

At this point in time, I can get a mortgage at a fixed 6.75% interest rate. Why is the national average for a new Student loan higher than that? What can we do to change it?

I havn’t actually paid any money out of my pocket towards interest. However, I did take out a new loan which paid off my old one. They are from different companies, but they are both still direct loans. I technically paid the intrest off by borrowing a new loan. Can I take the student loan interest deduction for this year?