🕯️ Lumen: STEM Loan Planner

Lumen is a precise, arithmetic-first financial planning tool designed specifically for Indian STEM students. It helps prospective and current students navigate the complexities of education loans by providing clear, data-driven insights into total costs, repayment timelines, and affordability.

🚀 Key Features

1. Dynamic Loan Calculator

• Build a comprehensive 4-year cost profile including tuition, hostel, books, travel, and health.
• Prefilled data for major Indian institutions fetched directly from our database.
• Interactive payoff timelines and total interest projections.

2. Affordability Planner

• Compare total program costs against expected starting salaries.
• Verdict Engine: Automatically classifies your loan risk (Comfortable, Stretched, or High Risk) based on EMI-to-take-home ratios.
• Scholarship Matcher: Discover eligible scholarships based on your institution type (IIT, NIT, IIIT, etc.).

3. Portfolio & Repayment Strategy

• Track multiple loans in a single view with a calculated Blended APR.
• Snowball vs. Avalanche: Compare strategies to see which one saves more interest or clears debt faster.
• Visual debt-reduction charts with baseline vs. accelerated payoff comparisons.

4. AI Financial Advisor

• Context-aware assistant powered by Google Gemini.
• Ask questions like "How much will I save if I pay an extra ₹5,000 per month?" and get answers based on your actual loan data.

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Framework: React + Vite
• Language: TypeScript
• Styling: Tailwind CSS + Shadcn UI
• Database & Auth: Supabase
• AI: Google Gemini Pro/Flash
• Charts: Recharts
• Finance Logic: Custom amortization and strategy simulators in src/lib/finance.ts

📦 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+)
• A Supabase project
• A Google AI (Gemini) API Key

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-repo/student-loan-planner.git
   cd student-loan-planner

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables: Create a .env file in the root directory:

   VITE_SUPABASE_URL=your_supabase_url
   VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=your_supabase_anon_key
   VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key

4. Run development server:

   npm run dev

📐 Methodology

• EMI Calculation: Standard reducing balance formula.
• Moratorium: Assumes a 12-month post-graduation moratorium (standard for SBI/BoB/HDFC).
• Take-Home Pay: Estimated at (Annual Gross / 12) * 0.78 to account for Indian income tax brackets.
• Affordability: Based on the 30/45 rule (EMI < 30% is Comfortable, > 45% is High Risk).

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.