College can be an incredibly expensive investment. With tuition costs consistently rising, it’s easy to think that student loans are the best answer when it comes to payment. However, many young people don’t realize that these loans can follow you around for decades, and can directly [...]
Could you use $19,075 per year in financial aid for your child? For most families sending a child off to college, the answer is a resounding “YES.” You see – that figure – $19,075 – is the average annual aid package families have received when they [...]
Financial aid can be incredibly daunting and confusing for families sending their kids to college. It's very easy to fall into a financial aid trap that can leave you in debt for decades. Here are 6 traps to avoid at all costs! 1. The Confusing Financial [...]
In this series I am going to talk about special topics or circumstances if your family situation doesn't fit into the "norm". What I mean by the "norm" is: married, average student, average grades, employed by a company (not your own), non-minority, etc. You get the [...]
In this blog, I am going to talk about two families - The Greens and The Smiths. Both families started out with roughly the same financial situation, and their children applied to the same colleges since they both had B averages and 1,650 on their SAT's. [...]
Congratulations! You just received your letter, you’re in! Or are you? More and more colleges are issuing what are called early decision, a promise of a slot, provided certain criteria are met. Here is the Wikipedia definition of early decision: a common early admission policy used [...]
When you’re applying for financial aid, no number is more important than your Expected Family Contribution. Simply put, the amount of aid you’ll get is figured by taking the cost of college, and subtracting your EFC. Thus, the smaller your EFC, the more money you can [...]
Would saving $10,000, $20,000, or even $50,000 on your child’s education interest you? Here’s a strategy that could potentially save you tens of thousands of dollars, and also improve your child’s chances at getting in an elite college. (Full disclosure: There are some negatives about using [...]
“This almost sounds too good to be true” Say some parents after I share with them just a few facts about the college funding process. Such as: Fact #1: $227.2 billion in financial aid was given out during the 2013-14 academic year. Fact #2: $19,075 per [...]
There’s actually a SECOND form of financial aid you might be eligible for, which can be responsible for handing you a great education at an even cheaper cost. For most families, filling out the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) is one of the necessary pains [...]
