Paying for College
Full pay as a college strategy
While many families are looking for ways to reduce the cost of college, a new strategy has emerged that actually seeks to pay the full amount for college. The ability to pay the full sticker price can make families more attractive to schools, and thus increase their chances of getting accepted. According to…
Read MoreStudent Aid Index (SAI) – 5 things to know
You fill out the FAFSA, which gives you your Student Aid Index (SAI), which is how much your family will pay for college. Seems simple right? Ah, but like most things with the college process, that is unfortunately not the case. Here are 5 things every family should know about that SAI. 1…
Read More5 Nuggets of College Planning Wisdom
1 Choose a college that is a fit academically, socially AND financially. And a financial fit inherently means that neither the student nor the parents are over-borrowing (see #2). 2 Borrow an amount no greater than the average first-year salary in your chosen field. If total student loan debt is less than your starting salary,…
Read More4 guidelines for taking on student loan debt
Identify the average starting salary for the field the student is planning to go into, and the family should not have any more than that number in total education loans. Considering a school that would leave you with $35,000 debt for an undergraduate electrical engineering degree? That would pass the test for an acceptable amount…
Read MoreTop 5 ways to get more scholarship dollars
Everyone is looking for more scholarship dollars to help offset the cost of college, but the key is understanding what strategies are the most effective. Build the right college list Many families build a college list based on their student’s right academic and social fit (and often aspirations) and leave the financial aspect…
Read MoreWhat is scholarship stacking?
By Anne Weber There’s a term in higher education that people may use when talking about financial aid: scholarship stacking. Scholarship stacking refers to the ability to layer or add up aid, grants, and scholarships from multiple sources. The idea is that a student might be able to secure funding from different…
Read MoreSmall Business Owner Exclusion for Financial Aid Restored
The small business owner exclusion is back. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) reversed a change made in the FAFSA simplification act, by reinstating the small business owner exclusion as part of the federal financial aid formula on the FAFSA. Beginning with any new FAFSA’s completed for the 2026-27 school year, the value…
Read MoreStudent Loan Borrowing Limit Changes from the new budget bill
The new budget bill has overhauled ways students and parents borrow for college. Here is a summary of the many student loan borrowing limit changes. New student loan borrowing limits for federal loans go into effect July 1, 2026. Note that the student loan changes below only apply to federal loans from the government,…
Read MoreNew budget bill expands 529 Plans
The new budget bill expanded the uses of 529 Plans. This continues the policy trend of making them easier and more attractive to use. 529 Plans are investment accounts funded by after-tax dollars where the earnings grow tax-free and withdrawals for qualified education expenses are also tax-free. Withdrawals for non-qualified expenses are taxed as…
Read MoreThe 5 Myths of College Costs
How many purchases in life would you spend hours or even days on without knowing the cost? Imagine looking at homes or vehicles and obsessing over their details to find the right one, only to then be told the seller would get back to you on the price that they were customizing only to…
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