Paying for College
Insider tips for the week of January 1, 2018
How to talk about money with your student – Affording college is a big issues for parents and their kids; take a few minutes to read some helpful tips shared with Money Magazine by Karen Levin Coburn, author of a recent book on the topic. My favorite takeaway: Parents should start out with a clear idea…
Read MoreNeed-to-know education changes in tax bill
The new tax bill will affect numerous areas of education funding and college planning. After numerous versions and last-minute changes, here is a summary of what did (and didn’t) happen: College tuition benefits – Originally targeted to be taxed, tuition benefits for grad students or children and spouses of employees remain tax-exempt. 529 plans –…
Read MoreInsider tips for the week of December 4, 2017
15 things every parent needs to know – A thought-provoking list from DIY College Rankings. My two favorites are 1) You set the expectation for acceptable colleges — not the rankings, your peers or your child’s peers and 2) You shouldn’t base your expectations on another family’s experiences. Take a few minutes to scan the…
Read MoreInsider tips for the week of November 13, 2017
Knowing this one thing about a college can save you money – A commonly overlooked cost is how long it takes a student to graduate not just from a specific institution, but from a specific program at that institution. Consider the double whammy of potentially needing an extra year to graduate because classes may be…
Read More4 essential FAFSA tips
The FAFSA is now available for families of HS seniors and college students starting October 1 and will use tax info from 2 years prior to the term being applied for (2016 tax year info for students starting college in Fall 2018), which was a change made last year. We see families commonly make significant…
Read MoreInsider tips for the week of July 24, 2017
The #1 college shock, according to other families – What’s the biggest financial surprise awaiting families of college-bound students? Check out the answer from a Money Magazine/Barnes & Noble college survey. 6 questions you need to ask on your college tours – With many families using summer break to visit colleges,…
Read MoreInsider tips for the week of June 26, 2017
How to make sense of college rankings – An important read from the NY Times for every family engaging in the college process. My favorite takeaway: “It isn’t like Consumer Reports…the interaction between a student and an institution is not the same as the interaction between a student and a refrigerator.” 4 ways…
Read MoreFederal student loan rates go up for 2017-18
For families that take out federal student loans, college just got a bit more expensive. Starting July 1, 2017, federal loan interest rates are going up for loans taken out to pay for the 2017-18 academic year: Undergrads will pay a rate of 4.45%, up from the current 3.76% Graduate students will pay a rate…
Read More5 tips for negotiating with colleges
For many colleges, May 1 is National College Decision Day, the deadline for families to make deposits to attend the college of their choice. But before families make their final decision and begin forking over lots of money to attend college, they should know it is possible to negotiate with colleges to get a…
Read MoreInsider tips for the week of April 10, 2017
3 ways to talk to your child about paying for college – The Washington Post shares helpful conversation starters for the difficult, yet important, money talk with your student. A hidden college cost you probably didn’t think about – The Hechinger Report shines the light on a little-known reason why the…
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