Posts Tagged ‘FAFSA’
BlueStem Wealth Partners webinar slide show
Click here to download the slide show for the BlueStem Wealth Partners client webinar
Read MoreBeware – Retirement savings rollover issue on FAFSA
There is a FAFSA issue that has been tripping up families with qualified retirement savings rollovers that can result in wildly inflated EFC’s (expected family contributions), thus reducing the amount of financial aid they qualify for. Retirement savings moved from one qualified retirement plan to another qualified plan should not be reported as untaxed income…
Read MoreWhy is my EFC going up?
Talk about a double whammy! Despite the rising cost of college, families are at the same time seeing an increase in their EFC (expected family contribution), which is what they are expected to contribute before any financial aid kicks in. In other words, a family with the exact same income and assets today as one…
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 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 MoreShortcut to finding out how much the gov’t expects you to pay for college
College is a strange purchase, one of the few where you don’t know the final price until after you’ve done all the work. Imagine shopping for a home the way most people shop for college. You’d spend months driving (or flying) all over looking at houses that were in a certain neighborhood or had certain amenities.…
Read MoreNow is the time to apply for financial aid
College Inside Track President Chris Wills was featured on the WCCO Sunday morning show with Ali Lucia sharing advice on why families should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible.
Read MoreEarlier FAFSA Submission Date Offers Students Better Chance At Aid
CIT’s Chris Wills was featured on WCCO TV sharing advice on the new October 1 FAFSA filing date. Among his suggestions: Families should file as close to the Oct. 1 date as possible because some of the financial aid is first come, first served. All families should complete the FAFSA, regardless of how much money they…
Read MoreNew FAFSA rules help grandparents contribute
With future FAFSA forms now using tax returns from two years prior (known as “prior prior” in the college world), that adds another year that family members can help pay for college without it negatively affecting financial aid eligibility. First, some quick background: The three main factors used to calculate financial aid eligibility are Non-retirement…
Read More11 Common FAFSA mistakes
We recommend families always complete the FAFSA because you need it to receive any need-based aid, and even if you don’t qualify for financial aid based on your income, some colleges award merit aid (sometimes a few thousand dollars) just for completing it. With some recent changes to the FAFSA, the US Dept of Education recently shared a…
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