April is Financial Literacy month, so I’m going to write about some broader topics that might be helpful to you and your student. Starting with credit scores: what are they, how do you get one, why do you care? My friend Jennifer, who’s also a financial advisor, says that a credit score is the adult version of an SAT score….

If I had a Top 10 list of frequently-asked questions, this would be on it. When are college costs actually due, and how do you pay them? Is that actually two questions? Your first college payment is the deposit, paid when you accept admission — normally on or before May 1. Usually this is a nominal amount (relative to total…

Did you get waitlisted at your top choice school? Here’s what you need to know. This year’s waitlist season unfolds against a significant backdrop: 2026 marks the beginning of the “enrollment cliff,” the long-anticipated drop in college-age students driven by declining birth rates after the 2008 recession. It is projected that the number of 18-year-olds entering college will drop by…

Across the country, millions of high school seniors and their families are debating a big question: Which college? Which college should I go to? Which college is best for me? I’d like to propose a better question: Why college? Rather than picturing your student on this campus versus that one, try picturing them as an adult, going about their life…

College admissions offers are here, and with them, financial aid awards. No matter how generous the award, chances are good that you’re still thinking, “Wow, this is EXPENSIVE!” If that’s you, here’s some good news: It’s OK to ask for more. More good news: about 3/4 of financial aid appeals result in the student receiving additional aid, according to Sallie…