Before you sign up, you have to figure out how you’re going to pay for college each year. The first step in figuring that out is confirming with the school what has to happen for your aid package to be renewed. Then, consider the additional costs that aren’t included in the award letter—travel to and from school, activities your student intends to participate in, spending money. With all of those items written down, you have a good sense of what you’ll actually spend each year. This may seem really elementary, but most Continue reading Planning for College Cash Flow
Monthly Archives: April 2017
“And, It Comes With a Money Back Guarantee”
From time to time, another fee-only advisor writes a post for my blog. This is from Warren Ward of WWA Planning & Investments. I hope you enjoy a new perspective!
Josiah Wedgewood founded his eponymous china company in 1759. He used a range of clever marketing strategies to promote his china across the Western world and among them was today’s title, a selling technique still in common use. These days, such a guarantee is almost assumed as retailers struggle to defend market share. As soon as one Continue reading “And, It Comes With a Money Back Guarantee”
Negotiating an Aid Award
My apologies if this is a little down-to-the-wire. Then again, you might do better waiting until the last minute to negotiate an aid award. If you’re planning to do so, here are a few things you need to know.
The first step is to determine what type of aid is being offered, need or merit (or a Continue reading Negotiating an Aid Award
Update on IRS Data Retrieval Tool
If you have not yet filed the FAFSA for the coming school year, you may be stuck entering your income data manually. The IRS last week said they do not expect the Data Retrieval Tool to be available until the next FAFSA cycle begins in October, due to security concerns. Continue reading Update on IRS Data Retrieval Tool
For Grandparents Wanting to Help
Here is an article I wrote for another advisor explaining how grandparents might be most effective in helping to pay their grandchildren’s college expenses. Should you be among those fortunate enough to have relatives willing to help, you might want to take a look.
How America Pays for College
Sallie Mae’s annual How America Pays for College report has some good news: In the 2015-2016 school year, the average amount families spent on college went down slightly, to $23,688. The biggest decline came on spending for 2-year colleges; families with students in 4-year schools reported spending about the same as in the previous year. In Continue reading How America Pays for College
