Many people call themselves “financial advisors” when they should in fact be called sales people. A number of these types are active right now telling parents of high school juniors and seniors that they should buy annuities or life insurance to help themselves in the financial aid process. This “investment” is not as helpful as you might think.
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Student Loans
One great thing about living in the Big Data world is, there is data available on just about any topic. One topic that those going through the college application process should be concerned about is, are graduates of the schools I’m interested in financially solvent? With more than half of students borrowing to pay for college and average loan balances of…
Those wanting to know how the sausage gets made should review the FAFSA EFC formula for the 2016-2017 school year. It is available here. The worksheets provide the detail on the calculations; the tables and supporting documents explain more about the process. This will give you a far more accurate EFC estimate than the FAFSA4caster, though admittedly you’re estimating much…
Last week I appeared in an article in the New York Times’ personal finance section about whether saving for college is advantageous or disadvantageous with respect to receiving financial aid. Many people believe that college savings result in lower financial aid awards; it’s a logical assumption since
Here is a great article on how and why to talk to your student about paying for college. My favorite quote: “Many students view attending their dream school as the reward for working hard in high school. Instead, parents should portray financial independence in their mid-20s—a goal that’s more easily achieved by saving money in college—as the sweetest reward.”