May 4, 2006 Throughout most of the application process the potential student is courting the college but as a recent article in the New York Times points out, when decision making time approaches the roles are reversed. Some schools will lay on the charm extra thick to entice students to choose their acceptance. Personal e-mails, letters, phone calls from Professors, small receptions are all just a few examples of how the college will court their acceptees. According to some college admission staff high quality students have more options to choose from because they are applying to more schools, therefore to them it is increasingly important to lay it on thick. I don’t know about you but I missed the boat when it came to personal invites to sail on the dean of admissions yacht b...

March 26, 2006 What will they think of next? Now there is a way to gurantee a college education. The policy uses the same tried and true concept of establishing an estate or insurance policy. The financial product is designed for kids five and under and like insurance policies varies in price on the age and health condition of the grantors. The end result is that your child will receive the whole enchilada college experience. Tuition, fees, room and board, book allowance are all covered after you pay your policy off of course. For more information go to Secured Educational Funding website. ...

February 6, 2006 Identity thieves have figured out yet another scam to cause turmoil in the lives of their victims. This time they are after students and their financial aid money. As if attending college and trying to secure financial aid isn’t enough of a headache without having to deal with credit clean up! One of the main reasons the identity thieves are able to make this happen is because more forms are readily filled out online. Some financial aid offices do not even require the student to pick up their money in person, making it all the more accessible to steal. How Identity Thieves Pull it Off: After securing a student’s identity the thieves will attend the minimum required amount of time in school only to drop out and cash in on the rest of the cash. Depending ...

January 30, 2006 If you are a student you may already be conscious of your grades for college entrance purposes. One more reason to keep those grades up is the correlation between grades and financial aid. Students don’t have to be the valedictorian or the next Rhodes Scholar but good grades will equal more money. A combination of good grades & early application for financial aid is a wonderful formula for gaining financial aid. Scholarships and grants also come more easily to students who have shown hard work through good grades. If you plan early enough and study hard to receive good grades there is no reason you should not be able to gain thousands of dollars in financial aid. ...

January 30, 2006 The sticker price of tuition is increasingly a scary prospect. How on earth do these schools expect people to pay more than the average median income of a U.S. family? And more importantly why must they charge these prices? There really is no simple answer to those questions. The main thing to remember is not to get discouraged because financial aid is available and will heavily lighten the financial load families and students must bear. Tuition sticker prices are not carved in stone and can be etched away by finding the right financial aid avenues to follow. Colleges and Universities are in a constant state of competition for top students. Therefore, they are always trying to “one up” the competition by offering bigger and better programs, buildings, ed...

January 26, 2006 Many divorced parents get confused about how their child’s financial aid will be evaluated. The main thing you need to know is that the “custodial parent” will be the one to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form. The US Government determines a “custodial parent” as the parent with whom the child has lived with most during the past year. If your child has spent equal time with both parents in the past year then the custodial parent is the parent who provided the most financial support in the past year. An easy way to determine this factor is to identify which parent claims their child as a dependent on his/her tax return. It is important to note that the above information applies to public colleges and Unive...

January 24, 2006 The Coverdell Education Savings: This type of college savings plan can be applied to more than college. A Coverdell Education Savings Account can be used as savings for elementary through high school education as well as college. Parents or students may contribute up to $2,000 a year tax-free. A few stipulations are that single parents may not earn more than $110,000 and parents filing joint taxes cannot have their adjusted income be more than $220,000. Any balance unused can be transferred to a sibling or another family member without penalty. As long as the money is used for education purposes (tuition, books, fees etc.) the money will not be taxed. The Hope and Lifetime Earning Credits can be used in the same year by the beneficiary of the Coverdell account as long ...

January 18, 2005 The Budget Reconciliation Act of 2005 is casting some big waves in the world of financial aid. The 2006 academic year will have a shrinking pool of federal financial aid due to the cuts this piece of legislation has made. In addition the 2006-2007 academic year will bring with it the most students to ever attend college in the history of our nation. The lesson to be learned from all of this is to apply as soon as possible for financial aid! The actual deadline for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is not officially due until July 2, 2007. However, if you wait this long your chances of obtaining federal aid could be very poor. The FAFSA is the only way you can qualify for federal aid and Pell Grants. More than 80% of students fill out the FAFSA...

It’s never too early to start planning for how you are going to pay for your child’s college education. Saving for college is critical. Public Universities raised the tuition for the 2005-06 academic year more than 7%! It’s scary to imagine what that cost might be eighteen years from now. If you have just had a baby or plan to have one very soon here are a few thoughts you might want to consider. Even if your child is older these ideas should help you plan for your child’s education. Make sure you start sorting out your finances now. If you have a lot of debt (maybe from your own college loans) make sure and keep paying them off. Investing in paying off your debts is one of the best financial investments you can make. Along that same line, try not to go de...

When it comes to student financial aid it helps to know every avenue that leads to gaining money for your college education. Below we have comprised some helpful tips that may assist you secure the financial aid you need. Target the High Dollar Private Colleges Applying for financial aid at a pricey college or university may not seem realistic BUT the expensive private colleges often grant more financial aid. These schools have to offer a good deal of financial aid to gain diversification among their students. Therefore the EFC (Expected Family Contribution) for these schools may end up being less than what it might be at a large public university. Not only could you end up gaining more financial aid but you could also end up receiving a top- notch education. There is a lot to gain...