Hang Out with the Locals While parents may be nostalgic about their days on campus and movies glamorize the experience, let's look at the reality for the moment. One reason college is so expensive is because it is an emotional purchase. So colleges can and do charge whatever the market will bear in our free market system. But let's take a cold, hard look at the numbers. With the average ... Read More
Paying for College
College Planning: Cost-Cutting Strategies for Every Family
Regardless of your income or the results of your Student Aid Report, every family can benefit from strategies that will help cut the cost of going to college. And the best part is that you can do many of these without buying an insurance or investment product. One thing to consider is that the average student completes a Bachelor's degree in more than four years. It is closer to five years. ... Read More
Paying Less for College Series
If you have a student entering college in the Boston area in the fall of 2012, then you know that college tuition bills are coming due in August. While it is hard to think about during the "lazy days of summer," you can't ignore dealing with this. Otherwise, you'll end up in a cash crunch emergency. So plan ahead and consider these easy steps. Paying less for college is a matter of being an ... Read More
How to Save on the Cost of College – A Series
Graduation season is behind us. Those beaming faces seated in front of podiums eagerly awaiting their graduation certificate or diploma from middle or high school are now probably lounging by the pool waiting to begin the next phase of their school "career." For parents of middle-schoolers entering high school, the thought of college can be as oppressive as the sweltering summer heat. Not ... Read More
Ask the Adviser: Appealing College Financial Aid Packages
Is it possible to get a college to reconsider their financial aid package? My son was accepted into his top choice and then a few of his lesser choices. The only problem is that School #1 presented us with a financial aid package that is about 1/3 less than what some of the other schools offered. Is there anything that we can do? Do schools ever reconsider their financial aid packages? Boston ... Read More
Planning Tools for College, Taxes and More
Financial planning is like life: A Journey, not a Destination. These resources are here to provide useful guides and maps along the way. These are just tools. A hammer and chisel are just tools. But handled well and in the hands of a craftsman, they can create masterpieces. If you need help crafting your personal masterpiece, we welcome being a part of your team. Useful Guides from ... Read More
529 Plans for College: Do The Numbers Add Up?
As college costs continue to rise, parents continue to search for ways to lower the pain in their wallets from getting a college degree. What could be better than having the money saved to pay for college? How about having help from Uncle Sam? But with so many choices, how can you most effectively accomplish the twin goals of paying for college and saving your retirement nest egg? I discuss ... Read More
Ask The Adviser: Can EE Savings Bonds Be Cashed In for Tax-Free Use for Parochial School?
Recently, a blog visitor was searching on the term "EE Savings Bonds," "Tax Free" and "parochial school." Evidently, this visitor has a child in a private elementary or secondary school. With good planning and generous help from family and friends, he has a number of EE series savings bonds in the child's name. Given the tax breaks available for certain higher-education expenses and the ... Read More
Paying for College Without Going Broke – Part of a Series
If you have two years before your student enters college … Test Prep Every tenth of a point added to a student’s GPA may save thousands of dollars in loans that won’t have to be paid back later because colleges will give preferential aid to good students. So now’s the time to consider test prep courses for the SAT. Business Interest Financial aid is based on the parents’ tax return from ... Read More
Paying for College: Myths About Financial Aid That May Blow Your Retirement
For most families, paying for college for their kids rivals buying a home as the largest investment that they will ever make. College is viewed - and rightfully so - as a key to a better future. Even as the cost of college continues to escalate at a pace almost double the inflation rate (nearly 5% per year compared to the historic average of nearly 3% for CPI), there is still a high and growing ... Read More
