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3 Biggest Mistakes Parents Make Saving for College

Parents around the country have just sent their kids back to school. And many are breathing a sigh of relief. A quiet house again. Gold. But if you’re a parent who plans to help pay for your child’s college one day, now is the time for action.

2018 FAFSA Bug Affects Single Parents

Last year's FAFSA was complicated by a concern with identity theft that shut down the automated IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT). THe 2018 FAFSA has a bug that affects single parents. This is a new error that has been discovered in the FAFSA 2018 – 19

Twenty-One Ways to Pay for College

If your kids are heading off to college, you want to know how to pay for college. Whether they're going this fall, next year or further down the road, you can stay calm by having a plan. In this series of posts , I'll outline twenty-one ways to pay

Pay Off Your Mortgage or Save for College?

As the song in Cabaret goes, money makes the world go round. But there never seems to be enough of it. There's always something. Parents are faced with all sorts of choices when it comes to household finances. One is: Should you pay off your mortgage

Financial Aid Alert: Data Retrieval Tool Suspended by IRS

Completing financial aid forms just got a little harder. Until now data from a family's tax returns could automatically be downloaded from the IRS to complete FAFSA and Profile financial aid forms. But the Department of Education and IRS announced

Grandparents Can Bridge College Cost Gap

For many families, a college education is a significant financial burden that is increasingly hard to meet with savings, current income, and a manageable amount of loans. For some, the ace in the hole might be grandparents, whose added funds can help

How to Pay for College Without Lots of Debt

With some planning, it is possible to pay for a college education without putting yourself behind the eight ball and piling up debt. Here are some strategies that may help show you how to pay for college without lots of debt. Getting a

How to Pay for College After Divorce

 Because I’m often asked as a part of my divorce financial planning practice, I will be addressing the question of how to pay for college after divorce as part of an occasional series. Oftentimes, lawyers and their clients do not adequately

3 College Rankings Worth Considering

With higher education costs escalating faster than traditional inflation, it's important to treat the college selection process as the serious investment it is. Whether you, your child, grandchild or other loved one is researching colleges and

Does a 529 Plan Make Sense with Less than 10 Years to College?

 One way families can help save for college is through a 529 Savings Plan but does a 529 Plan make sense with less than 10 years to college? Recently, I received a press request asking for comment on ways families can save or lower the cost of