College scholarships aren’t free money

types-of-scholarshipsIt is National Scholarship Month, which means high school seniors are being exhorted to scoop up free money for college.

What they are often not told is that scholarships won from corporations, non-profits and other “outside” sources can reduce — dollar for dollar — the grants and cost-reducing financial aid they might get from colleges.

In my latest for Reuters, why college scholarships can put students who need financial aid at a disadvantage.

In my latest for Bankrate, how women can reduce the odds of ending up old and broke.