financial aid

Monday’s need-to-know money news

September 15, 2014 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: Tax breaks that can help pay for your kid’s college. Also in the news: How to prevent bad financial decisions in old age, when it’s time to call in a financial adviser, and the surprising answer as to whether or not you should pay off your mortgage early.

Tax breaks that can help when paying for college
See what your family may qualify for.

Preventing bad decisions in old age
Preparing for the time when you’re unable to make wise decisions.

Should You Pay Off a Mortgage Early? The Answer May Surprise You!
One of the rare occasions where paying early doesn’t pay off.

When Should You Use a Financial Advisor?
At what point should you enlist help with your finances?

3 Reasons to Check Your Credit Report Today
One in nine Americans have never checked their credit report.

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

September 10, 2014 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: How to build your retirement nest egg on a small salary. Also in the news: Why Millennials are rejecting credit cards, tips on how to decide between saving money and paying off debt, and eight faster ways to pay off your student loans.

How to Plan for Retirement When You Don’t Make Much Money
Increasing the size of your tiny nest egg.

Why Millennials Are Rejecting Credit Cards
The massive amount of student debt is playing a big role.

5 Questions to Help You Decide Whether to Save or Pay Off Debt
What to do with your extra cash.

8 Ways to Pay Off Your Student Loans Faster
The quicker the better.

How to Balance a Fun Life With Your Financial Goals
You know what they say about all work and no play.

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

August 26, 2014 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: The secret weapon you should use to build a bigger 401(k). Also in the news: Avoiding the deferred interest credit card trap, talking to your kids about money before they leave for college, and why some borrowers with older student loans could see their payments reduced.

The Secret To Building A Bigger 401(k)
A financial adviser could be the secret weapon.

When 0% Interest Isn’t 0%: Credit Card Tricks You Must Know
Avoiding the deferred interest trap.

How to talk money before they go off to college
One of the most important conversations you’ll have before they leave.

Help is on the way for some with student loans
Those with older loans could see some relief.

The Most Expensive Mortgage Mistakes You Can Make
Avoid these at all costs.

Gamers helping gamers…get into college

June 25, 2014 By Liz Weston

Samantha Castillo drove her family a bit crazy with her love for video games–and her criticisms of the ones that could be better. She loved educational games when she was little, for example, but found the games for older kids could be pretty dull.

So she jumped at the chance to learn game design from USC’s Game Innovation Lab when she was in high school. In return, the lab wanted high schoolers’ help in designing games to make it easier for first-generation students to apply for college.

“First generation” students are those whose parents haven’t gone to college. The knowledge gap between those parents, and the ones with college degrees, can be huge. Kids without parents to guide them through the application and financial aid processes are less likely to attend college, and less likely to get college degrees when they do. A big problem is “under-matching,” when the student settles for a much less challenging or selective school than the ones for which she’s qualified.

That could have been Castillo, who lives in a neighborhood where just getting through high school is considered an accomplishment. She had a vague idea that she might go on to community college, but wasn’t sure what that would involve.

So she asked a lot of questions, and helped to research the answers. Just the fact that the game developers listened to her and her opinions gave her more confidence.

Fast forward to today: Castillo is about to graduate USC with a degree in neuroscience. She credits the game lab, and working on its college application games, with the big step up in her ambition and accomplishment.

For more on Castillo, and the games, read my Reuters column this week: “To get into college, play a game or two.”

Money rules of thumb: College savings edition

May 12, 2014 By Liz Weston

A college degree today is what a high school diploma was 60 years ago, a college consultant told me. Meaning: the bare minimum for staying in the middle class.

There will be exceptions, of course, but your kid is unlikely to be one of them. So here, in my ongoing “rules of thumb” series (previous editions include retirement and cars), are a few guidelines about saving for college:

So here, in my continuing “Rules of thumb” series, are three guidelines regarding cars: – See more at: http://asklizweston.com/page/3/#sthash.BwXsoYOC.dpuf

Save yourself first. No one’s going to lend you money for retirement, so that has to remain your top priority–hard as that is for parents to hear. Think of it this way: by saving for yourself first, you’re reducing the odds that you’ll have to move in with your kid in old age. Trust me, she’ll appreciate that someday.

But save something. Even if it’s just $25 or $50 a month to start, putting something away for college helps solidify it as a goal–and anything you can save will reduce your child’s future debt load (since most financial aid is actually loans, not grants or scholarships).

Use a good 529 plan. Money saved in 529s is tax free when used for college education costs, and most of these state-run plans are pretty good these days, thanks to better investment options and lower fees. Morningstar runs an annual list of the best and worst plans.

The more you make, the more you’re expected to save. Federal financial aid formulas aren’t adjusted for regional differences in cost of living. There’s no exception made for families that have experienced hard financial times in the past. The higher your income, the more the formula expects you will have saved…to the point where someone with an income over $100,000 could be expected to fork over a third of it for college costs. There are ways to reduce college costs, but knowing the reality of financial aid formulas will help you to understand the maxim that “if you CAN save for college, you probably SHOULD.”