College Planning For Busy Parents A Guide To Affordable Colleges Financial Aid Scholarships And Tax Saving Strategies

ABOUT THE BOOK The most important thing to remember about my College Crossroads blog at Forbes.com is that my posts are different than what is typically written elsewhere on college planning, and that is because I bring a rather unique perspective to this specialized area. For almost twenty years I have specialized in helping families determine their best strategy to pay for college, and doing so requires a rare knowledge of how four key areas must come together to form a family's best strategy: College selection, financial aid, tax aid, and personal resources. College admissions and financial aid professionals know their respective areas well, as do tax and financial advisors, but virtually none have a solid grasp of the areas outside their own, let alone how each area impacts the others for college planning purposes. That's where I come in. I have spent twenty years working with families and collaborating with these other professionals, making it my business to make the connections, gain the insights, and innovate ways to help families determine their best strategy to pay for college and enjoy a Real Life Retirement. My blog posts are less about what the latest studies or headlines say, and more about what you really need to know. I am about answers, not more and more information. If I think you need to know about a single topic in more detail, I go to the experts on those topics and interview them in the context of the four key areas: College selection, financial aid, tax aid, and the use of your personal resources to pay your share of the cost, with or without financial aid. It keeps the focus on strategy and simplicity; the best strategy to pay for the colleges that are the best fit. Finally, unless a student is independently wealthy, getting a college degree is ultimately about getting a job. The blog and this book cover that too. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Troy Onink is a nationally-known authority on college planning. Troy has specialized in college planning for twenty years, during which he pioneered this specialized field by integrating the areas of financial planning, investing, college admissions, financial aid, tax strategies, and wealth management, for the purpose of determining each family's best strategy to pay for college. Troy views college as a tollbooth on the road to retirement, and by having a strategy families choose the right exits, pay the toll as wisely as possible, and stay up to speed for retirement. Troy is CEO of Stratagee.com, the firm he co-founded to create innovative college planning software to help families identify where their children may be able to get in to college and get aid, and determine the family's best strategy to pay for the colleges that are the best fit for their children. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Why College Co-Op Programs Totally Rock "I made $46,000 working as a Co-Op student for a great company while I was getting my college degree from a well-known university, and now the company that I did my Co-Op with wants to hire me." This isn't too good to be true. The truth is that College Co-Op programs totally rock, and I could have gotten that quote from thousands of Co-Op students nationwide. There are several reasons why college Co-Op programs rock. Added Work Experience and Job Offers Think about this: One student goes to college, tries to find a job in the summer just to help with expenses, and then graduates on time with good grades but no work experience, and a boat load of student loans. Another student goes to college for the first half of the year, then goes to work at a company that is part of her university's Co-Op program, gains six months of work experience for which she is paid $11,000 - $18,000, then goes back to campus to learn in the classroom, repeating this cycle until she graduates with both a degree and meaningful work experience. Buy the book to read more!

Manuel Fabriquer is recognized as a leading authority on college planning and finance. He has a proven track record for saving families thousands of dollars off tuition while successfully matching students with the right college. He knows how to package students for admissions to earn the awards they deserve. In other words, he knows where and how to find the money, so if you are totally serious about a no-fluff, honest, and strategic approach to college planning, admissions and funding, then you'll find this guide to be a valuable asset and priceless resource in the process. Inside, Manuel discusses a variety of stellar strategies that have helped his clients navigate the maze of the "business of college," and understand its complicated financial system. He shares his vast knowledge so you will gain a new perspective about the process, and learn valuable tips to help lower costs, reduce your expected family contribution or even find free money for college through a variety of awards you may never knew existed. It's a must-read guide for any parent and college bound teen.

Presents a guide to controlling college costs that furnishes helpful tips on the financial aid packages available, filling out application forms, educational loans, updated tax regulations, and additional sources of revenue.

Figuring out how to pay for college can be daunting. Fortunately, Strategies for Maximizing Your College Financial Aid provides much-needed expert advice for understanding the financial aid process, managing student loans, and getting the most money for college. In this succinct guide, financial aid consultant Kal Chany and the experts at the Princeton Review present a concise but comprehensive overview of college financial aid. Inside, you’ll find guidance to demystify the aid process, and information that will help you: · debunk financial aid myths · figure out financial aid terminology · evaluate financial aid packages and awards · understand grants, scholarships, student loans, work-study, and other forms of aid · fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), CSS/PROFILE, and other financial aid forms · choose a college with financial aid in mind · get started on saving for school

FINANCIAL AID MADE EASY! This concise, easy-to-follow guide breaks the confusing college financial aid process down into 8 simple steps to help you afford your education. Alas, not everybody started saving for college when their kid was in diapers. But there’s still hope—and help! This friendly guide distills the confusing financial aid process into 8 clear, actionable steps you can take RIGHT NOW to help afford college. The underlying message is simple: Parents and students who understand how to apply for financial aid get more financial aid. Armed with the checklists, timelines, and info in this book, you’ll be able to: • Figure out what colleges actually cost • Understand grants, loans, work-study, and other forms of aid • Get to know the FAFSA® and CSS Profile(TM) • Research scholarship opportunities • Quickly compare financial aid offers from different schools • Find creative ways to lighten your debt load Note: This book is designed to be a quick primer covering the most useful core finanicial aid information. For students and parents looking for comprehensive, A-Z guidance—including long-term strategies and step-by-step help on the forms—check out Paying for College, The Princeton Review's classic and definitive guide to the A-to-Zs of financial aid.

Inside secrets from two parents who put their five kids through college for next to nothing! With tough economic times, paying for a child's education is harder than ever. Free College Resource Book takes students and parents through the process of weighing options for college funding, including scholarship searches, grants, savings plans, differences between financial aid options, and which financial aid programs provide the best benefits to students, and other sources of money for paying college tuition and fees. This book shows students how to both find sources of funding and prepare winning essays, applications, and interview responses to ensure they meet their financial aid goals. The book also includes a detailed resource section full of websites and organizations willing to help students find financial assistance for college. Written by parents who put five children through college on very little of their own money, this handy guide will aid parents and future college students in their search for the best education at the best price. Easy-to-use reference guide featuring insider tips and advice Overviews the complicated federal financial aid system and provides solutions Suggests a proven plan of action for completing and applying for scholarships and grants Includes a detailed Reference guide to scholarships and financial aid resources Written by two parents who put their five kids through college for next to nothing Prufrock Press offers award-winning products focused on gifted, advanced, and special needs learners. For more than 20 years, Prufrock has supported parents and teachers with a wide range of resources based on sound research. The average day of a parent or teacher of a gifted or special needs learner is filled with a thousand celebrations and challenges. Prufrock's goal is to provide practical solutions to those challenges—to provide readers with timesaving, research-based tools that allow them to spend less time on the challenges and more time on the celebrations. Prufrock Press' line of products features: Resources on parenting the special needs learner Sage advice on teaching in the inclusive classroom Advanced learning tools for gifted children and inquisitive learners Cutting-edge information on innovative teaching approaches Resources for college planning for gifted and special needs learners Prufrock Press is committed to resources based on sound research. It has a senior advisory group composed of the top scholars in the field of education and psychology. All of the company's editors have graduate degrees in education or children's literature, and they all have classroom experience. In essence, when a reader holds a book by Prufrock Press, he or she knows that the information found in that book will be research-based and reflect agreed upon best practices in the field of education and child psychology.

A financial planning expert demystifies the tax law changes that help make college more affordable and offers both immediate and long-term planning strategies.

This report includes a list of books and Internet sources that may help locate student financial aid information for prospective, current, or graduating college and university students. This list includes both general and comprehensive works, as well as ones targeted toward specific types of aid and circumstances (e.g., non-need-based scholarships; female and minority students; students studying abroad; or veterans, military personnel, and their dependents). When possible, the summer release dates for 2012 publications are included as a tool for those doing early planning. Many of the websites listed enable a student to conduct and save general and individualized scholarship, grant, and loan searches on a variety of issues, including intended area of study. Some of these listed resources also contain information on repaying, forgiving, decreasing, or discharging incurred educational financial debt through a variety of options, such as employment in certain professions or localities. This is a print on demand report.