Does your student have some down time during the winter break? A quick and easy way to make some money is to do some test prep for the ACT or SAT. In fact, this is likely to pay off far more than any juggling strategies you might be attempting with your income or assets in order to bring your EFC down.

A link to a helpful article on how and why to talk to your student about paying for college.

Strategies for using your 529 savings plan to pay for college expenses once the bills start showing up.

Some colleges are really good at making a little look like a lot. Others are good at meeting students’ need. It’s up to you to figure out which bucket the schools that accepted your student fall into.

So Junior is off to college and now it’s time to start paying the bills. For those who have done a good job putting money away in a 529 account, it’s important that you time your distributions in the same year as your expenses. It’s time to learn about two forms: the 1099-Q and the 1098-T.