Link to my interview about college planning with Your Teen Magazine.

Has there ever been a year as hotly anticipated as 2021? And among all the new year’s resolutions to get back to living our best lives as soon as we can– travel, time with friends and family, in-person school– might I suggest some resolutions for families of college-bound children? I’ve divided them by age range to make it easy for you to pick a few that are appropriate for your family.

A great deal of attention has gone to the renaming of the FAFSA’s Expected Family Contribution to Student Aid Index. The change is a good one, even if it is primarily cosmetic.

169 pages of this week’s stimulus bill are devoted to FAFSA simplification. It’s a great step and I apologize that 169 pages of bill-speak have left me unable to simplify the changes for you yet. Here are a few broad points:

It’s hard to hear the phrase “student debt” without “crisis” appended. But like most types of debt, there is “good” student debt and “bad” student debt. To understand the difference, it’s helpful to look at the economics of a college degree. A college education confers many benefits, but when evaluating debt the economic ones are key.

The American Opportunity Tax Credit is usually the best tax benefit available to families. But it has some rules you should be aware of in order to make the most of it.

If you’re a parent of a high school sophomore (or younger) and reading this, congratulations! Today you’re going to learn some things you can do that will benefit you far more on the FAFSA than the last-minute moves families can make just before filing the FAFSA.

There’s a ton of talk about the FAFSA right now, which on the one hand makes sense because it will be available next week. (Yes, all evidence to the contrary, time does continue marching forward with the result that Oct. 1 arrives next week.)

I had the privilege to participate in the Let’s Talk College webinar series organized by Olivia Pura, a graduate student at the University of Chicago who is using her platform as Miss Illinois USA to advocate for the inclusion and equality of women in STEM fields.

The FAFSA won’t be available until Oct. 1 but in the meantime you can download the EFC Formula Guide for the current year and calculate your Expected Family Contribution.

A lot of people ask about how to prepare for the FAFSA. Doing the FAFSA is a lot like doing your taxes. You can absolutely wait until April 15 to fill out your 1040, but you’ll probably save some money by thinking about your taxes in the fall and taking some steps before the end of the year to mitigate the bill.

Announcing my new Podcast! I’ll be interviewing experts on a wide range of topics covering the world of preparing for college from admissions and academic preparation to athletics, gap years and more.