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📌 Before You File the FAFSA

The new Simplified FAFSA is here! Here’s a quick video with some tips that will help you get through it with a minimum of chaos and maximum of financial aid. 🔗

Most recent posts

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Using I Bonds to Pay for College
Using I Bonds to Pay for College

I Bonds aren’t paying 9% any more, but using them to pay for college can make up for that.

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College Budgeting vs. Wishful Thinking
College Budgeting vs. Wishful Thinking

Yes, your household expenses will change when your student goes away to school. But be careful making assumptions about how much extra money you’ll have available to pay for college.

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Claiming the American Opportunity Tax Credit
Claiming the American Opportunity Tax Credit

It’s tax time, which means it’s time to claim education tax credits you may be eligible for. Unfortunately, a lot of tax software programs don’t provide good instructions for doing so. Here’s what you need to know.

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Why Advisors Don't Recommend 529s
Why Advisors Don't Recommend 529s

A lot of financial advisors tell clients not to use 529s for college savings. If that’s what yours says, you might ask whether they’re acting in your best interest.

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Form 1098-T and 1099-Q
Form 1098-T and 1099-Q

Form 1098-T is a tuition statement that students receive from their college. Form 1098-T isn't filed with your taxes; instead, you use the information to file and then keep it for your records.

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The Truth About 529s and Financial Aid
The Truth About 529s and Financial Aid

What’s the secret sauce of 529s? It’s how great they are for financial aid purposes.

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Highlights

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New Year’s Resolutions

Happy 2026! Last year I made a New Year’s Resolution and kept it. That makes me a self-appointed expert on New Year’s resolutions. Here are some resolutions for parents planning for college— and my expert advice on how to keep your resolutions.

FAFSA and CSS Profile Info for Divorced Parents

Filing the FAFSA and CSS Profile raises tons of questions for divorced parents. Here are some answers.

Comparing Financial Aid Awards

We’re almost there: acceptance letters are arriving and the May 1 decision day is right around the corner. For most families, how much schools cost is part of the decision making process.

FAFSA: Is it an Asset?

What is and isn’t an asset on the FAFSA? Here’s a quick “is it or isn’t it?” for you.

FAFSA Basics: Parent Assets

Parent assets seem to be the area that most families and planners focus on, despite the fact that they typically have the smallest impact on the formula of each of the components. Strategies and tactics to minimize parent assets abound, but for most families these result more in nibbling around the edges than actually making a significant dent in SAI.

Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid

The College Board’s annual Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid report was released recently. Among the headline findings: college tuition prices increased at extremely low rates for the second year in a row, reflecting both a combination of continued impacts of the pandemic and enrollment pressures from demographic trends.

FAFSA Resources

Happy FAFSA Day! Are you completing the FAFSA for the first time this year? While you’re waiting for the site to load, here are some resources that will help you get through it with a minimum of chaos and maximum of financial aid.

New (School) Year’s Resolutions

I think Oregon is one of the last places in the US that starts school after Labor Day so my apologies if you’re no longer in back-to-school mode. Here are some resolutions your family might make for the coming school year. And, here’s hoping they don’t get broken as quickly as the typical New Year’s diet-and-exercise resolutions!

Categories

The FAFSA & CSS Profile

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It’s Graduation Time!
FAFSA Simplification: What You Need to Know 2

Saving for College

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529 Plans: How to get Money Out
It’s Graduation Time!
How Much Should You Save for College?
7 More Uses for 529 Funds
I Bonds for College Savings
Choosing a 529 Plan

Paying for College

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Claiming the American Opportunity Tax Credit
Form 1098-T and 1099-Q
College Tuition Is on Sale!
529 Plans: How to get Money Out
Appealing a Financial Aid Award
Got Work-Study?
 

Student Loans

Featured
Required Reading Alert: Borrowing to Attend Your Top Choice College
It’s Graduation Time!
Student Loan Interest Rates for the 2023-24 School Year
Who is on the hook for student loans?
Student Loans: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Taking out a Student Loan

Application Process

Featured
Appealing a Financial Aid Award
Comparing Financial Aid Awards
It’s Graduation Time!
Colleges Still Have Openings!
Year-End Checklist
Net Price Calculators

Miscellaneous

All blog posts

Ann Garcia Ann Garcia

Waitlisted?

Did you get waitlisted at your top choice college? Here’s what you need to know about that.

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Ann Garcia Ann Garcia

How Much Should You Save for College?

Saving for college feels like the ultimate moving-the-goalposts goal. How can you make good choices about college savings that won’t derail your family’s other priorities?

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Ann Garcia Ann Garcia

Tuition Differentials

Tuition differentials can add significantly to the cost of college. What are they, and will you have to pay them?

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Ann Garcia Ann Garcia

The Problem with Parent PLUS Loans

Many financial aid packages include Parent PLUS loans. While these loans can appear to be a good way to close funding gaps, too often they trap older Americans in a debt spiral.

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