Financial planning and literacy are important skills for any adult to have in their toolkit – yet they’re ones that aren’t always taught in American schools. Personal finance can be complicated. Before your child goes away to school, here are some ways to equip them for financial success.
If you’re a high school student considering your next step, traditional four-year colleges are probably on your radar. Junior colleges can be a great place to start your higher education. They’re affordable, accessible, and most allow you to transfer your credits to four-year universities. Before you decide where to pursue your education, take a closer look at community colleges and how they stack up against four-year institutions.
The more tuition costs rise, the more necessary it becomes to start saving for college as early as possible. Opening a 529 college savings plan can be a great way to afford a degree while minimizing student loan debt. If you want to help your child pursue a college degree and avoid student loans, explore the pros and cons of opening a 529 college savings plan.
Paying for college is a complex puzzle for most families. Regardless of your personal finances, a creative approach can help lower costly tuition bills. Chances are you’ve considered federal student aid and private loans – but did you know you could tap into your home equity via a HELOC to fund your child’s education? When it comes to HELOCs vs student loans, there are some distinct differences and disadvantages. Let’s explore.
If you’ve been granted a federal work-study award, your part-time employment could earn you more than just a few extra dollars. For some college students, a part-time job can actually improve focus, lead to higher grades, and teach valuable life skills that can’t be learned in a classroom. These opportunities are vast — but they can be competitive. Don’t sleep on your federal work-study award. Check out these popular work-study jobs and start the application process today.
Congratulations! You’ve made it through the rigor of junior year. Now, it’s onto the last year of high school. Senior year is filled with hard work, a healthy dose of nostalgia, and a lot of preparation if you plan to attend college. Before you focus on making memories during those final weeks of high school, you’ll have a long to-do list to complete. To help you get a jumpstart, we’ve put together 21 ways to get organized over the summer so you can take on senior year with confidence.
If you’re new to the scholarship application process, there’s a lot of uncharted territory and even the most organized aspiring college students could use a little parental assistance. To help students win awards and offset the rising cost of college education, we’ve put together a few tips on how parents can reduce their child’s workload, unspool the complexities of financial aid, and avoid stepping on any toes.
Due to the outsized growth of jobs in STEM fields, educating college students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is increasingly important. But even in 2023, there’s a huge gender gap in STEM fields of study. One survey from MIT found that female-identifying workers made up only 28% of all STEM jobs worldwide. One approach to remedying this inequality? College scholarships for female students in STEM fields.
Due to the rising costs of higher education, more and more Americans are turning to student loans. But for most families, it’s personal. You want your child to pursue their education. So how do you help? While most student loans are taken out by the student, parents can borrow on their child’s behalf. If you’d like to alleviate your child’s loan debt by taking on some yourself, you’re in the right place. Let’s explore the pros and cons of the U.S. Department of Education’s parent PLUS Loan.
If your child hopes to pursue higher education, it’s time to have a serious conversation about financial planning. Even if they’re not a junior or senior in high school, today is a great day to start thinking about the future. While loans can be a helpful way to pay your child’s college tuition today, they can take decades to pay off. And student loan forgiveness is still in its infancy. The best way to set you and your child up for future financial success? Help them graduate from college debt-free.
While earning a bachelor’s degree is a step toward establishing a fulfilling and financially stable future, choosing a career path in an ever-evolving job market is just as, if not more, important. As a graduate entering a competitive workforce or a current college student trying to decide which major to choose, you might wonder which career paths are in high demand. To set you up for success, we’ve compiled a list of the 17 most in-demand, high-paying jobs of the future.
As you prepare to declare a field of study, carefully consider your major. Ask yourself important questions. For example, what are you passionate about? Is your university known for a specific major? And, of course, how important is future earning potential? Particularly if you’re taking on student loans to afford your degree, seeking a high-paying job after college could be important to you. No matter your financial situation, we’ve put together a ranking of the highest-paying college majors to add more data to your decision.
The earlier you can begin conversations with your child about college, the less stress you and your child will experience along the way. For many prospective students, having parental involvement in the application process may be just the edge they need. Striking the right balance between helicopter parent and helpful parent is tough – and the last thing you want to do before you send your child off to college is alienate them. We’re here to help.
Now that you’ve completed your FAFSA® and received your financial aid offer, you might feel a little disappointed. Maybe the school you had your heart set on has only offered you a little bit of aid. Or maybe there’s a small but significant gap between your cost of attendance and what you’ve budgeted to pay for your degree. The good news is that your initial financial aid offer isn’t necessarily final. You can ask your school to recalculate your need with a financial aid appeal.
Even if you’re proud of your child for getting into college, you might not be thrilled about the idea of paying for it. Understandably, some parents feel guilty about not wanting to foot the bill for their kid’s bachelor’s degree. And while many parents help their child pay for school at least partially, not all do. To help you understand what percentage of parents pay for college and why, we put together this guide. Read on for stats and tips to help you make your decision.
If you’re not sure how to pay for college without going into debt, you’re not alone. The good news is that it’s possible to fund your higher education without having to take out loans in the first place. Even with the cost of tuition rising, there are more options than ever to pursue a degree without borrowing. It just takes a little bit of creativity — and a lot of careful planning — to pull it off.
With the cost of college rising by about 7% annually, the days when students could work a part-time job to cover all their college expenses may be gone for good. Still, for many families, the question remains: should parents pay for college? Some parents would like to support their child’s college education but aren’t sure whether or not they can afford to chip in. Others might not be convinced that higher education is totally necessary, and therefore struggle to justify the astronomical cost. If you’re not sure how that affects your personal situation, read on to find out what solution might be right for your family.
Scholarships are one of the best ways to help fund your college education. But unlike financial aid or grants, which award funding based on financial need, scholarships require a bit more work than just filling out a FAFSA. Most awards are merit-based, so even if you meet the eligibility requirements, you’ll still have to put in a bit of elbow grease to win over the selection committee. Fortunately, there are many ways to demonstrate merit. You don’t necessarily have to be at the top of your class to win big. All you need is to think strategically, work hard, and be persistent. To help you do just that, we compiled this list of 20 strategies for how to win college scholarships.
