January 11, 2016 . College Admissions, College Funding, College Planning, Financial Aid, Saving for College

January 2016 Newsletter

Welcome 2016! Workshops, FAFSA Tips & More

Happy New Year!

January marks the beginning of the 2016/2017 FAFSA season for high school seniors and current college students. It’s time to apply!

Every college has a different deadline for the FAFSA. Some are as early as January 15th. Submit your FAFSA as soon as possible, that way it’s a load off your mind and you’re also first in line to receive any grants you may qualify for. The earlier, the better!

Check out our Senior Scoop for tips to avoid making mistakes on your FAFSA.

This month’s Featured Find is written by Kevin James, a research fellow with the Center on Higher Education Reform at the American Enterprise Institute. He suggests media overhypes student debt and also overlooks the struggles of other groups – like those with debt and no degree – who are often far worse off. It is an interesting prospective.

If you have younger college bound students and are ready to get the facts on “How to Survive Paying for College,” join me at one of my January events. I’ll be hosting a workshop at our San Carlos, CA location on January 20th and presenting at Davis Senior High School in Davis, CA on January 27th. Everyone is welcome! You can reserve your seats here.

We hope you enjoyed your holiday and New Year! Now is the time to focus on your college planning. Sign up for a workshop or give me a call to take your next step on the path to creating a clear college funding plan.

All the best,
Beatrice Schultz, CFP®
Westface College Planning
(650) 587-1559

Photo credit: Getty Images

Featured Find

Debt and No Degree

Graduating with debt is a struggle, but student borrowers without a degree have it much worse.For all the back and forth about student debt in America, the debate is too often evidence-free. Thankfully, earlier this month student aid expert Mark Kantrowitz added some much-needed analysis to the discussion.Kantrowitz’s study shows that an increasing fraction of America’s college graduates are leaving school with what he labels “excessive student loan debt.” That is, many are leaving with debts large enough that their monthly payments will likely consume an unmanageable percentage – 10 percent or more under his standard – of their after-school income.

[Continue Reading Article Here…]

Photo Credit: Romolo Tavani

How to Survive Paying for College Workshops & Webinars

Register to ensure your spot!

Most parents are not financially prepared to enter the most expensive time period of their lives: covering their child’s college education. Our 1-hour workshops provide steps you can take right now to assure you understand the cost of attendance and how you can afford college without jeopardizing your retirement.

Our upcoming events are:

How to Survive Paying for College Workshop – San Carlos
Wednesday, January 20 – 7 to 8 PM

How to Survive Paying for College Presentation – Davis High School
Wednesday, January 27 – 7 to 8 PM

Senior Scoop

10 FAFSA Mistakes that Affect Financial Aid

A mistake on your FAFSA can delay the processing of your application for financial aid! About 30% of all FAFSAs were selected for verification, a process intended to identify and correct common errors. Some colleges voluntarily required 100% of FAFSAs to undergo verification. If your FAFSA is verified and contains errors, it can cost you.

To avoid these errors, get started early and use the online version of the FAFSA. The online FAFSA has built-in “edit checks” that can catch and prevent many errors. If you use a printed version of the FAFSA, be sure to proofread your application before you submit it.

[Continue Reading Article Here …]

About Westface College Planning

If you are a typical parent with college bound students, you’re probably overwhelmed by all the research necessary to help your sons and daughters make the right choices and prevent overpaying for their education.

You are not alone!

Get the facts. Educate yourself to potentially save tens of thousands of dollars on a single college education. Parents of more than one child heading to college in the next few years, can save even more.

At Westface College Planning, we work with families to help you plan for and navigate the “paying for college” process. We teach you how to minimize your out-of-pocket expenses, maximize financial aid eligibility, understand the best way to navigate through the college selection process and prioritize your sources of college funds to protect your life savings!

Sign up for a free workshop or webinar or call to schedule a complimentary college funding consultation today.

More information at WestfaceCollegePlanning.com.

January 2016 – Issue #51

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Ready for your own success story?

If you’re a typical parent with college-bound students, you’re probably overwhelmed. You want to help your sons and daughters make the right choices and prevent overpaying for their education. You’re not alone! We’re here to help. Schedule your free consultation today – click below to get started!

Schedule me now!

Catch our free, on-demand webinar:

How to Survive Paying for College

Join Beatrice Schultz, CFP® for our on-demand webinar, where she provides parents with the exact steps that often greatly lower the cost of college, even if there’s little time to prepare.

Watch your free webinar here

January 2016 Newsletter