Tax Advantaged Savings For College
A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings plan designed to encourage saving for future college costs. 529 plans, legally known as “qualified tuition plans,” are sponsored by states, state agencies, or educational institutions and are authorized by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.
There are two types of 529 plans: pre-paid [...]
Guest Blogger Professor Cram from College-Cram.com writes:
Gas prices were up, then down; textbooks run $500 or more per semester; tuition has had double-digit increases. Face it, going to college is getting way too expensive. What’s a poor struggling student supposed to do? Here are some suggestions for keeping your head (and finances) above water:
Textbooks: This [...]
Guest Blogger, Mary Fallon is senior director of communications for Student Financial Aid Services, Inc., the nation’s largest and oldest non-governmental student aid advisor. This is the busiest week for student aid because March 1 has the most deadlines – 9 states and 765 colleges. And March 2 is California’s deadline. In fact 70% of state and college deadlines are before April 15. You don’t have to file your income taxes to file your federal student aid application because estimates are perfectly fine. Aid competition is fierce this year. Good news is, there’s more money for Pell grants, work-study, and the tuition tax credit is increased and available to more families.
So, you think that submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be complicated and tedious. It’s a government form, after all. And you know you will have to dig out your family’s income tax forms, and figure out your assets, and then it still is a really long form. Well, Mr. Glass Half-Empty, that is one way to look at it, but here are the Top Ten Reasons to File Your FAFSA – and early at that.
Planning ahead makes a big difference!
How you manage your earnings and assets before and during your children’s college years determines the financial aid that your family receives. The choices you make can change your answers when it comes time to fill out the FAFSA questions about your income and assets and will impact [...]
Why is the FAFSA application so long?
Your FAFSA responses go into a formula (known as the Federal Methodology), which is regulated by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The result is your Expected Family Contribution, or EFC. The EFC is a preliminary estimate that measures your family´s financial strength. It is subtracted [...]
Why fill out a FAFSA?
The (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), or FAFSA, is the first step in the financial aid process. Use it to apply for federal student financial aid, such as the Pell Grant, student loans, and college work-study. In addition, most states and schools use FAFSA information to award their financial aid. [...]
