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Most colleges proudly claim to be need-blind, meaning they will not take financial need into consideration when determining admission.  A better student may receive a more attractive financial aid package but a lesser student will not be rejected based on financial need. Need-aware schools such as Tufts, Trinity and Lafayette will admit a majority of students based […]

Students:  Now that summer is in full swing, you should begin requesting and gathering information from those colleges in which you are interested.  It is important to start this process soon so that you are able to make an “informed choice” for the final for the final list of colleges to which admission applications will

About now, you may be getting requests from your schools for you to update your FAFSA  using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT).  They will ask you to log in to your 2013-14 FAFSA, go to the Financial Section and link directly to the IRS using your PIN.  This link should work as long

In our efforts to simplify a very complicated system, we have compiled a short list of terms you will most definitely come across when preparing for your college years.  We hope this helps! Academic Year: The year in which school is in session – usually September through May. Accrual Date: The date on which interest charges on

The biggest misperception we notice with our clients is the belief that their child is limited to certain schools because of cost.  Parents will naturally assume that the state universities, with an obvious lower price tag, are much less expensive than the private universities.  For in-state students the price difference of a state university is

This is the time of year when high school guidance counselors and representatives from various colleges meet with the parents of high school students preparing for college. They give tips about how to best conquer the application process and how to apply for financial aid.  Often, these representatives will advise against hiring a professional to

The number one question we are asked by almost everyone is “when do we begin the financial aid process?”  Preferably, the process should begin when the student is in their junior year of high school.  Many families get hit with the reality of college in the senior year of high school and this is fine,

We all understand that our clients have different needs at varied stages of life.  Here are a few issues with which you need to be familiar in helping your clients plan for college: Don’t automatically use a Form 1040 if the family is eligible to file a 1040A or 1040EZ.  Using the simplified tax returns

The college visit is an important part of the application process and is viewed by the admissions office as a demonstration of your interest toward the school.  While we may not be able to visit every college on our list, there is no better way to get a real feel for the school and many

Naturally, at least half of the families I work with are divorced and I find that this is where people tend to make the most mistakes. These are very costly and easily avoidable mistakes that can be extremely difficult to correct. There are two forms that need to be filled out when applying for financial