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Common Mistakes Families Make on the FAFSA with Tom Meier

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Tom Meier, financial aid expert with Advanced College Solutions, has filled out thousands of FAFSA forms over the last decade, and gives families key tips they need to fill out the forms properly, saving potentially thousands of dollars in financial aid award money. (January 8, 2010)
For further information, see Advanced College Solutions

Hope Scholarship Tax Credit with FastWeb's Mark Kantrowitz

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Mark Kantrowitz, founder and publisher of FastWeb.com and FinAid.org, explains the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit and the new criteria for that credit for 2009 and 2010. (November 13, 2009)
For further information, see FinAid.org

Dealing with Losses in College Savings with FastWeb's Mark Kantrowitz

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Mark Kantrowitz, founder and publisher of FastWeb.com and FinAid.org, discusses considerations and strategies for dealing with losses in the value of college savings accounts due to the economic decline of early 2009. (November 13, 2009)
For further information, see FastWeb.com

College Financial Aid Savvy for Small Business Owners with Ron Caruthers

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College financial planning expert Ron Caruthers explains some of the considerations and complications for families who own small businesses as they organize their finances in preparation for applying for college financial aid for their children. Includes a discussion of the pros and cons of employing one's children in the business, how to (or not to) report business assets, and why the timing of certain financial decisions is important. (October 16, 2009)
For further information, see CollegePlanningSpecialists.com

Figuring Out Financial Aid on FinAid.org and FastWeb.com
with Mark Kantrowitz

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Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of both the FinAid.org and FastWeb.com web sites, discusses the basics of financial aid and how each of his free sites can help students and families with different aspects of understanding financial aid, planning for a child's education, borrowing wisely, and earning scholarships to help offset the costs. (October 2, 2009)
For further information, see FinAid.org and FastWeb.com

StudentAid.com's Family-Specific Financial Aid Forecasting
with David Childress

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Studentaid.com is a new web site that takes a family's financial profile and list of colleges and runs the numbers against the various federal, state, and individual college aid programs to give a close estimate of what to expect those specific colleges to cost that individual family. Having that information can make a huge difference in where that family's child decides to apply to college and how the parents can plan accordingly. The site's data and algorithms were two years in development, which included running the numbers through 25 million test cases and piloting the program with 28,000 real families to ensure accuracy. David Childress, general manager of StudentAid.com, gives the details. (September 18, 2009)
For further information, see StudentAid.com

New Federal Loan Repayment and Forgiveness Programs with Edie Irons

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Starting July 1, 2009, college graduates with federal student loans to repay and who meet certain income qualifications can have their monthly loan payments reduced, easing their debt burden in the short term and, in the long term, forgiving any unpaid debt after either 25 years or even in as little as 10 years for those in public service jobs. Hear the details from Edie Irons of the Institute for College Access and Success. (June 26, 2009)
For further information, see IBRinfo.org

Federal Student Loan Programs, Part 1: Stafford Loans, with Ryan Duey

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Ryan Duey, a certified financial planner and head of the college funding planning department at Fox College Funding, discusses the details of federal Stafford loans, including who is eligible, how they can be obtained, and the current terms of these loans. (June 19, 2009)
For further information, see Fox College Funding

Federal Student Loan Programs, Part 2: PLUS Loans, with Ryan Duey

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Ryan Duey, a certified financial planner and head of the college funding planning department at Fox College Funding, discusses the details of federal PLUS loans, including who is eligible, how they can be obtained, and the current terms of these loans. He also briefly discusses the federal Perkins loan program. (June 19, 2009)
For further information, see Fox College Funding

The AXA Achievement Program with Faith Frank

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The AXA Achievement program provides both access to higher education via local and national scholarships (worth more than $1 million per year) and advice to college-bound families on topics such as financing a college education. Faith Frank, President of the AXA Foundation, gives the details. (May 29, 2009)
For further information, see AXA-Achievement.com

Peer-to-Peer Student Loans with Thomas Shelton

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Thomas Shelton, CEO of People Capital, introduces a new concept in student loans that are offered with terms tied to the borrowing student's grades, test scores, and future earning potential. (May 15, 2009)
For further information, see People2Capital.com

How to Read a Financial Aid Award Letter with Kim Clark

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FinancialAidLetter.com web site, describes why financial aid award letters from colleges can be confusing and even misleading, and tells us what families need to know to make the best decisions regarding financial aid. (March 20, 2009)
For further information, see Financial Aid Letter Decoder

Tips to Reduce College Costs for Families Who Qualify for Financial Aid with Deborah Fox and Ryan Duey

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Many parents are looking for ways to help reduce their college costs when they no longer have time to save. Deborah Fox and Ryan Duey of Fox College Funding describe "Comprehensive College Funding Planning" and give cost-cutting strategies for families that qualify for need-based financial aid based on income and assets. (January 9, 2009)
For further information, see http://www.FoxCollegeFunding.com

Tips to Reduce College Costs for Families Who DO NOT Qualify for Financial Aid with Deborah Fox and Ryan Duey

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Many parents are looking for ways to help reduce their college costs when they no longer have time to save. Deborah Fox and Ryan Duey of Fox College Funding give cost-cutting strategies for high-income or high-asset families that don't qualify for need-based financial aid. (January 9, 2009)
For further information, see http://www.FoxCollegeFunding.com

Service and Scholarship Opportunities through Rotary International
with Roger Bell and Fred deNapoli

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Rotary, the international service organization, has many programs for high-school students that help develop both leadership and community service skills, including Interact, the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and the Rotary Youth Exchange program. (November 21, 2008)
For further information, see http://www.Rotary.org

Financial Aid in the Midst of the Current Economic Crisis with Kathleen Johnson

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Kathleen Johnson, President of National College Funding Strategies and a certified college planning specialist, discusses how the current economic crisis is affecting families as they try to find ways to pay for college, and colleges as they try to figure out ways to provide extra assistance to families with growing needs. (November 14, 2008)
For further information, see http://www.NationalCollegeFunding.net

College Savings Strategies For Young Families with Kathleen Johnson

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Kathleen Johnson, a Certified College Planning Specialist and President of National College Funding Strategies, discusses why parents need to save for college, and the best ways to do just that. (September 26, 2008)
For further information, see http://www.NationalCollegeFunding.net

Financial Aid Basics for the College-Bound with Kathleen Johnson

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Kathleen Johnson, a Certified College Planning Specialist and President of National College Funding Strategies, talks about financial aid for parents who are about to send their teen off to college. (September 26, 2008)
For further information, see http://www.NationalCollegeFunding.net