She did it and so can your student!
Eleven days ago my precious daughter Faith graduated from high school. And just 3 days ago we drove her to Purdue University to begin her college career in a summer program. These have been some of the most enjoyable, proud, and heart-wrenching days of her 18 years on this earth. No matter how much you prepare or how many hours you spend investing in your children, the moment that you must launch them out is like no other. Yet, that is exactly what we want them to do! We teach our children independence from the day they were born. First, they learn to sleep in their own bed. Then they learn to walk and play on their own. Next, they go to school. These moments lead up to the freedom of getting out on their own and making their own life work.
Well we did it! I’m still emotional about her not coming home each night. I’m wondering right now when she will call me to chat about her day. But the time is here whether I was ready or not.
In addition to the physical separation of sending your child to college or moving out on their own, there is the financial separation or burden that must be addressed. You know I had to talk about the money!
In our case, preparing for college has been a 4-year process. We began looking at what Faith needed to have maximum scholarship dollars as soon as she entered high school. I researched programs, estimated our potential financial aid package, and invested in test prep courses so she was ready for entrance exams. I can tell you that it all paid off. She is attending Purdue University with about 80% of her tuition plus room and board paid for in scholarships or other aid! In my quest to understand what was needed for our out of pocket dollars to go far I learned that most families don’t do this kind of planning early enough. Lots of undergraduate college students walk across the stage with more than $37,000 in student loans. This amounts to a monthly payment of $400. Who wants their child to begin a working career with student loan payments that large? I sure don’t.
So, I got curious. I wanted to find out how to reduce the out of pocket cost to parents as well as for the student. Subsequently, I studied to become a Certified College Funding Specialist. I am now able to help families identify opportunities early and make decisions about college planning that will help reduce their out of pocket costs. I’ve also become an Education Loan Analyst. This means I have knowledge of all the student loan programs available and understand how each fits your situation.
For years I have been helping people get out of debt. Now I’m also on a mission to help families avoid college debt. I’d love to help you find the right college fit and reduce your family’s out of pocket costs. If you have children between the ages of 12-18 who are interested in college as their next step, you need this information. Hop on webinar June 27th at 8pm EST for 1 hour where I will discuss how you can start planning right now. You will need to be at a computer or phone with internet access to see the content via webinar. Once you sign up, I will send you call in details to join. There are limited seats, so I recommend you sign up quickly. I will send out the meeting notes only to those who have signed up. Let’s get this college planning started!
