Student loans can help fund college expenses, yet create a future financial burden for students when in repayment. Currently, the total of student loans 90 days or more delinquent is at a record high of $124.3 billion – an increase of more than $3 Billion since last quarter. Possible reason for the delinquency can include…
Tag: Need based aid
The State of the Recent College Graduate
Just in the last month, more recently graduated or soon-to-be-graduated college students have re-connected with Creative Marbles for post-college advising. Degrees (almost) in hand, “Now what?” is the question, as these grads move back home with mom and dad. The current sentiment as published in today’s Wall Street Journal gives insight into the world our…
Ahead of the Curve: October 23, 2013
From the news: Overscheduled Children: How Big a Problem, New York Times October 11, 2013 #PSAT — Students Tweet Amusing Reactions to Standardized Test, Washington Post October 16, 2013 Higher Price Pays Way Into Some College Classes, San Francisco Chronicle October 16, 2013 Army Realigns Reserve Officer Training Program, U.S. Army October 2, 2013 From…
What is Financial Aid?
After talking with 200 parents and students yesterday evening at a local Sacramento area College Fair about financial aid, I wanted to offer additional advice, as families continue working to fund rising college expenses. Then, the general sense of nervous anticipation about the expense of college amongst last night’s group can be used to fuel…
A Growing Gap: Rising College Tuition vs. Income
The value of college may not be reflected in the cost of college. However, the media attention to average student debt and annually rising college costs can mask the value of college. In addition, when the average costs of goods and services (i.e. inflation) is greater than the average rise in earnings for 99% of Americans…
Salary: Only One Measure of A College’s Worth
“To get a good job,” is an oft heard reason why a student is headed to college, usually stated while their parents nod vigorously in the background. A recent New York Times article–New Metric for Colleges: Graduates’ Salaries–discusses the merits of using a college graduate’s average earnings as a measure of a campus’ value, which…
General Thinking According To Google Trends
What’s on people’s minds… Hat tip to zerohedge.com (8/21/2013)
More College Admissions 101
Additional insights to answer the complex questions Hewlett Packard employees asked during our second College Admissions and Financial Aid Brown Bag Lunch, since we were limited in our discussion time last week. Each topic is bolded, with the details listed below: College Application Essays The autobiographical college application essays are a meaningful part of any…
Is College Financial Aid Really Aid?
The difference between the value of college, indicated by price and intrinsic worth, and what a family feels they can afford to pay creates the need for financial aid. But, college bound buyer beware: NOT ALL FINANCIAL AID AWARDED BY THE UNIVERSITY IS ACTUALLY AID.
Paying For College Tuition
Student loans, grants and scholarships are replacing parent income and savings in paying for college. Source: Wall Street Journal
College Admissions & Financial Aid 101: The Expanded Edition
After facilitating a lively Brown Bag Lunch discussion at Hewlett Packard in Roseville, CA called, “College Admissions & Financial Aid 101”, I wanted to l expand on a few answers, as well as offer additional tips for families: About the information college’s review in applications during admissions decision making: The four main areas of…
Choosing Harvard: Thoughts About a “Prestigious” University
As Juniors and their families begin sizing up prospective colleges for application and weighing the value of a college’s reputation, I thought I’d share I came to be a Harvard graduate, along with thoughts about a recent New York Times article, Measuring College Prestige vs. Cost of Enrollment. Quotes from the New York Times article will…
The Student Debt Dilemma
While debt can be a useful tool to finance a college education, potential borrowers (and their families) would be prudent to think through their choices, as we discussed in a earlier 6-part series on fiscal planning. And, to add emphasis on the need to think ahead, Fidelity Investments recently found that, “[e]ven with the…
More 25 Year Olds Have Student Debt…And At Higher Average Amounts
As seen in the chart below, the red line indicates that the portion of 25-year olds with student debt has grown from 25% in 2003 to 43% in 2012–meaning an increasing portion of young adults are choosing to “bring forward” expected future earnings to pay for a college degree. Furthermore, the black line on the chart…
U.S. Congress Considering Student Loan Interest Rate Increase
Federal student loan interest rates on subsidized* (see below) loans are set to rise from 3.4% to 6.8% on July 1, 2013. (Note: the interest rate for unsubsidized Federal student loans, in which interest begins accruing from the date of the loan, is currently 6.8%.)