When is “enough”, enough? To answer this question, let’s define “enough”. In my experience, an outside (read: someone else’s) definition of “enough” may provide a starting point, but knowing when I’m “enough” is an inside job. Clients and friends time and again have reinforced the notion that “trusting my own experience” will be the true…
Tag: Parent
It’s Never Too Early (or Late) to Plan for College Costs
After talking with News10 Sacramento this morning about financial aid and paying for college, thought I’d share a few additional tips and expand on a few points we discussed: Understanding the Family’s Finances: The more parents can understand the family finances, the better planning can take place for the additional expense of college tuition. Some…
From Reluctance, Blossoms an Impassioned Papa
All of the things I thought I would become, a father was never one. My marriage having failed in my early thirties, only helped to solidify the idea that fatherhood was for everyone else, but me. The last thing the world needed was for me to be in a position of influencing a member of…
“Summer Reading” Is Not An Oxymoron
As summer vacation begins, so too does the back and forth negotiation to complete summer reading assignments. Even for avid readers, summer reading assignments can sap the pleasure derived from reading. Both parents and teens know all the logical, rational reasons TO complete summer reading sooner rather than later, but there’s that part of the…
The Complexities of Learning, Part 1
Learning at school can seem like a simple equation: teacher presents material + students listen (including taking notes) + students complete the homework assignments and tests = learning. Yet, in practice, learning can be more complex. The following is the first in an on-going series of posts that will discuss the intricacies of learning in…
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…
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%.)
Will College Price Itself Out of Its Demand?
As the price of tuition continues rising, will students (and their families) choose to forgo a college education? The most recent college application cycle for Fall 2013 doesn’t seem to indicate that students are not choosing a college education. Applicant numbers are up around the country from a 10.7% increase for the University of California…
Purposeful Failure
“I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Thomas Edison I am the anti-Thomas Edison. I fear making mistakes. I fear mistakes will expose me to others’ (mis-)judgements, like being seen as stupid. I’ve evolved into a cautious reactor, preferring to watch others from the sidelines go first, make my…
Shhh…Let’s Talk About Underage Drinking At College
Everyone knows drinking in college happens. Yet, until there’s an injury or some assault or worse, underage college drinking can be rationalized as a youthful indiscretion and a rite of passage. And, for many, drinking and partying is nothing more serious than an occasional hangover. Of course, if and how much an individual participates in…
May 1st: Not Just May Day for Seniors
For graduating Seniors across the world, May 1 is the deadline decision day to enroll in a U.S. college for Fall 2013. Today is the culmination of the college admissions process, of which the year long college application process from Fall 2012 to now was the latest step for Seniors and their families. Although, the college…
By the Numbers: University of California Fall 2013 Admissions
Note: a negative number in the last column represents less overall applicants admitted as Freshmen to the UC campus. Most all of us can recall a story of the 4.0+GPA earning, 2000+SAT scoring, class president for 4 years, started and is running a charity in Ghana, India and Brazil, plus helps little old ladies across…
What Does College Tuition Really Buy?
Harper’s Magazine reported in November 2012: 81% of Americans who viewed college as a good financial investment in 2008 dropped to 57% in August 2012. Now, there’s much room for interpretation of “good”–however, is the change in the average value of a college degree indicating a shift away from college, and if so, what experience…
Are Families “Shopping Around” For the Best College Deal?
The growing gap between the rate of inflation and increasing tuition, since 1985, may cause families to more carefully consider the worth of a college education, and “shop around” for the “right” campus.