The Smart College Money® process shows you how to approach and implement a college plan while eliminating the obstacles that can keep you from achieving your goals.


What’s Smart College Money all about?

The Smart College Money process is designed to eliminate or significantly reduce the amount of debt that parents and students are taking on.  Smart College Money starts where the majority of efforts stop.  By using a Six Point approach we exhaust all of the possibilities.

While the elimination of debt is one of the main objectives, we find that through the Smart College Money process there are other benefits that can be just as important to you including:

  • Graduating Sooner- Many colleges these days are reporting six-year graduation rates. Our goal is to help your student graduate quicker, typically in four years or less.

  • Being Balanced - By positioning students properly we make sure they have a great college experience. We understand that it’s important to be challenged academically, it’s also important for your student to have the time to participate in outside activities without having to spend an inordinate amount of time studying just to keep up.

  • Financial Independence - Teaching students sound money management principles while they’re in school helps your child become financially independent faster making the Boomerang Generation extinct!   

  • Retiring Earlier - Parents can use this experience to spring into retirement instead of dropping like an anchor.  While college funding can be a financial obstacle for some, when you use the Smart College Money process, it can be a jump start towards retirement for you.

Recent Articles

 

Tips to Know Before They Go - Avoid the Return of Your Boomerang Generation Kid

Before you know it, the kids are going off to college, taking that first job, or moving out.  Isn’t it wonderful to observe their new sense of independence? After all, that’s why we’ve spent so many diligent years teaching them a sense of responsibility. 


Are you aware that teens entering college today have been labeled the Boomerang Generation? That’s right – you throw them out into the world and they come whirling back, into the comfortable arms of home. College grads defend this behavior (and so do their parents) because some contributing factors make their move into the real world less appealing.  Rising home prices or apartment rent could be the culprit.  So could the inability to either get a job or live on the going rate for an entry level job. Then there is the student loan that needs to be paid back within months of graduation.  All these factors can be so scary that students are rushing back home in big numbers to the comfort of mom and dad and those home cooked (free) meals.


You can stop the battle of the boomerang before it begins. More



College Loans – Ready, Set – Think Twice. If you can, just say “No”


Ready to sign the paperwork for that college loan!  Think twice before you do.

Let’s imagine the college planning process. It has been a long, drawn-out process and the finish line is in sight – college acceptance. Parents and students are mentally exhausted. By the end of the college planning and application process there is not much patience left, and there is the feeling that it’s finally over.  Everyone is ready to move on to that next stage of their lives.  In addition, just before school starts the summer season is upon us and it’s time to make those summer vacation plans. Enjoying the park, beach, mountains, or wherever becomes a priority.  After all, we want to spend time with our college-bound children before they move on to the next stage in their lives and away from us. It’s ironic that most American families spend more time pondering the cost of summer vacation – travel, accommodations and sightseeing – than they do thinking about paying for college.

When you’re back from that summer fun in the sun and that first bill rolls in for the first semester of college, plus room and board, who is going to pay the bill? More





Looking for up to date information on applying for financial aid or changes that can benefit you in the financial aid process?  Visit the College Plan 101 Blog-www.collegeplan101.com/blog