Are you looking for free college scholarships and grants? We have tips and tricks to land tons of college money.
This blog presents lots of proven ways to find more scholarship hacks. It shares how to prepare for them and how to win more awards. It’s time to start gathering in scholarship winnings!
What if there really was a pot of scholarship gold waiting for you at the end of the scholarship rainbow.
And what if you KNEW that with some effort, discipline and organizational skills you could find the path that leads to that pile of money. And then, of course, take … Read more »
Is it possible that our good intentions and generosity could end up entitling our kids? No parent intentionally sets out to create dependent children who expect to be given everything they desire.
If you want to raise kids who aren’t entitled but are empowered – keep reading. We have 7 ways we helped our kids to become Financially strong, fit and independent.
Kids are kind of funny. If we offer to pay for something, they’ll gladly let us do it . . . forever and ever. If we don’t pay, they’ll carry on about how “mean” and out of touch with reality … Read more »
A Reader asks How to Pay for College With No Money and without a Trust Fund.
Question: My daughter is a senior in high school and is preparing to head off to college. We have no money saved for her college expenses and feel like loans are the only option we have. What should we do?
MoneySmartFamily: You have more options than you realize. Keep reading to learn about several of the easier ones.
1. Get Government Grants
Fill out a FAFSA application – it’s the Free Application for Federal Student Aid – StudentAid.ed.gov
If you want to legitimately get the most FAFSA money for your college education, follow these tips and tricks. You’ll get maximum federal student aid in Pell Grants by following our research when you fill out your FAFSA application.
Debt-Free College Series # 4 – FAFSA and Financial Aid
We have 5 kids who have attended college, and we have filled out FAFSA applications with every single one of them.
As a matter of fact, we’ve filled out the FAFSA application several times with each of them.
In the process, we’ve learned several tips from our own experience and from financial aid experts.
There are six things a teen can do in high school that will help to reduce the cost of a college education. We’ve done many of these with our 5 kids and they graduated college without any student loans!
How can a high schooler start to reduce college costs?
College is a monumental expense for parents and students alike. Who among us is prepared for paying out tens of thousands of dollars over a 4 or 5-year period? However, with any large expense, the more you and your child prepare, the more manageable the expense can be.
Are you’re looking for college savings when trying to get a university education? This blog will give you plenty of out of the box and unconventional options for college savings.
If you take to heart just a few of these ideas it could save you $10,000 or more.
The college landscape is changing so rapidly that savings can be found in the most unusual places. Especially if you’re willing to research and question conventional thinking and dig a little deeper.
We’re all about being realistic and frugal. In this article we’re looking for practical ways that grandparents can positively Influence their grandchildren – some of these ideas are amazing!
We asked our Facebook friends how they’ve seen Grandparents influence Grandchildren in a positive way. Our goal was to build a brainstormed list of ideas to encourage grandparents to be active participants in their grandchild’s life.
If your child’s grandparents (your in-laws or parents) could help your family with their financial and relational resources, what would you wish for?
You won’t believe some of the people on this list of successful high school and college dropouts.
Can dropouts from high school and college become successful contributors to society?
People like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, and MGM co-founder Marcus Lowe are prime examples of successful people. These are people who didn’t go to college or didn’t finish college.
Is education important? Yes, Of Course.
But is a formal education; public, private or parochial school, and college—are they critical to success. Yes . . . and No.
While researching the education chapter for our book The … Read more »
Can community youth organizations and programs help develop character in a child? There are many different types of youth activities that could contribute to your child’s physical, emotional, and vocational development. We’ve been involved in a number of these organizations and have compiled a list of the 20 most popular youth organizations in the US.
If you’re looking for the names of groups where your kids can learn and grow in character and leadership keep reading …
Do you have college loans? Are you looking for a list of student loan forgiveness programs? Are you wondering if you can get loan forgiveness?
Student loan forgiveness isn’t available to everyone, but it is a great way to pay off student loans that have already been accrued!
We’ve scoured the loan forgiveness landscape and found 10 different programs that might benefit you.
Covid Student Loan Forgiveness
Covid-19 has changed the Student Loan landscape with payments being delayed and the prospect of a huge forgiveness program being approved by the US Congress. Currently, repayments are scheduled to start after May 1, … Read more »
Should you give your kids an allowance for chores?
“NOOOOO!” … that was our first response.
But years later we reconsidered this decision because we discovered the 5 / 50 / 500 money rule.
There are rules that govern our lives, our world, and the universe. There are also rules that govern the earning, saving, and spending of money. Knowing how to operate within the rules usually means success and a more peaceful existence. Violating the rules has the opposite effect.
Preparing your child to live a financially independent life may not be on the top of your to-do list. But if … Read more »
What can a family do if they’re struggling to make ends meet each month? School, tuition, uniforms, back taxes, rent – the bills just keep piling up?
We’ve got 18 things you can do starting today to get caught up with your bills.
Our Bills are Past Due!
We received this email from a website visitor.
With grocery, utilities and public transportation prices climbing, our family is struggling to survive. We have a large family and do grow a small garden, but the bills keep piling up.
We’re behind on our rent and income taxes.
Our kids attend a … Read more »
What is the cause of the student loan debt problem and is there a solution?
The total amount of outstanding student loan debt is a number often thrown around—a staggering 1.6 trillion dollars. It’s just 2 digits and a decimal point, but in reality, it’s a much larger number with huge ramifications and it’s making us see red!
Can you imagine having to write a check for:
1 Trillion 6 Hundred Billion Dollars
Or $1,600,000,000,000.00
RELATED VIDEO: Be sure to watch the video at the bottom of this page where we interview Jocelyn – a college graduate who earned more than $100,000 in scholarships. … Read more »
It was a Tuesday — 99-cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins. Several Boy Scout adult leaders were sitting and talking at a table while the kids were getting ice cream. One dad looked at Steve and said, “My 16-year-old daughter has put a full-court press on me to give her a car. All of her friends at school are getting them — and we’re not talking used Chevys — it’s more like BMWs. What do you do for your kids when it comes to cars?”
Steve replied with one word, “Nothing.”
Then he explained that from a young age we … Read more »
We have some of the most generous readers in the world! In response to our articles, “10 Ways to Find Big College Savings” and “Paying for College without a Trust Fund,” we received a couple of thoughtful and very helpful letters. We couldn’t possibly cover every aspect of getting through and paying for college in a couple of articles, so here is our College Wrap-up.
Slow Down, You Move Too Fast
Deirdre Collins has been a community college instructor in California for 20 years. Here’s what she shared regarding having a part-time job and going to school:
This summer, we were asked by a local Fox TV station to participate in several segments that addressed saving on back-to-school expenses —including college costs. During our research for the segments, we uncovered some new information not included in our earlier articles on College savings.
The average college student is now graduating with $20,000 worth of debt. Most graduates take 10 years or more to pay it off. If you spend a little time applying for scholarships and shopping carefully for books, you can trim or eliminate any borrowing. This past year our daughter Becky graduated with … Read more »
There are lots of “firsts” that are celebrated in life: your first report card, your first kiss, your first job, that first real paycheck, your first car, your first baby, a baby’s first step, your first house. Life is full of great firsts — and some great “lasts.”
Since this is the first month of a new year, many people are thinking of making resolutions so they can accomplish some highly desirable new “firsts.’ Two of the most popular New Years Resolutions are: losing weight and getting out of debt. We’d like to encourage you to make … Read more »
If you’re looking to learn a new skill, there’s nothing better than learning from someone who has been there and succeeded.
The eCourses on this page were either created by MoneySmartFamily.com or some of our friends. You can trust that these courses are well made and will help you reach your goals.
Flipper University – Free Webinar
Our friends Rob and Melissa Stevenson are known across the country as “The Flea Market Flippers.” They earn more than $80,000 each year reselling used items they find or purchase.
I have been trying to live a frugal lifestyle for many years. I currently have mortgage debt on our home at 4.5 percent, and a mortgage on a rental property at 4.75 percent. I have an opportunity to pay off the mortgage on the rental property and still have some money leftover. After that I plan on doubling up on our mortgage payments and should have it paid-off in about two years.
Our son is in 11th grade, but is in a program to go 5 years to high school and get his diploma and his Associates Degree. We don’t want to overlook … Read more »
In this two-part interview, Good Morning Arizona anchor Kaley O’Kelley talks with Steve, Annette, Abbey and Joe Economides about how to be a MoneySmart Family.
Plus, at the bottom of the page, we’ve also included a list of things parents should never pay for.
Part 1 covers College Expenses
How to go to college debt free.
Where to look for scholarships.
How to find huge discounts on textbooks.
Part 2 covers how to start training kids to manage money.
How young to start
How to set up a system that is better than an allowance.
What an 18-year-old money-smart kid looks like.
The average college student is graduating with $20,000 worth of debt.
Most graduates take 10 years or more to pay it off. If you spend a little time applying for scholarships you can trim or eliminate what you need to borrow.
There are always ways to save on college costs from scholarships to lodging to books. We cover lots of these strategies in our January, February, and April 2005 back issues.
1) Financial Aid — get thousands even now
FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid www.fafsa.ed.gov. This is a two-step process: First, you’ll also want to register for PIN number, which will take … Read more »
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