THE COLLEGE AID SURVIVAL KIT
$39
So you never have to tell your kid they got into the school of their dreams but can't go.
Get every dollar of aid you qualify for before you get the acceptance letters.
You keep bouncing between the tuition page and a net price calculator, and the numbers never quite work. Maybe you're wondering whether to move money before you file, or whether to tell your kid to cross their dream school off the list.
Please don't do anything yet.
I almost made a $52,000-a-year mistake on my daughter's FAFSA and CSS Profile. My financial advisor and I got an estimate that I would owe $85,000 a year. We just followed the instructions exactly.
One session with a tuition expert and she got it down to $33,000.
I wrote this kit so you can walk into that conversation knowing what to ask.
Inside:
- What FAFSA and CSS Profile each look at, including how your home is treated
- The free calculators that show your real price before you apply, and how to read them
- How to build a college list with a financial safety on it
- What the aid offer leaves out: health insurance, the meal plan, setting up the dorm
- The questions to bring to a tuition specialist so your review is fast and focused
- A one-page checklist from applications to the aid offer
It's 16 pages. You can read it tonight.
The $52,000 is my family's experience, and every family's numbers are different. The guide doesn't replace advice about your own situation.