Here's What We're Talking About This Week! A girl recently contacted me, asking me to explain to her how she could wrestle control of her 529 college savings plan away from her parents. "They are unreliable and untrustworthy," she told me. "What!?" I thought. "Are...

Parents ask me, "Jeannie, I've got kids ages 12–18. What's the fastest, easiest way for me to get these kids through college debt-free and into jobs they love afterward?" My answer: "It's actually fairly easy to do this—if you can plan ahead just a little!" Let me...

Who feels most excited and happy at dorm drop off day? It’s parents (at all different income levels) who've laid the groundwork necessary to get that kid through college debt-free—and then directly into a career that kid excels at and loves. Even if he or she never...

Why would some parents find out that there's a path to debt-free college (and thriving future career) for their kids—and then say, "Nah, we're not going to walk down that path"? It's understandable! Parents are busy, and they can't do everything. The problem comes...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! If you're about to take the SAT or the ACT—or a big test for a class—or the LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, or GRE exam, and you just want fast advice on what to eat before testing, zoom straight to the numbered points in the article...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! "We need to see you right away," the anxious mom told me on the phone, her voice shaking. "Our son is $40,000 in debt from a history degree he's not going to complete, and now he's changing his major to music performance. At...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! It was 8:35 am on a Saturday, and I was standing at a whiteboard in a large classroom—drawing diagrams I'd need for the class I was about to teach. From behind me I heard a young male voice. "Hi, I'm early. I wanted to say hi...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! One of the best money-saving ideas I suggest for college students is, "Don't take a car to college." Most college campuses provide easy access to safe public transportation—and when a student really needs a car she can always...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Your child's headed off to college this fall—and you're wondering how you're going to get all the boxes and totes from your house to there. Or maybe your child's moving out of a college residence hall soon, heading off to...

I'm spending Memorial Day having as much fun as I possibly can—and I hope you are too. Whenever I take time off like this, I like to point you to some of my most helpful articles that you may have missed. This gives you a chance to catch up—right on a week when you...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! During high school, your teen didn't have to think much about how to make friends. Friendships developed naturally out of middle school connections, and with any luck they flourished in the classrooms and activities that were...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! If your child has even a relatively minor medical problem, he or she may qualify for medical-based financial aid to help pay for college. The key thing to know is—medical-based financial aid isn't applied for the regular way...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Are you parenting a teen or a college student with a disability of any kind? If you are, you need to know about the wonderful services offered by the disability services office on your child's college campus. Whether your...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Many parents have only one strategy for lowering college costs. Send the kid to the local state university. But is your local state university actually your bargain option—considering all the factors involved? The hidden...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! The last thing you want is for your child to make a series of expensive higher ed decisions, and then regret them later. How can you help your kids to avoid making regrettable higher ed decisions? An epidemic of regret Regret...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Psychologist Dr. Henry Cloud, co-author of the life-changing Boundaries books and The Mom Factor, says that today’s moms will do more good for their families by giving up “the Supermom model of motherhood, which never worked...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! From the time students are in middle school, they're told the big lie. That colleges and grad schools are looking for students who are "well-rounded." "Don't commit too deeply to any one thing," well-meaning parents and...