Here's What We're Talking About This Week! You’re a loving parent—so of course you want to make your kid’s future college breaks as warm and memorable as possible. But will you be able to do that if your newly-flown offspring comes home snarly and inconsiderate? What...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! There's little that's more trying for a parent than December college applications. If your 12th grader has put off completing college applications until the busy holiday season is breathing down his neck—you know what I mean....

You’re with extended family at Thanksgiving, and while you’re setting the table or washing dishes together—you want to say something about the fun, inspiring, exciting debt-free college journey your family's on. What do you say? Mention how fun and reassuring and...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Most grandparents love to dote on their beloved grandchildren, but let's face it. Older kids and teens are notoriously hard to shop for. How can grandparents give a relatively inexpensive holiday gift that will be remembered...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Most college students would love to earn significant money while home on a December college break. Tell the students you care about—UPS may be the place to apply (for more reasons than just the paycheck). What does UPS...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Students are telling me they're scared. They hear their parents' tense, late-night discussions downstairs in front of the TV, and they see the angry vitriol that's been roiling in their social media feeds. They're worried...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Parent, I urge you: DO NOT cosign a student loan for your child. Today I'm featuring information from an article by nationally syndicated radio host and author Clark Howard. I consider this to be must-read info for every...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Could you one day have your social security checks garnished to pay for your kids' college? Yes. You may be in danger of having your social security checks garnished and not even realize it. Parents duped into taking out...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Learn my 9 best strategies for putting together effective, stress-free college visits. You’ll find my most current info on this subject here.

Today I'm featuring a 5-minute video clip from the TV show Adam Ruins Everything. This 5-minute clip is titled, "How College Loans Got So Evil." It's funny! But then again, it's not funny at all—because it's true. Please share this post with every parent, teacher,...

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...

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! 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...