Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Increasingly, school staff are saying yes. For students who are achieving at high enough levels academically to do so, yes. Both public and private high schools are working to come up with new and better ways for students to...

The life and faith and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspires me. His words ring in my head: "I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! It was my happiest phone call of the day. "Guess what!?!" said the excited voice on the other end of the line. "I did it! I got my scores back--and I got a 514 on the MCAT! The 91st percentile! Better than 91% of the...

I'm spending the holidays with my family—and I hope you are too. Whenever I take time off like this, I like to point you to some of my most helpful past articles that you may have missed. This gives you a chance to catch up—right on a week when you may have a little...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Books make great gifts. Why? Because a carefully chosen book can literally change a life. In this short article I share the top 9 books I most love for parents, 20-somethings, and students ages 12 and up. (For anyone having...

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....

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! 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...

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...

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! 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! 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...

I'm spending President's Day with my dear husband, who also has the day off today. Yipppeee! Whenever I take time off like this, I like to point you to some of my most helpful recent articles that you may have missed. This gives you a chance to catch up—right on a...