Posted on Monday, March 19, 2018

8 Reasons Google’s Managers Are Wildly Successful

by Jeannie Burlowski

Back in 2009, researchers in Google’s People Innovation Lab spent an entire year finding the answer to one question: “What makes managers wildly successful?”

According to this Inc. article, Google put all the resources at its disposal into data-mining “performance appraisals, employee surveys, and nominations for top manager awards.” In the end, Google statisticians had gathered more than 10,000 observations about managers—across 100 different variables.

Interestingly, Google’s research on managers is 100% applicable to parenting.

Whether you manage employees during your work day—or a house full of teenagers at home, the answers Google uncovered are applicable, inspiring, and encouraging.

Here they are. Google’s 8 qualities of great managers, listed in order of importance:

Posted on Monday, September 25, 2017

Want More College Money? Avoid These Costly FAFSA Mistakes

Fill Out FAFSA as Early as Possible For Best Results

by Jeannie Burlowski

Today I’m featuring a list of 30+ mistakes that parents make when filling out the FAFSA form. These mistakes cost U.S. families millions in lost college financial aid money each year.

To make sure your kids get every penny they have coming to them, download and print my list of common FAFSA mistakes here: 30+ Common FAFSA Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.

Share this post with everyone you know who cares about kids who’ll be in college next year, and then have the printout handy on your desk when you’re filling out your own FAFSA form.

You’ll get instant answers to questions such as:

Posted on Monday, July 31, 2017

Divorced? Perhaps Do This by Sept 30 and Save a Bundle on College

by Jeannie Burlowski

This article was originally published here on July 31st, 2017. It was updated and reposted here on May 22nd, 2018.

Are you divorced from your child’s other parent?

If so, there are specialized strategies you can use to reduce your kids’ future college costs.

Here’s just one.

1. Figure out which of your child’s parents has the lower household income.

Is it you, or is it your ex-spouse? (Be sure to include the income of any new spouses when you calculate this income amount.)

2. Ask yourself, “Could my daughter possibly go to live with her lower-income parent, starting on September 30th of her 11th grade year?”

Think, would it be safe and healthy for your daughter to sleep 183 nights (or more) at her lower-income parent’s house between September 30th of her 11th grade year and September 30th of her 12th grade year?

Could she keep up this living arrangement until she goes away to college?

There are dramatic financial aid benefits for divorced parents who do this.

Posted on Friday, January 6, 2017

Buy LAUNCH Before 1/11/17 — Get Bonuses Worth $248

by Jeannie Burlowski

Today I’m announcing the extra bonuses your family will receive if you purchase LAUNCH by January 11, 2017.

Continue Reading »

Posted on Monday, August 8, 2016

How Divorced Parents Can Get More Financial Aid For College

by Jeannie Burlowski

This article was originally posted on this site on August 8th, 2016. It was updated and reposted here on January 10th, 2018.

Ben and Amy have been divorced for years. Finally, though, they’ve found something they both agree on: they want their teenage daughter, Sophie, to get through college as close to debt-free as possible—and directly into a job she loves afterward. Millions of other divorced parents feel the same way.

What’s the key to making that happen?

Divorced parents can take 7 specific steps that can help their kids get through college debt-free.

Posted on Monday, February 15, 2016

What Does ROMANCE Have To Do With Financial Aid?

It Turns Out, a LOT.

by Jeannie Burlowski

This article was originally posted here on February 15th, 2016. It was updated and re-posted here on February 1st, 2018.

In just a matter of days or hours, Valentine’s Day will be over for another year. Tissue paper from wrapped gifts will litter the bedroom floor, chocolates will have been devoured, and pink and red greeting cards will have been set up in display mode on the kitchen counter.

And then, in the days and weeks after Valentine’s Day—romance will pull on work boots and get back into the trenches.

If you’re married, you probably understand well that though Valentine’s Day is nice, real romance is actually lived out every day, 365 days a year, in the normal course of every day, up-and-down, regular life.

Today, moms and dads, I’m going to talk about that regular old “365-day-a-year-romance” you have with your spouse, and what that has to do with your kid getting financial aid for college.

Here’s the special message I have for you for today, parents: Your marriage matters when it comes to your kid eventually getting financial aid for college.

“Seriously? How does my marriage affect how much money my kid gets in financial aid for college?”

Because of idiosyncrasies with the CSS/Profile financial aid form, if you at some point decide to divorce your child’s other parent and marry someone else, your child will be disadvantaged in the financial aid process at the most competitive colleges in the country.

“Disadvantaged! How so?”