Uncategorized Articles

Mom, Dad, I know your holidays are busy. You're working frantically to get all the shopping, cooking, and decorating done so that all the holiday magic will appear to flow effortlessly at your house. I know it's a lot—especially in addition to everything else you do...

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! 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. Let me be your guide to debt-free college—every week. (We can accomplish this no...

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...

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! "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...

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...

Note: If you are currently trapped in a physically, mentally, emotionally, or sexually abusive domestic situation, there's specific help for you in this article. In just a matter of days, Valentine's Day will be over for another year. Tissue paper from wrapped gifts...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Every year, millions of high school students are fed this line: "Hey, you should take Advanced Placement (AP) classes! They're way harder, but if you do well on the test at the end, you'll get free college credit!" It sounds...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Weeks or months after your daughter has finished up all her college applications, you may find yourself wondering, "Is there anything else she can do to increase admissions chances—well after her applications have been...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! If you haven't yet signed up your 10th or 11th grader to take college classes in high school next fall—it's OK. It may not be too late. "Tell me more about students taking real college classes in high school." In the majority...

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! The last thing you want to do is raise a child who's just a dull drone, pouring out memorized facts as though facts have the power to save the world. You want to raise a child who will be valued in a future workplace for...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Recently I got such a great question from a mom. I’m hoping many parents will benefit from hearing why I told her, “No, I don’t.” Jeannie, I was wondering if you do coaching for students looking to study for the SAT and ACT...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Most of my time on this blog is spent helping parents get their teens and college students to careers they'll love as quickly as possible. This makes sense—because years spent dragging feet in underemployment or treading...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! So, your 20-something daughter wants to live at home in her childhood bedroom. Should you happily say yes and make a plate of warm cookies to welcome her back? Or could this put you (and your child) in a bad spot? You’ll find...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! The 20s are a critically important time of life. Young men and women who maximize their 20s tend to have far better lives than those who don't. I know this, because I've read the book The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties...

My 1/2-day college study skills seminar is available both live—that is, in person, with me, online—and in recorded form for those who can’t attend live. Email me at jeannie@jeannieburlowski.com and I’ll get you in. More info below. Here's What We're Talking About This...

Every July, I share a compilation of the best articles I've ever written for parents who are sending kids off to college in the next two months. Read just one of the articles I've written below, or read them all! Moving Into or Out of a Dorm? DormRoomMovers.com Saves...

I'm spending the long Fourth of July weekend 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 recent articles that you may have missed. This gives you a chance to catch...

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 recent articles that you may have missed. This gives you a chance to catch up—right on a week when...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Many parents worry about kids' screen use during summer vacation. But what's a parent to do? It takes too much energy to constantly suggest: "Why don't you go outside for a while?" Parents already tired from work don't want...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Today I'm helping financial professionals across the nation to spread the word. There's urgent financial aid info for parents of 9th graders. Yes I'm serious—9th graders. Parents, there are some things you need to know right...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! 15-year-old Luke had been in a dark, angry mood all day long, starting from the moment his mother wished him a cheerful, "Good morning!" and set hot scrambled eggs and a fresh hot caramel roll in front of him at the breakfast...

Here's What We're Talking About This Week! Writing a top college application essay can be easy and fast when you follow a few clear steps. These steps are designed to help you get a top college application essay done confidently, and fast—with as little hassle as...