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It doesn’t get much more stressful than preparing your child for college. From the testing and forms to the outrageous tuition prices, the process can truly be a nightmare without the right strategy. Cozy Whittman from College Inside Track joins us on the show today to share some really valuable information that could save your family tens of thousands of dollars over the course of the college process.
As a mom of 5 and with her experience in education and networking, Cozy is the perfect person to give advice on the college search process. She shares how so much has changed over the past 30 years, between college prices skyrocketing up to 500% more and the vast amount of options now available. Cozy emphasizes that the game has changed and parents need to change their strategy in order to come out of this without massive debt.
Cozy shoots down many misconceptions about the FAFSA and testing processes that people have. She points out how these misconceptions and mistakes is costing families thousands in potential awards and making them miss money saving options. She also shares some really helpful insight on how to use 529 plans to your advantage as well as when and how to start planning for college. The importance of an early start and a well-researched list of schools to apply to are a few of the points she stresses the most.
Facts and Links Mentioned In the Show
- Connect with Cozy: College Inside Track | LinkedIn
- Power Point: 7 Insider Tips to Picking Your Best College
- CFSLA: College Funding and Student Loan Advisor
- 529 Plans
- FAFSA
- CSS Financial Aid Profile
- FairTest
- Connect with Chad [csmith@financialsymmetry.com]
- Connect with Mike [meklund@financialsymmetry.com]
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- What types of aid are available to students and how to use this to help decide on a college.
- How a 529 account works and how to use it to your best advantage.
- The biggest mistakes parents make in the college preparation process and how to avoid them.
- How to develop the best list of colleges to apply to and why this list is really important.
- How much ACT and SAT scores matter and how much prep should go into taking them.
- How to appeal and negotiate financial aid awards.
- When to start working on the college search and preparation process.
