The financial aid infostructure is the structure of financial information within the financial aid ecosystem. This means the sources of individual funding available for college-bound students. Here are the sources of aid : Private Scholarships, Employer-Paid Tuition, Military Funding, Tax Relief, State Aid, Federal Grants and Student Loans. When you know and understand how to utilize these resources in a wholistic way you can finance your college education no matter the cost.
Don’t be fooled by all the negative attention student loans are getting. Student loans are not BAD. Being irresponsible with them are. The reality is, there’s TRILLIONS of dollars in free financing to be had in the college process. These are the killers. The lack of planning, lack of knowledge, being lazy and distracted. You must learn what money sources are available and apply strategies to position yourself to attract it to you.
This is the month where incoming freshman start getting their financial aid packages from the colleges. Students and their parents have to review them and ensure they get the most free money possible from the colleges of their choice. This also give them the opportunity to negotiate for the best financial aid package. You want to seek free financing and the least amount of loans. Parents should not take out loans period. If you planned properly with the right professional guidance you should be able to get more free financing than loans.
In my 27 years of financial aid planning I discovered that some parents with college-bound students wait until they are trouble to ask for help. Unfortunately, parents and their college-bound students are misguided when it come to the financial aid process. They are forced to make decisions when they are not fully prepared. You can not do anything the last minute (60 seconds) to get results that require a at least 6 months. You have to learn the game ahead of time and be fully prepared. You have to be PROACTIVE.
This is it. Get ready to prepare for a great college career by getting the financing to pay for it. Have the right mindset and focus on the opportunities to get the free funding you need. Read and do the research to help position you. Once you get the right information for your unique situation all that is left is application. Apply, Apply and Apply. You have nothing to lose.
The name of the financial aid game is to stay FOCUS on task. We are at the end of the year 2018 and I hope many of you parents with college-bound students had a successful year with the financial aid game. Many of you are pulled away from being successful with the financial aid because of distractions. Those without goals in terms of positioning themselves to get the maximum amount of free financing for college are not focus. You allow family, friends and uninformed professionals about your unique situation take away what is necessary to get free financing. You are all over the place trying figure out how to win. Get the right information, hire the right professionals and win in the financial aid game.
Happy Thanksgiving! If you you are putting in the work to have a level of achievement or success be thankful for what you got. Be thankful for doing your best and that is all you can ask for. In my experience working with families to achieve financial aid success, most want to take the short cut route to achieve maximum results. It never happens. To have maximum results you have to go all out. That may require you to get the right information that fit your situation and get all the professional help and guidance as possible. When you do that you results will be greater and be thankful for what you got.
This is the month to submit your 2019-2020 school year FAFSA to qualify for money to pay for college from the federal government. You are going to need your 2017 income taxes to prepare and complete the FAFSA. Understanding the rules and regulations that governs the financial aid process and applying strategies based on your unique circumstances will determine what and how much aid you qualify for. Get started now before the money runs out because it is based on first-come first-come serve. Get all the help that is necessary and HUSTLE and get that money.
Developing a system of thought with specialize applied information can get you FREE Financing for college. So many parents I have worked with tend to have linear thoughts when it comes to financial aid planning. Linear thoughts lead you to taking out a lot of loans. You have to change your thought patterns and be unconventional. Once you learn the rules of free money, and how it can be applied based on YOUR unique circumstances, then you can apply strategy to get it. You have to develop a winning philosophy to win free financing to pay for college.
The usage of student loans for college has reached a TRILLION dollars. Students with degrees owe an average of 40 thousand dollars. They blame it on the federal government and the high tuition cost. The real blame should be to those who don’t understand the financial aid game. Every game has rules. If you don’t know the rules you don’t have a chance to navigate through the system and take advantage of all the opportunities of free resources. Reading, researching, planning and strategizing helps you to position yourself for better financial results. Most don’t do that today. We are living in an error of quick fixes. A loan by itself can not cause you to go into debt if you don’t sign up to use it.
