Are you wondering how to pay for the right college for your child, regardless of your financial situation and college budget? This book unlocks the secrets of how you can send your child to colleges you never thought you could afford. It sets out a step by-step approach to access thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars per year in FREE money from colleges. Read Pay For College Without Going Broke and discover: * Where to find little-known college financial aid sources for your family * How to choose the right school for your child and your pocketbook * What you need to do to access tens of thousands in FREE money per year from colleges themselves * Which resources will help you maximize your child's college success
Perry De Fontaine is a Certified Public Accountant with over forty years' experience in the financial services industry, and he is passionate about guiding and enabling parents to fund their children's education without risking their own financial stability and future. In 2001, he set up College Insights, Inc., which specializes in college planning in terms of both finance and admissions. College Insights Inc. advises families how to plan and pay for college, potentially saving thousands of dollars in college costs.
Introduction 1 Part One Let's Get Educated 1 College Costs 7 It's expensive, no matter where you go 7 Options for paying college fees 10 Summary 11 2 Is College Worth It? 13 Investing in the future 13 My personal college journey 15 Prepare to be surprised 17 Competition for college admissions is increasing 19 When to start the college application process? 20 Summary 22 3 My Ideal Approach 23 The 40,000-foot view 23 The 10,000-foot view 26 Become informed 30 Summary 32 PART TWO Free Money 33 4 Other People's Money Vs Your Money 35 Common sense example 35 Typical family college plan for those concerned about funds 36 Finding the solution 39 Your unique financial chessboard 39 Other people's money 41 Summary 43 5 Financial Aid-The Best Kept Secret In America 45 Financial aid 45 Summary 53 6 Need Vs Merit 55 Types of financial aid 55 Need-based financial aid 57 Non-need-based financial aid 70 Summary 79 PART THREE Finding Your Free Money 8_1_ _ 7_ _R_i_g_h_t_ _S_c_h_o_o_l_ _V_s_ _W_r_o_n_g_ _S_c_h_o_o_l_ _8_3_ Choosing the right college 83 Effective college visits 88 Summary 93 8_ _T_h_e_ _R_i_g_h_t_ _S_c_h_o_o_l_ _F_o_r_ _Y_o_u_r_ _P_o_c_k_e_t_b_o_o_k_ _9_5_ Scattergrams 96 Some typical family scenarios 98 Summary 105 9_ _N_i_n_e_ _M_a_t_r_i_x_ _S_o_l_u_t_i_o_n_s_ _1_0_7_ Solving your matrix 107 Matrix solutions - an overview 109 Matrix solutions - in detail 115 Summary 132 PART FOUR Discovering More Free Money 1_3_3_ 1_0_ _R_e_d_u_c_e_ _Y_o_u_r_ _E_F_C_ _1_3_5_ More opportunities 135 Financial aid "loopholes" 137 EFC reduction strategy example 140 FAFSA simplification 143 Summary 147 1_1_ _A_s_k_ _F_i_r_s_t_... _1_4_9_ Going through the process 149 Why so many financial aid forms? 153 Financial aid form mistakes 154 When should you submit forms? 155 More details on the financial aid form process 158 You're not done yet 159 College cost comparison sheet 163 Summary 165 12 ... Then Negotiate 167 Doing a deal 167 The negotiation process 168 Summary 175 PART FIVE What Next? 177 13 Your Options 179 The next steps 179 School data options 180 Other resources 189 Summary 194 14 Your Action Plan 195 Get the Fiske Guide to Colleges 195 Find a college planning specialist 196 A "team" of resources 201 College essays and interviews 212 Test prep 213 Summary 217 15 What Have We Learned? 219 You don't have to settle 219 Summary 221 The Author 223
