Want to learn 4 ways to become financially empowered? One of life's great mysteries is the fact that few of us are taught what we need to know about money and personal finance in order to feel secure. Our parents weren't taught so they couldn't teach us. We're not taught and therefore, cannot educate our children. And, our children will probably repeat this cycle unless we do something differently.
Applying for student loans? Worried about your credit score? Here are 5 steps you can take today to improve your credit score.
At this time of year, many parents start scratching their heads and turn to their keyboards to search for answers to their pressing financial questions. Parents, reeling from the sticker shock caused by their son or daughter’s college acceptance and award letter are trying to figure out how to pay for college. Students are asking questions about credit, many for the first time. Want to guess the financial question Google gets asked the most? It is “how do student loans work?” No wonder. According to a recent Marketwatch article, Americans are trying to figure out how to deal with $1.4 trillion in student loan debt. A study conducted by Liberty Bank for Savings found Google gets an average of 2.4 million searches per month from folks looking for the answer to this question.
To all you high school seniors with a stack of college acceptance letters – congratulations! Today is the big day – decision day! Here are 3 tips to picking the right college.
Trust that things happen for a reason. What made your first choice your first choice? Are all your friends going there? Is it a top-tier university? Is it the location? Sometimes the reason a college ranks first in your mind might not be the best reason. Remember, the purpose of picking the right college is to get an education and training that leads to a career path. Carefully review the other schools that said “welcome, we want YOU!” Which ones have a curriculum that has a close match to your career goals? Next, look at the demographics (location, size). Finally, the overall “vibe” you picked up when you toured the campus. Education is attained by a combination of effort and opportunity.
Ah, the money question! This is as good a time as any to sit down with the folks financially responsible for you and find out who is paying for what. You need to know if a college budget has been determined and how much of it will be borrowed, and how much is available in cash. Studies have shown most American families say they cannot afford the cost of college. According to a recent