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If you’re thinking of sending your child to college one day, you have a lot of decisions to make. Decisions regarding how to save money for college, which colleges may be a good fit, whether an alternative to a four-year college may be a better option, plus seeking financial aid, scholarships, and grants. Paying For College For Dummies can help you make the most of your money and guide you through the decisions of choosing which post–high school path is right for your child.

© 2020 Eric Tyson All rights reserved.

Saving and Schooling Options: Tips to Guide You through College Decisions

 The prices at four-year colleges and universities, especially private ones, are daunting to most people. So, you should absolutely, positively look around, inspect, and compare to see what you’re getting for all that money.

 Increasing numbers of alternatives to traditional four-year colleges offer students lower-cost and shorter-term programs. Take some time to find out and consider what’s out there and compare those options to the best traditional colleges you’re considering.

 Raising children is a long-term and costly endeavor. So, get your personal finances in top shape to run this financial marathon. You should also understand how colleges set prices based upon your financial situation, as that may impact how you save and invest your money.

 As your kids grow up, be sure to expose them to important money lessons, including helping them to make the connection between working and earning money.

 A challenging and rewarding part of raising kids is helping them recognize and develop their talents and abilities. Be careful not to steer them in a particular way thinking that may make them more attractive to certain colleges. More often than not, such perceptions aren’t correct. Teach your kids the value of hard work, integrity, and developing their strengths and interests.

 There’s no substitute for visiting and investigating colleges and other programs of interest. Set aside time with your teen to discuss a process for checking out schools and what factors — including the cost and expected benefits — will influence the final selection.

 Where appropriate and cost-effective, enlist experts to help with evaluating and applying to colleges. Understand the strengths and limitations of school-based counselors and outside experts. Spending lots of money won’t necessarily lead to better outcomes.

 Understand how colleges collect and evaluate your personal and financial information to decide how much to charge you.

 Four-year colleges are certainly one of the most popular options for high school graduates. But there are others including community colleges, trade schools, apprenticeships, boot camps, last-mile programs, and more. Visit schools, take tours, ask lots of questions, and do your homework on each.

 Generally speaking, parents will be better off regarding financial aid applications and college pricing if they save and invest in their own names (as opposed to their kid’s) and take advantage of retirement savings plans.

 Financial aid forms can be intimidating and tedious to complete. Understand how to complete those forms accurately and to your best advantage.

 Colleges are the biggest purveyors of grants and scholarships — which are really a reduced price offered to those deemed in need of financial aid or displaying academic or some other merit (for example, sports). While some outside scholarships are significant, most are relatively small in amount and often reduce the amount of aid a given school will provide your family.

 Ideally, your teenager will gain acceptance to multiple schools, which enables comparing the value (price and quality) offered by each to one another. You should also realize that you may be able to improve upon the financial aid offered by a given college.

 Conduct more due diligence before making your final decision, which should include more campus visits.

 Federal and state tax codes include numerous tax breaks for college expenditures. Find out what’s out there so you can take advantage of what you’re eligible for.

 Getting through college in a timely fashion can greatly reduce your costs of attendance. Be sure you understand how to evaluate your likelihood of completing a given college program in four years.

 As your teenagers enter young adulthood, be sure you’re sending them off with the financial skills and knowledge they can use and benefit from for the rest of their lives.

 Know how to best deal with student loans. In addition to keeping track of them, be sure you’re aware of the myriad programs that help reduce your interest costs and repayment.

Praise for Eric Tyson

“Eric Tyson is doing something important — namely, helping people at all income levels to take control of their financial futures. This book is a natural outgrowth of Tyson’s vision that he has nurtured for years. Like Henry Ford, he wants to make something that was previously accessible only to the wealthy accessible to middle-income Americans.”

— James C. Collins, coauthor of the national bestsellers Built to Last and Good to Great

“Personal Finance For Dummies is the perfect book for people who feel guilty about inadequately managing their money but are intimidated by all of the publications out there. It’s a painless way to learn how to take control.”

— Karen Tofte, producer, National Public Radio’s Sound Money

“Eric Tyson … seems the perfect writer for a …For Dummies book. He doesn’t tell you what to do or consider doing without explaining the why’s and how’s — and the booby traps to avoid — in plain English… . It will lead you through the thickets of your own finances as painlessly as I can imagine.”

— Chicago Tribune

“This book provides easy-to-understand personal financial information and advice for those without great wealth or knowledge in this area. Practitioners like Eric Tyson, who care about the well-being of middle-income people, are rare in today’s society.”

— Joel Hyatt, founder of Hyatt Legal Services, one of the nation’s largest general-practice personal legal service firms

“Worth getting. Scores of all-purpose money-management books reach bookstores every year, but only once every couple of years does a standout personal finance primer come along. Personal Finance For Dummies, by financial counselor and columnist Eric Tyson, provides detailed, action-oriented advice on everyday financial questions… . Tyson’s style is readable and unintimidating.”

— Kristin Davis, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine

“This is a great book. It’s understandable. Other financial books are too technical and this one really is different.”

— Business Radio Network

More Bestselling For Dummies Titles by Eric Tyson

Investing For Dummies®

A Wall Street Journal bestseller, this book walks you through how to build wealth in stocks, real estate, and small business as well as other investments. Also check out the recently released Investing in Your 20s and 30s For Dummies.

Mutual Funds For Dummies®

This best-selling guide is now updated to include current fund and portfolio recommendations. Using the practical tips and techniques, you’ll design a mutual fund investment plan suited to your income, lifestyle, and risk preferences.

Personal Finance in Your 20s For Dummies®

This hands-on, friendly guide provides you with the targeted financial advice you need to establish firm financial footing in your 20s and to secure your finances for years to come. When it comes to protecting your financial future, starting sooner rather than later is the smartest thing you can do.

Home Buying For Dummies®

America’s #1 real-estate book includes coverage of online resources in addition to sound financial advice from Eric Tyson and frontline real-estate insights from industry veteran Ray Brown. Also available from America’s best-selling real-estate team of Tyson and Brown — House Selling For Dummies and Mortgages For Dummies (with Robert Griswold).

Real Estate Investing For Dummies®

Real estate is a proven wealth-building investment, but many people don’t know how to go about making and managing rental property investments. Real-estate and property management expert Robert Griswold and Eric Tyson cover the gamut of property investment options, strategies, and techniques.

Small Business For Dummies®

This practical, no-nonsense guide gives expert advice on everything from generating ideas and locating start-up money to hiring the right people, balancing the books, and planning for growth. You’ll get plenty of help ramping up your management skills, developing a marketing strategy, keeping your customers loyal, and much more. And, find out to use the latest technology to improve your business’s performance at every level. Also available from co-authors Eric Tyson and Jim Schell, Small Business Taxes For Dummies.