| When people become parents they more often than | | | | crisis. Towards that end, there are two pieces of |
| not have plans for their children to go to college and | | | | advice that I give my clients; |
| thereby becoming successful contributors to society. | | | | 1. Learn strategies on how to improve your chances |
| What most parents don't realize however is that | | | | of winning free money opportunities (scholarships, |
| student loan debt can seriously hamper these plans | | | | grants, fellowships, etc.) |
| of future success. Parents must have a vision of | | | | 2. Become more financially savvy - learn and apply |
| their child, beyond the college degree. Just as | | | | the art of investing wisely for both short term and |
| attending college is not enough to qualify as a | | | | long term results. |
| success, graduating and succeeding in life is the most | | | | Free money opportunities can pay off when |
| important. | | | | approached strategically and financial awareness also |
| The difficult truth is that since many of us belong to | | | | pays-off in the short and long haul. Both can position |
| a debt based society, parents generally don't plan | | | | you to stay above water and out of future student |
| ahead when it comes to how they or their child pays | | | | loan debt. Imagine being able to keep your child from |
| for college. The vast majority of working class | | | | drowning in student loan debt and being able to focus |
| parents end up co-signing on as many student loans | | | | on what they love to do in life without being forced |
| as necessary for their child to get through college. | | | | to make undesirable lifestyle choices just to make |
| The consequences can be disastrous for both you | | | | loan payments. Financial awareness and accessing |
| and your child if you are not fully prepared to | | | | free money sources will be one of the most valuable |
| manage the responsibility off paying off the full loan | | | | and rewarding skills that you will ever learn, to be |
| amount plus interest on the loan. | | | | able to pass down to your child. The more you know |
| As an academic financial consultant, my goal is to help | | | | about both of these areas the better off you and |
| you and your child avoid the student debt financial | | | | your child will be. |