If a student is a high school junior hoping to start college in fall 2028, it’s a good time to be  thinking about whether they should take the Scholastic Aptitude Test in the spring, since most colleges still say it is “optional.” Despite widespread expectations that colleges would reinstate SAT or ACT scores as a requirement, that hasn’t happened yet. While [...]

A college degree can increase your earning potential. In fact, men with a bachelor’s degree earn around $900,000 more in median lifetime earnings than men who stopped at high school, and women with a bachelor’s degree earn around $630,000 more, according to the Social Security Administration. While the general trend is that college graduates earn more, your degree and career [...]

Families often don’t realize that when they’re filling out the FAFSA (Federal Application for Federal Student Aid), the income information will be from 2024. Everyone going to college has a decent grade point average and test scores. Everyone has community service hours. Everyone has activities. What will make you stand out from the crowd?”— Brian Safdari NORTHRIDGE, CA, UNITED STATES, [...]

Federal Direct PLUS Loans have long helped students bridge the gap between their awarded federal financial aid and their school's cost of attendance. That role has narrowed sharply under new rules that took effect in July 2026. Grad PLUS loans are no longer available for new borrowers, and parent PLUS loans now have borrowing limits. Here's what you need to [...]

It’s wonderful when grandparents want to help out, whether it’s with summer camp, music lessons or college tuition. But if clients who are grandparents feel they have the resources to help out with college expenses and are offering their support, there are ways to optimize their contributions without jeopardizing financial aid. Grandparents tend to be reactive, offering their grandkids money [...]

For decades, the four-year college degree was sold as an express ticket to the middle class– a reliable path to a well-paying job and, with it, the kind of financial security your parents could brag about at dinner parties. But lately, that once-airtight pitch has started to leak.