FAFSA and Student Loan News

FAFSA 2025-26 The rollout of the new FAFSA software last year was pretty much a disaster and everyone was hoping that things would be back on track this year. Usually, October 1st is the start date for new FAFSA applications. Unfortunately, there will be very limited availability to complete applications then. The full launch is scheduled to only start … [Read more...]

Federal Student Loan Rates for 2024-2025

Student loans have become more and more expensive in the past few years. The Federal government has determined the Federal Direct Student Loan interest rates for the school year 2024-25, and they will be higher.   This will be for new federal loans disbursed between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025.  The net increase is 1.3% higher than … [Read more...]

The Unpredictability of Predictions

The Unpredictability of Predictions We all make predictions about things in life—some with lesser consequences than others. But if we see or hear something on TV or Radio (or now Podcast), then SURELY that information must be from an expert who knows something, and we should follow their advice. Here are some things I have heard going into 2023: Because … [Read more...]

FAFSA only opens on 12/31. Schools will get data late

On Wednesday, November 15th, the Department of Education (DOE) announced that the FAFSA will be available by 12/31/2023. If finally gives everyone a firm date to work on. This FAFSA delay is due to the FAFSA Simplification upgrades.October 1st is typically the date that you can begin completing the FAFSA. This seems likely to be delayed when the Colleges … [Read more...]

Social Security – Early or Late?

Before we go through this, let me say that each family’s situation is unique, and I strongly suggest that you talk with a financial advisor before making any decisions. The standard for calculations in communication from the Social Security Administration is an anacronym FRA or “Full Retirement Age” as per the Social Security Administration. For anyone born in … [Read more...]

We ARE old people!

Seniors - An issue we will all face today or in the future A friend of mine got a call from his Pickleball buddy asking if he wanted to play on Saturday morning. He replied, “Don’t all the old people play on Saturday morning?” His friend retorted, “Joe, we ARE old people!” A subject coming up for discussion frequently with my clients is about elderly … [Read more...]

College Loan Forgiveness

WARNING – This piece includes an opinion that some might not agree with!Well, that is probably true of all the newsletters that I write, but the minute you include something that has a touch of politics, there is always a risk of some not being happy. Usually, I try to steer away from politics, so I am going to try to frame this as FACTS and ADVICE for each … [Read more...]

4 Vital Questions about College

Parents – Have I had a discussion with my spouse as to who is paying for college? Some parents want to pay for everything for college because that is what their parents did for them, or they want their students to be able to focus solely on their studies. Other parents would like their students to have some skin in the game with some loans. Yet other … [Read more...]

2 Financial Terms that are currently hot topics for discussion

Risk /Growth: The main reason that we invest our money is that we want it to grow. If not, we would just leave it alone in cash in the bank. In order to do so, by definition, we usually add some risk. Market Risk is: “The type of risk that arises due to the movement in prices of financial instruments and can be caused due to movement in stock prices, … [Read more...]

One of the hottest Financial, Political topics today

What is one of the hottest and most controversial political topics of today? It is proposed forgiveness of college debt. https://collegeplanningamerica.com/ This letter is not about politics, it’s about finances and decision-making and that’s why I am talking about it. Americans owe nearly $1.75 trillion in student loan debt, spread out among about … [Read more...]