Category: College Planning

  • Diverse group of five young colleagues gathered around a table for a casual team meeting

    Paying for Graduate School 

    Maybe you’ve decided that graduate school is the path to advancement in your current job or your ticket to a better career. Or maybe you just want to take a few classes to upgrade your skills. Either way, returning to school as an adult often involves financial sacrifices. How will you pay for it? Personal…

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    Cost Increases at Private Colleges Outpaced Public Colleges in 2025-2026 

    Every year, the College Board releases new college cost data and trends in its annual report. The numbers represent average costs for in-state public colleges, out-of-state public colleges, and private colleges and are based on a survey of approximately 4,000 colleges across the U.S.  Over the past 20 years, average costs for tuition, fees, housing,…

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    Estimating College Costs 

    What is the forecast for college cost increases?  A college education is expensive. All those benefits of personal growth, expanded horizons, and increased lifetime earning power come at a price, a price that increases every year. According to the College Board’s annual Trends in College Pricing Report, for the 2025-2026 academic year, the average cost…

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    The ABCs of 529 Plans 

    529 plans are tax-advantaged education savings vehicles and one of the most popular ways to save for education today. Much like the way 401(k) plans revolutionized the world of retirement savings a few decades ago, 529 plans have changed the world of education savings.  An overview of 529 plans  Congress created 529 plans in 1996…

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    How Will I Manage to Send My Child to College? 

    Being able to send your child to college is near the top of the wish list for most parents. But that diploma doesn’t come cheap. Unless you are very well off financially, it’s difficult to sit on the sidelines for years and then suddenly find the money to pay for college when your child is…