Next to housing costs, paying for college may be the most significant financial commitment Bay Area families face. The average cost of attendance at public schools this year is $20,000 and for private, closer to $40,000 – for four years that is $80,000 to $160,000 per child! With this level of commitment, it is critical that parents have a college saving strategy that avoids these costly college saving mistakes. (more…)
Huh? “What the heck is MOOCs?” you are asking, I’m sure. Good question.
“A massive open online course (MOOC) is an online course aimed at large-scale interactive participation and open access via the web. In addition to traditional course materials such as videos, readings, and problem sets, MOOCs provide interactive user forums that help build a community for the students, professors, and teaching assistants (TAs). MOOCs are a recent development in distance education.” ~ From Wikipedia. (more…)
When it comes to college, you’re more than what you pay
Here in California, we joking refer to Harvard as “the Stanford of the east.” That gentle jab reflects the rivalry between two schools renowned for their stunning campuses, prominent faculty, prestige and sky-high costs. Four years of tuition at either school will set a family back more than $200,000.
That’s a staggering amount of money, but we assume that it’s “worth it” because of the advantage a degree from a top-notch school confers on our kids, who need all the help they can get in a job market that’s been in the doldrums for years. (more…)
If you’re saving for a child or grandchild’s college education, brace yourself. The annual cost at the typical private university now exceeds $38,000, and the annual cost at the typical public college is greater than $17,000.1 Multiply those figures by four, and you might wonder if it’s worth it to send Junior to college. In most cases, the answer is yes. Fortunately, there are ways to make your college savings work harder for you. (more…)
The day has come. Your little baby has grown up and is now ready to leave the nest. He or she has graduated high school and is preparing for the next big step. Whether it’s college, a gap year, a year abroad or any other life adventure that lies ahead, this time can be filled with emotion for you and your child.
To avoid allowing the country to fall off the fiscal cliff, Congress and the President have agreed upon and signed into law the 2012 American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA). Among other things, the new law restores nearly all of the tax incentives for education which had been scheduled to expire at the end of the year. One of these education incentives was the Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA). (more…)
