#143 FAFSA & Financial Aid Delays: Buying College Better with Beth Walker

Flourish Coaching

Oct 8, 2024

In this episode, Lisa and Beth discuss:

Update on the recent delays in the 2024 FAFSA financial aid application.
Navigating the college funding process more efficiently without being dependent on FAFSA outcomes.
How to navigate financial aid filing deadlines for high school seniors and returning college students.
Strategies to reverse engineer college affordability and align your teen’s college choices with your family’s financial realities.

Key Takeaways:

There are excellent reasons to complete both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, regardless of your income.
Schools evaluate households not only for need-based financial aid but also for merit-based financial aid and admission.
Filling out the FAFSA and CSS Profile does not mean your student is required to use the student loans for which they qualify.
The CSS Profile is more in-depth than the FAFSA. Filling out the CSS Profile in mid-October will prepare your family for FAFSA completion in mid-December.
When you complete financial aid applications between 10 and 45 days after they open, you’ll be near the front of the line for awards.
The CSS Profile gives families with multiple students in college more financial options than the FAFSA does with the recent FAFSA changes.

“If you’re waiting for a government form to answer [if you can go to college], that isn’t a plan. You can know that well in advance of completing those forms and you should.” – Beth Walker

Episode References:

FAFSA Site: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out
CSS Profile Site: https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/

About Beth Walker:

Beth V. Walker is an openly obsessed, chronically consumed, notable nerd, regarding all things college. She routinely reduces families’ out-of-pocket college expenses, saving them 25% – 50% on the cost of college.

Having spent 25 years as a wealth advisor, Beth understands the cash flow intensity of the college years, the impact paying for higher education has on current lifestyle and future retirement, and the challenges families face before, during, and after campus drop off. Beth has written two books – Never Pay Retail for College (2017) and Buying College Better (2024) and has created the MAGIC Method for giving families complete confidence in their choice of school.

Get Lisa’s Free on-demand video: How-to guide for your teen to choose the right major, college, & career…(without painting themselves into a corner, missing crucial deadlines, or risking choices you both regret).

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