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Saving for College
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Grade My 529 Plan
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How-To Guides
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How to Save for College
Thanks to benefits in the tax code, saving specifically for college and other education expense can have some advantages
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How to Pay for College
The rising costs of higher education are showing no signs of letting up.
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The Experts: What's the Biggest Mistake People Make When Financing Their Kids' College Education?
WSJ.comWhat's the biggest mistake people make when financing their kids' college education? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry, academic and other thought leaders who engage in in-depth online ...
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Best careers for people with student loan debt
MarketWatchDon’t miss these top stories:Best and worst careers to go into debt for.Your marriage and the IRS.Turning 50? Time for a retirement tune-upNew findings show that some college graduates won’t be debt-free until they’re about to become ...
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The Game Plan; With College Costs Ahead, a Need for a Better Plan
WSJ.comMichael Spalding, a 50-year-old dentist, and his wife, a 56-year-old preschool teacher, have three teenage sons either in or preparing for college.
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Best and worst careers to go into debt for; Choosing the wrong major can lead to a lifetime of student-loan payments
MarketWatchMany college graduates dream of the day they’ll be debt-free. But new findings show that for some, that day may not arrive until they’re about to become grandparents.
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Readers Weigh In on College Costs
WSJ.comMy Juggle column last month about the cost of college elicited a huge response from readers—many with great advice on financial aid, who should pay for college, and whether to narrow a kid's college applications based on anticipated cost.
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DAN YU; Look Beyond the 529 Plan for College Savings
WSJ.comMany people rely on 529 plans to save for college tuition, but they aren't always a one-stop solution.I tell my clients it's best to start contributing to a 529 plan when children are very young in order to maximize the benefit of tax-free, ...
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The Experts: Are 529 Plans the Right Choice for All Families Saving to Send Their Kids to College?
WSJ.comAre 529 plans the right choice for all families saving to send their kids to college? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry, academic and other thought leaders who engage in in-depth online ...
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By Kelly Greene; How to Save Enough to Pay for College
WSJ.comWant to cut your kids' college costs in half?Stash money in a savings plan for 15 years instead of taking out a loan, new research suggests.
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5 things to know about custodial accounts for kids; Commentary: Beware of legal and tax complications
MarketWatchParents set up custodial accounts for children for various reasons, some legitimate and some not. Aunt Gertrude gives $10,000 to little Johnny: set up a custodial account to hold the money. Parents want a tax shelter for little Stephanie’s ...
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For Graduation, a Gift of a 529; Here's how family and friends can add to a college account
WSJ.com'Tis the season for graduation gift giving. Whether you have a child finishing kindergarten or high school, the best gift could be one your graduate can't unwrap: a contribution to a 529 college-savings plan.
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Credit Unions Boost College Loans
WSJ.comCredit unions are offering more private student loans, creating new choices for borrowers grappling with high college costs.Nearly 590 of the nation's 6,955 credit unions offered student loans as of December, according to the Credit Union ...
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The Experts: Should You Keep Cash in Your Portfolio?
WSJ.comBesides keeping some in an emergency fund, should the average investor have an allocation to cash and cash equivalents in an investment portfolio? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry and ...
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How Congress could raise student loan debt; Efforts to tame student loans might have opposite effect, experts say
MarketWatchCollege students buckling under the weight of rising tuition face a new threat: rising interest rates on loans.The House of Representatives on Thursday approved a Republican bill to link student loan rates to financial markets. Under the ...
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Dear Class of ’13: You’ve been scammed; Commentary: How the College-Industrial Complex drove tuition so high
MarketWatchClass of 2013,No one else is going to tell you this, so I might as well.You sit here today, $30,000 or $40,000 in debt, as the latest victims of what may well be the biggest conspiracy in U.S. history. It is a conspiracy so big and powerful ...
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New College Lenders Step Up
WSJ.comCredit unions are offering more private student loans, creating new choices for borrowers grappling with high college costs.Nearly 590 of the nation's 6,955 credit unions—member-owned nonprofit financial institutions—offered student loans ...
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Regulator Seeks to Spur Restructuring of Student Loans
WSJ.comWASHINGTON—A federal regulator, concerned about the growing number of college graduates unable to repay their student debt, outlined a set of options to reduce their burdens by refinancing or restructuring their loans.
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Private Colleges Sweeten Offers
WSJ.comPrivate U.S. colleges, worried they could be pricing themselves out of the market after years of relentless tuition increases, are offeringrecord financial assistance to keep classrooms full.
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In Applying to College, Is Cost a Factor?
WSJ.comWhen it comes to our oldest daughter and college, we are in a place that most parents would envy. Jamie, a junior, is a strong student and is being wooed by a lot of colleges. But as the envelopes keep coming, they're all going straight to ...
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Appeal a Loan Rejection Despite Tighter Standards
WSJ.comThe credit criteria for getting a parent Plus loan was quietly tightened in recent years. But you still can appeal if you are turned down.Parents applying for a Plus loan have to undergo a credit check that looks for an "adverse credit ...
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Parent Trap: What to Know Before Taking a College Loan
WSJ.comDiana Jackson had no student debt when she got her Bachelor's degree from Miami University in Ohio in 1982. But when her daughter graduated from the school in 2011, Ms. Jackson was stuck with about $33,000 in parent loans.
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Making Sense of College Aid
WSJ.comCole Schenewerk has a tough choice ahead of him.The high-school senior from El Cajon, Calif., already has gotten an acceptance packet from Southern Methodist University and a preliminary scholarship offer from an Ivy League college. And he ...
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Save for college without going on game shows; Why going on ABC’s “Bet on Your Baby” isn’t the best way to save
MarketWatchAmid rising college costs and a stumbling economy, saving enough for your child’s future college education may seem like a bit of a gamble.Now, it actually is one. In ABC’s new game show “Bet on Your Baby,” parents wager on how their ...
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Jobless Benefits Shrink—Unevenly
WSJ.comWorkers across the country are seeing the length of their jobless benefits pared back, a shakeout that is playing out unevenly and pinching people in states still struggling with unemployment above the national average.
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New Options for Student-Loan Borrowers
WSJ.comTwo of the nation's largest providers of private student loans are taking steps to ease terms for some borrowers.SLM Corp., also known as Sallie Mae, this past week began accepting applications for loans that allow recent college graduates ...
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Student Starting College This Year? A 529 Savings Plan Might Still Help.
WSJ.comFor parents sending high-school seniors to college in the fall, here's a surprising financial tip: Contributing to a 529 plan even just months before the first tuition payment is due will qualify the account owner for a tax benefit in many ...
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Voices: Dan Yu, Saving For Your Kids' College Tuitions
WSJ.comVoices is an occasional column that allows wealth managers to address issues of interest to the advisory community. Dan Yu is managing principal for EisnerAmper Personal Wealth Advisors, a New York City-based RIA.
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The high cost of a cheap college; Even if colleges were more affordable, could students afford to pay?
MarketWatchPresident Obama called for colleges to rein in their costs during his State of the Union address Tuesday night. But new data shows those who attend schools with lower tuition often end up paying in other ways.
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Bank Fees—What Are They Good For?
WSJ.comFrom mandatory-arbitration clauses that waive jury trials to fees on empty envelopes and cash deposits, your bank is keeping disclosures tied to your checking accounts heavily cloaked in fine print and sometimes not in any print at all.
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Risky Student Debt Is Starting to Sour
WSJ.comThe number of student loans held by subprime borrowers is growing, and more of those loans are souring, the latest signs that a weak job market and rising debt loads are squeezing recent graduates.
The 529 Basics; What you need to know before you sign up for a 529 college savings plan.
SmartMoney.comWhen considering a 529 plan, the first thing you need to know is that these plans come in two flavors: "prepaid college tuition plans" and "college savings plans." We'll admit, we're pretty partial to the latter (for reasons you'll ...
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Arts Degree Leaves You Seeing Red
WSJ.comMost people assume a degree in the arts is no guarantee of riches. Now there is evidence that such graduates alsorack up the most student-loan debt.
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Student-Loan Securities Stay Hot; Investors' Hunger for Returns Is Driving Demand Even as More Borrowers Fall Behind on Their Payments
WSJ.comStudent loans are souring at a growing rate—and investors can't seem to get enough.SLM Corp., the largest U.S. student lender, last week sold $1.1 billion of securities backed by private student loans. Demand for the riskiest bunch—those ...
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Discover: Student Loans a 'Train Wreck' for Taxpayers
WSJ.comRising federal student-loan debt and potential changes to how such loans are treated under bankruptcy could be a "train wreck" for U.S. taxpayers, Discover Financial Services President Roger Hochschild said Monday.
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Regulator eyes better 529 plan info, muni quotes; Electronic bids and asks on table for $3.7 trillion muni-bond industry
MarketWatchWASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Better disclosure and comparability for the $180 billion college-savings-plan industry and live, equity-style electronic bid-ask quotes for the $3.7 trillion municipal-bond market may seem unlikely in today’s ...
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Tax changes help families paying for college; How the fiscal-cliff deal could ease the burden of college costs.
MarketWatchThe fiscal-cliff deal Congress reached this week has one surprise winner: parents of college students.In addition to extending the Bush-era tax cuts for all but the highest earners, the measure expands a college-related credit and several ...
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Student-Loan Delinquencies Among the Young Soar
WSJ.comThe number of young borrowers who have fallen behind on their student loan payments has soared over the past four years, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in a report released Thursday.
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Risky Student Debt Is Starting to Sour
WSJ.comThe number of student loans held by subprime borrowers is growing, and more of those loans are souring, the latest signs that a weak job market and rising debt loads are squeezing recent graduates.
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College Planning: A Crash Course on Paying the Bill
WSJ.comThe good news: Junior got into college. The not-so-good news: It's going to cost you.It's time for the annual ritual when families fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, wait for the aid letters to roll in and then sit down ...
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Prepaying for Princeton; A 529 Plan Will Cover Future Costs—If Your Kid Gets In
WSJ.comHow about getting four years at Princeton for the price of two?The proposition might sound too good to be true, but it is what the Private College 529 Plan promises. Arguably the oddest duck among college-savings plans, it allows parents ...
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How to Pick a 529 Plan; We asked advisers how they went about choosing. What was good enough for them might work for the rest of us.
WSJ.comCollege savings plans known as 529s can be a lifeline for families trying to figure out how they'll pay for higher education. But with almost 100 plans out there, and a dizzying variety of features, how do people pick the one that's best ...
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Should Gramps save for college? Firms begin pitching 529 plans to grandparents
MarketWatchMost parents can’t afford to save money for their children’s college education. So in order to boost sales of college-savings plans, investment managers are trying a new tactic: asking Grandma and Grandpa to sign up.
The College Tax Breaks Explained; College costs may be soaring, but these goodies will make paying those bills a little easier.
SmartMoney.comIf you've got college-bound kids, we don't need to tell you that the cost of college these days is staggering. Mercifully, Washington has delivered some valuable tax breaks over the past few years to parents trying to foot those bills. ...
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The Disappearing College Loan; New Program Links Repayments to Income
WSJ.comA new federal program should make it easier for some recent college graduates to keep their student-loan payments manageable.The new option, known as the "Pay as You Earn Repayment Plan," lets eligible borrowers sharply lower their monthly ...
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More wiggle room for student-loan debt? The CFPB is seeking more repayment options for private loans
MarketWatchAs more borrowers fall behind on their private student loans, a U.S. consumer watchdog is pushing to make those payments more affordable.The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau last week said it’s seeking proposals on ways to make debt ...
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The 'Other' College-Savings Account
WSJ.comAn education savings account that recently won permanent status could offer an extra boost to families facing big school bills in the future.
The College-Savings Superpage; There are now more college investment options than ever before.
SmartMoney.comThink the only way you'll be able to foot your son's or daughter's future college bills is by winning the lottery? Think again. While the soaring costs of college can be overwhelming, a bit of careful planning can help you leap over this ...
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Can student loan deferments prevent defaults? Colleges are encouraging borrowers to put off payments
MarketWatchTo lower their number of student-loan defaults, colleges are embracing a controversial tactic: Encouraging borrowers to put off payments.A growing number of nonprofit colleges are hiring companies that specialize in “default management” to ...
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A Better Way to Do Student Loans
WSJ.comRegarding your editorial "Bursting Debt Bubble" (March 1): The statistics speak for themselves. The federal government has clearly proved its inability to run a good student-loan program. In addition to the recent Federal Reserve Bank of ...
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Playing the College Game; Soaring costs and confusing aid packages are making the college-selection process trickier than ever. Here's what to do.
WSJ.comAs recent graduates struggle with high college costs and a weak job market, schools are using sophisticated tactics to attract new students.
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Financial-Aid Packages Aren't Written in Stone
WSJ.comWhat if you don't get as much aid as you expected—or no aid at all?Many schools offer a re-evaluation process that can result in an increase in financial aid, based on need, merit or both.
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Spend That Tax Refund Wisely
WSJ.comAlina Lane's 2012 tax refund came in the mail last week. But she planned how to spend the money long before it arrived.The 26-year-old will put a chunk of the roughly $3,800 refund toward paying her student loans from dental school after ...
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Think Twice Before Co-Signing
WSJ.comWith college costs rising, student loans are becoming a necessity even for many upper-middle-class families.If your child asks you to co-sign for a private loan, tread carefully: That debt could become your own.
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New Rage: Loan-Payoff Parties
WSJ.comWhen Cherie and Brian Lowe of suburban Indianapolis threw a party last spring, 150 well-wishers came bearing casseroles.This was no birthday or anniversary bash. Mr. Lowe, a lawyer, and Ms. Lowe, a stay-at-home mom, both 36 years old, were ...
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Are You Planning a Big Life Change This Year?
WSJ.comLife goes on. If you are anticipating some major changes in 2013, you'll need to do some planning.Here's a checklist of essential money strategies to consider before you take one of these five key steps in your life.
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College Courses Expand Online
WSJ.comMassive open online courses, or so-called MOOCs, are opening up access to classes at a growing number of colleges and universities.The classes, which typically are free and not for credit, enable large-scale participation via the Web to a ...
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SecondMarket to Launch Student-Loan Securities Platform
WSJ.comSecondMarket Holdings Inc., a New York-based online-trading firm specializing in private-market securities, on Monday will roll out a platform allowing lenders to issue securities backed by student loans directly to investors.
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Don't Delay Filing Fafsa
WSJ.comYou may be filing your taxes later than usual this year. But don't let that delay your child's application for college financial aid.Tax changes resulting from the fiscal-cliff deal have caused the start of tax-filing season to be pushed ...
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Colleges Dangle Tuition Deals
WSJ.comA growing number of liberal-arts colleges are supplementing their glossy brochures touting ivy-covered libraries and great-books seminars with more pecuniary pitches: Buy seven semesters, get one free. Apply today, get $2,500 cash back. ...
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More students delay repaying loans; Half of student loans are now in deferment or forbearance
MarketWatchWhen their student loans come due, many borrowers have no choice but to postpone the inevitable. As of March, 51% of student loans were in deferment or forbearance — periods when, owing to financial hardship, borrowers are not required to ...
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How to Rollover a 401(k)
To get a clearer picture of your money, consolidating old workplace accounts to an IRA or your next employer plan makes a lot of sense.