SAVVY SAVINGS GUIDES FOR HOME AND BUSINESS：PAYINGFOR COLLEGE：GET AN EDUCATION WITOUT BREAKING THE BANK

Sensible Ways to Save and Pay for College

In a direct and easy-to-use style, the Savvy Savings Guide series offers great financial advice for both your personal and professional life. With each new book, you'll learn how to earn more, spend less, and save for important events such as retirement and your child's college education. From paying less on your taxes to starting a small business the Savvy Savings Guide series will help you save money and succeed!

Paying for College tells you everything you need to know to start saving for your child's college education today. Don't wait! The faster you start saving, the sooner you can stop worrying.

Here's how to:
* Get help paying for college through financial aid, grants, loans, work-study jobs, and scholarships
* Make the right investments for your plans-stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and more
* Use the new tax law to speed up the growth of your college savings
* Find the best savings programs for your needs-including the new 529 plans
* Pick a financial planner who will help you plan without taking you to the cleaners


The J.K. Lasser Institute is the leading publisher of money and business advice. Each year, millions of Americans trust the J.K. Lasser Institute to help them make the right financial decisions-from making more money today to saving for tomorrow.

BARBARA WAGNER is a business writer and author of 10 Minute Guide to Working with Financial Advisors, How Can I Ever Afford Children? Money Skills for New and Experienced Parents (Wiley), and Smart Guide™ to Maximizing Your 401(k) Plan (Wiley). Her work has also appeared in BusinessWeek and Working Mother magazine.

1. The Cost of a College Education.

Sticker Shock.

The Rising Cost of College.

How Much Will You Need To Save?

2. Where To Stash Your College Funds.

Stocks.

Bonds.

Certificates of Deposit.

U.S. Government Securities.

Mutual Funds.

3. Building a College Fund.

Understanding Risk.

Different Types of Risk.

Allocating Your Investments.

Setting Up Your Investments.

4. Tuition Savings Plans.

A New Twist on an Old Theme.

The Drawbacks of 529 Savings Plans.

Prepaid Plans.

Savings Plans.

5. Getting Professional Help.

Who’s Who in Financial Planning?

Fees and Service.

Finding a Financial Planner.

Smart Questions To Ask a Financial Planner.

6 Reducing the Tab.

Grants.

Loans.

Scholarships.

Work-Study Programs.

State Aid.

Institutional Aid.

Tax Breaks.

College Tax Credits and Deductions.

Smart Ways To Save.

Getting Grandparents To Help.

State Agencies.

7. Applying for Financial Aid.

The Different Types of Financial Aid.

Are You Eligible for Aid?

Understanding the Financial Aid Forms.

When Should You Apply?

Improving Your Aid Eligibility.

How Does Financial Aid Work in Cases of Divorce?

Ask the Financial Aid Officer.

Is the School Need Blind?

Negotiating a Better Package.

8. The Search for Scholarship Money.

The Search Begins.

Show Me the Money.

How To Apply for a Scholarship.

A Scholarship Sampling.

9. Smart Borrowing.

Federal Loans.

Subsidized versus Unsubsidized.

Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS).

State Loans.

Private, or Alternative, Loans.

Borrow from Yourself.

Borrowing against Your Home.

Refinancing Your Home Mortgage.

Loans against a Life Insurance Policy.

Loans from Retirement Plans.

Borrowing against Stocks and Bonds.

Personal Loans.

Glossary.

Index.