Is college worth it?

Nobody will argue that the costs of a higher education are skyrocketing.  There's tuition, books, living expenses, administration fees, lab fees, student activity fees, student government fees, sidewalk beautification fees... well you get the idea.  The truth is that you need to consider more than just tuition costs when calculating how much you need to save for college.  Chances are that your school will also charge a bunch of weird fees for services you've never used or heard of in an attempt to extort every last penny from you.  So not only are you giving educational institutions a large chunk of your life savings, but they also want the pocket change you had saved up to buy a pop in between classes (from their pop machines of course).  You may even begin to ask yourself if college is worth your all of this investment of both your time and money.

Unfortunately, a college bachelor's degree is still the greatest dividing line in lifetime economic success.  According to the Census Bureau, Americans 25 years or older with a bachelor's degree (about 1/4 of the population) earn an average of $45,400 annually.  Compare this to the average earnings of a high school graduate of just $25,900.  Over a lifetime, this could add up to $2.1 million.  Now let's ask that question again, is college worth it?  Are you willing to invest $10,000 to $40,000 for a return of more than $1 million?


Technorati Tags: college, finances, saving, costs, expensive, investment

Tips on how to evaluate a 529 college savings plan

• Avoid large fee plans by doing your own research and selecting your own 529 plan
• Look for a direct-sold (nonbroker) 529 plan.  Broker sold funds do not guarantee better earnings, you may in fact end up getting less after paying investment fees.
• Review the eligibility requirements and read the fine print!
• Make sure you are able to pay the minimum contribution.
• Evaluate the investment options and make sure the program offers options that meet your investment objectives.
• Compare management and account maintenance fees.
• Check for limitations. Read the fine print!
• If you are dissatisfied with your 529 plan, you can always swtich to another plan by changing the beneficiaries ont he account!  This can be done once every 12 months.
  

Technorati Tags: savings, money management, investment, 529, college, finances

Shopping for a 529 college savings program

What exactly is the right balance of risk and profit when you're saving for your child's college education? It all depends on how much time you have and how much you have to invest, but for everybody, the clock starts ticking once your child is born. Unlike retirement where you have decades to save, you have a mere 18 years until they graduate high school and start college to scrape together whatever you can. Start shopping early to save yourself the worry and heartache of uncertainty.

How to Allocate Assets for College Savings at Morningstar




Technorati Tags: savings, money management, investment, 529, college, finances

The more you save, the more you earn... in Chicago

It seems that Monetta, an investment comapny in the Chicago area has set up a new program for its Monetta fund shareholders to save for their children's college education. The initial and monthly investments are very low, but the plan gives earnings of 2.5 percent of the shareholder's account value.

Read more about it at businesswire...

businesswire

Technorati Tags: college savings, investment, monetta, chicago

College Savings Account - 529 College Savings Plans

Besides investing in a Coverdell ESA account, there is another popular alternative to saving funds for college.  A 529 Savings plan is offered by either your state or an institution of higher education.  Withdrawals and earnings from 529 savings plans are generally tax free as long as the withdrawn funds are being used for "qualified educational expenses" like books, tuition, room and board, and supplies.  Contributions may also be partially tax deductable depending on your state.  One of the greatest strengths that a 529 plan has over a Coverdell ESA is that there are no income based restrictions on contributions.  Another strength of 529 plans is that many plans are managed for you.  So if you don't have to worry about the risk of wisely investing your funds if you're not a savy investor, all of this will be taken care of for you.  However, as with all investments, there are risks associated with 529 plans.  Your best bet is to request information directly from you plan's administrators.


Technorati Tags: 529 college savings, investments, saving for college

Saving for College - Is a Coverdell ESA the best option?

Like an IRA, a Coverdell Educational Savings Account allows annual non deductible contributions. The funds in the account grow tax free and qualified distributions are also tax free. This may sound like a great way to save for college, but there are some catches.

• Contributions cannot be made to an ESA once the beneficiary turns 18.
• All funds in an ESA will have to be disbursed to the designated beneficiary by the time she turns 30 or the withdrawals will be subject to income tax and the 10%. Another technique is to rollover the account to another beneficiary who will have to be a family member.
• The maximum contribution limit is $2000 annually. Excess contributions are also penalized if they are not withdrawn before the end of the tax year.
• Distributions are only tax free if they're used for qualified educational expenses, otherwise a 10% penalty and income tax will apply to any gains that were withdrawn from the account. Double dipping and also claiming deductions such Hope and Lifetime Learning credits for the same educational expenses is not allowed.
• An ESA is considered to be an asset of the account custodian so this will not have a large negative impact on financial aid.
• For now, it is possible to make tax free withdrawals from an ESA and claim Hope or Lifetime Learning credits in the same year. This may change by 2010 though.

Paying rent for a new apartment with skylights and a jacuzzi is not a qualified educational expense! See the IRS publication on qualified educational expenses and distributions. Click here

Technorati: college, taxes, finance, saving, investment

Avoid getting scammed by campus bookstores

One of your biggest expenses each semester are books and supplies, this is true especially if you're in either upper level classes or highly specialized majors. There are some tips that every student should know to avoid burning through a large portion of her financial aid before classes even start.

Books

• The first and most important is to avoid buying or selling books at local campus bookstores. The books are overcharged and their book buy back programs pay you pennies on the dollar for your books. The only exception for this would be for coursepacks which you wouldn't be able to get anywhere else.
• Does your school have a book exchange program?
• Search online for past syllabi or book lists before the start of the semester.
• Buy used books on ebay, half.com, or amazon.
• Sell your books on ebay, half.com, or amazon. If the books are in good to new condition, you can often recover 75% of what you originally paid for the book.
• If you're really in a bind, then see if your school's library has a copy of the book that you need and check it out whenever you need it.
• Unless you have no plans of reselling and wish to build a bonfire, absolutely do not write, highlight, or dog ear any of the pages in your book. Write your notes on post-its and use those colored strips of sticky paper to 'highlight' important parts of text.

Supplies

• Buy reams looseleaf sheets of paper. Notebooks are outrageously overpriced and by using looseleaf sheets and binders, you can reuse the binders next semester.
• Use college rule lined paper and write on both sides. You can fit more on each page this way.
• Do not buy new pens and pencils. Keep the giveaways you get from promotional material.

Technorati: thrifty, frugal, living expenses, saving, textbooks, college

Looking Good on a Budget

Previously we covered how to save on expenses like utilities, rent, and food.

Having a tight budget does not mean that you have to wear the same sweatshirts and jeans everyday. There are ways to find good quality clothes that are always fashionable even if they don't exactly fit in with the latest fashion fad.

• Look in thrift shops or consignment shops for lightly used or vintage clothing.


• With the exception of suits and formal dresses, learn to buy pieces that you can mix and match and that are appropriate for different occasions. Buy clothes that you can wear to class, on a date, to an interview, etc.


• Build up a collection of tops and bottoms that you can mix and match. This way you can get many outfits out of just a few pieces of clothing.


• Buy quality clothes. What kind of material is the piece made out of? Are the seams poorly stitched? Does the material look like it's about to fall apart and unravel? You want to buy clothes that will last more than a few wearings. The same goes for shoes.


• Avoid buying clothes at full price at the mall or department store. Look on ebay for lightly used clothes or overstock sales.


• Instead of buying more clothes, dress up what's already in your closet with accessories.


• Take care of your clothes. Wash stains immediately. You might end up with a $20+ dust rag if you let stains like blood or oil dry.


• Keep colors from fading. Wash with cold water and use bleach only when absolutely necessary!


• Try to avoid buying clothes that are dry clean only. The only exception would be interview or career clothes.


• Make an extra trip to window shop and plan what you want to buy. Wait a few days and if you still absolutely need those clothes, then go back with some cash and buy them.


• Be crafty! Learn to alter your clothes if you experience a significant weight change or growth spurt (yes this is still possible in your 20s). Learn to knit. Scarves, mittens, hats, and sweaters are very easy to make and if you live in a colder area you could sell them on campus during the fall and winter. Make your own jewelry or purses. craftster.org is a great source of ideas and tips.

Technorati: thrifty, frugal, living expenses, saving, clothes, clothing,

Making Utilities Affordable

Previously I posted money saving tips on getting fed and putting a roof over your head.

Everybody has heard horror stories from college graduates about living in the dark, without water, without heat during the winter, making their own underwear, huddling around garbage can fires with the homeless... the list goes on and on. Believe it or not, but living comfortably with such extravagant luxuries like internet access, a cell phone, and air conditioning during the summer can be quite affordable.

• Phone service: Do you really need a land line? Most people have cell-phones nowadays with free nights and weekends or VoIP. Who actually gets enough calls during the day to make paying more than $20 a month for land line phone service worthwhile. However if you must get phone service at home, then consider low income assistance. If you're a jobless or part time college student and you're not claimed as a dependent by anybody, then you may qualify for lifeline or link-up discounts from the government. The income cutoff level (135% of poverty level) really isn't as low as you may think. Another possibility if you make very few outgoing calls is to ask your phone company for a metered line. You'll get unlimited inbound calls, but only a few outbound calls each month (just make these on your cell). You'll have to call in and ask for this as it isn't advertised anywhere.
  
• Electricity/Gas: Save on electricity costs by using energy saving fluorescent light bulbs. Turn your refrigerator and freezer settings to the highest possible temperature without having your food spoil. Do not use the heat dry setting on your dishwasher, just let everything air dry overnight. Seal up drafty doors and windows. However, do not do this with towels. Moisture buildup will cause your walls to mold! Again, see if you qualify for low income assistance. This will only work if you're not being claimed as a dependent by anybody.
  
• Water: Cut down on your water consumption by filling your sink to wash dishes instead of washing under running water. Decrease the amount of water coming out of the showerhead and take shorter showers. Fix your dripping faucets. Only use a dishwasher when it can be filled completely. Place something heavy and large like a brick or a bag of rocks in your toilet tank, this can save 5 to 10 gallons of water per day. See the above link to see if your state offers low income assistance.
  
• Internet Access: This one is easy. If you live near campus, then just go and pick one of the many computer labs that are available. Many coffee shops, cafes, and bookstores have free wifi and most libraries let people surf online for free. However, nothing beats the comfort of home. Are free dial-up numbers offered by your school? If you want a high speed connection, then either try to sign up with a cable or phone company that will let you have a standalone connection. Do not bundle your services just to get a 'cheaper' deal. Does anybody really need 100+ cable channels? Just go mooch off of someone else...

Technorati : bills, college student, frugal, living expenses, saving, thrifty, utilities

Healthy Eating on a Limited Budget

Now that you know what to look for when finding a place to live, let's talk about food.

Like many incoming students, the thought of living on pizza, burgers, fries, pop, and beer without parental scrutiny may be one of the best things about moving away from home. That's exactly what I thought my first year of college. Now I can barely stand the greasy smell of pizza without feeling nauseous. In fact, not only is living on fast food horrible for your health, but it will literally eat through your savings.

For a college student, the most important factors in choosing a meal are convenience, cost, and portability. However consider what eating out everyday will cost you. A fast food combo is around $5. A bottle of pop from the vending machines near one of your classes is $1.25. One or two slices of pizza from the food court on campus will be about $2-$5. A cup of coffee is about $2. You get the idea. If you do this every week day, you could be spending $2000-$3000 a year on food! What if you don't cook at all or go out with your friends on the weekends...

Compare this with cooking your own meals. Each meal could cost less than a dollar! Doing your own grocery shopping could mean spending less than $30 a week or $1560 a year on food. Making your own food is not only cheaper, but also more nutritious and healthier (trust me, you don't want to know what goes on in restaurant kitchens). However, there are still a few money saving grocery tips you'll need to know.

• Never shop in just one store if you can help it.
• Make a shopping lsit of things you need, do not deviate from this list and if you forget to get something, do not go back. Going back because you forgot the milk could mean walking out of the store with not only a jug of milk, but cereal and a bag of chips.
• Try to buy groceries during the weekend, especially Sunday morning or afternoon. Many supermarkets will have early bird or weekend specials with major discounts.
• Clip coupons or be aware of when sales happen. You could also consider joining a food co-op if you have something like that near you.
• Buy unprocessed food. Boxed foods like cereals and frozen meals are extremely expensive when you consider the cost of what it takes to either make the meal yourself or buying in bulk.
• On that note, also buy unpackaged produce. That means choosing sandy bunches of spinach, whole heads of lettuce, and whole vegetables. Don't buy bagged salads or precut vegetables and fruits. Not only are they more expensive but they also won't stay fresh as long.
• Check out local ethnic markets or farmers markets. Vegetables at Asian markets often cost less than at supermarkets.
• Buy dry goods like pasta, noodles, rice, beans, cereal, and canned goods in bulk. Buy non grocery essentials like napkins, paper towels, and plastic bags in bulk.
• Buy jugs of distilled water, not bottled spring water. Consider $0.50 or less per gallon of distilled water to the cost of bottled water. Take a refillable sports bottle to school.
• Try to drink water instead of pop. If you must drink pop, then at least buy 24 packs or 2 liter bottles and use a refillable sports bottle.
• Eat less meat. The cost of a vegetarian diet really is less expensive than a diet with large portions of meat in every meal. If you can't give up eating meat, then at least eat smaller portions.
• Speaking of meat, buy the leaner cuts. Meat with higher fat content may cost less per pound, but consider that all that extra fat just melts away when the meat is cooked. Post cooking you'll be left with less than if you chose a leaner cut of meat.

Technorati : budgeting, college student, eating, food, frugal, groceries, healthy, shopping

Making the Rent

Apartments in college towns are always in high demand and the rent is always expensive even with a roommate or two to share the burden. There are however other alternatives to renting near campus.

The most obvious solution would be to live in the dorms. Living in a double, triple, or quad can dramatically decrease your living expenses and living on campus means that your may get scholarships and grants to pay your rent. Basic utilities will be covered and services like phone, cable, and high speed internet are often available for mere dollars. Your dorm may also include meal plans in their rental agreements.

However, if you don't like the noisy crowded environment of the dorms or if the thought of having to share a bathroom with an entire floor where you must wear flip flops to the shower and there are always mysterious chunks of food in the sinks makes you want to douse yourself with bleach then you may want to consider renting off campus. If you are renting anywhere within walking distance of your school, then beware of extremely high rent, slumlords, and apartments that are often falling apart.

The first problem is easily solved. Consider rooming with a friend or get a large group of people together and rent out an entire house. Another tactic would be to wait until fall until school is about to (or already has) started. By that time, the landlords are more than willing to negotiate a lower price just to avoid having an unrented unit for the year. Make sure that utilities like water, heat, and gas are included in the rent. These are the three most expensive utilities, especially heat for those of us in the northern states. Heating bills can add up to more than a hundred dollars a month during the winter.

Another problem is that the landlords who control the properties near campus are often all too willing to take advantage of naive students. Always do your own due diligence about your potential landlord before signing anything! You should ask the other tenants at the property about the landlord, the condition of the building, responsiveness to problems, etc. Google them to see if there are any complaints on apartment review sites. See if your school website has a housing review directory like http://www.msa.umich.edu/housing/. Make sure to ask if pets are allowed, is there parking available, is there a laundry room, is there a storage locker, what kinds of problems will maintenance fix, do they even provide any kind of maintenance...

The cheapest option if you choose to live off campus (other than living at home of course) is probably to live in a city or two away from school. Apartments farther away from campus are often larger, in better condition, properly managed, have less drunk students, safer, quieter, and cheaper. You could further cut costs by finding a roommate from school and carpooling. However, if you choose to live that far away from school, you'll also have to factor in the costs of car payments, gas, and parking.

With all that said, just how much of your budget should you spend on rent? You should definately aim for no more than 30 to 40 percent of your expected income from financial aid, savings, and other sources of income. An ideal amount would be 100 to 300 dollars a month and absolutely no more than 500 dollars a month unless you've got a steady dependable source of income.

Technorati : apartments, budgeting, housing, living expenses, rent

Make the Most of Financial Aid

It's that time of the year again, when summer is almost over and school will be starting in a couple months. Most students have already sent in all the necessary paper work and are just waiting to deposit their financial aid funds into their bank accounts. So this week's series of articles will focus not on acquiring financial aid, but rather on how to make the most of it while in school.

Scholarships, grants, or student loans (yikes!), whatever your source of funds may be you'll have to make it last for the entire semester so the first frugal living tip you'll have to learn is to budget! What expenses will you have? The most basic are rent, food, utilities, clothes, books and supplies, entertainment, and possibly credit card debt. Each of these have the potential to break the bank and in the next several posts I'll teach you how to tackle each one.

Technorati : budgeting, financial aid, living expenses