Blog | Capstone Wealth Partners - Financial Planning for College-Bound Families

Jan 28

Finding Money for College

Updated January 2022. We hear the question all the time: “Where can I find scholarships for my child?” Typically, when clients ask this, we will direct them to a few sources like their guidance counselor, online searches (like Fastweb.com, scholarships.com, Scholarship America, bigfuture.collegeboard.org, Cappex.com), or various local foundations. While private... read more →

Jan 21

Paying for College Abroad

Attending college in a foreign country will appeal to many college-bound students. The architecture, the history, and the learning experience of traveling is priceless. Should families hesitate and discourage studying abroad? Not necessarily! Families can find it relatively easy to pay for college in a foreign country for their student.... read more →

Jan 14

Smart Budgeting and Cash Flow for College Graduates

Updated January 2021. Did you have an allowance when you were a kid? Maybe some change or a few dollars if you did your chores? Were you the kid who spent your allowance right away or did you save all your pennies toward some big goal? Some of those habits... read more →

Dec 03

Did You Know You Were Wealthy?

Wealthy. Financially successful. Most people don't walk around saying: I'm so wealthy! -- unless you're a Kardashian or something. For the most part, the average investor doesn't perceive themselves as being wealthy. But how are those words defined when we are talking about paying for college and financial aid? You may... read more →

Oct 20

PSLF Overhaul: What You Need to Know

In October 2021, the US Department of Education initiated an overhaul of the existing Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF). Per the US Department of Education: “The Department estimates that the limited waiver alone will help over 550,000 borrowers who had previously consolidated their loans see their progress toward PSLF... read more →

Oct 13

College Funding Nightmares: Mistakes That Keep Parents Up At Night

Do money worries keep you up at night? The truth is, paying for college can be scary stuff. It can cause nightmares for parents. As financial planners who help college-bound families balance paying for higher education with their other goals (like retirement savings), our job is to help dispel some... read more →

Oct 08

Colleges That Don’t Offer Merit Scholarships

Updated October 2021. If we compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions we hear from our clients, one of the top among them would be: Do all colleges offer merit scholarships? The answer, in a word, is no. Let's dig deeper into what type of scholarship awards different... read more →

Aug 12

The Paying for College Paradox

Consider this: The Oxford Dictionary defines “paradox” in part as “a statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory.” To qualify for need-based financial aid, students obviously must demonstrate “need.” However, the reality is... read more →

Jul 23

Delayed: Which FAFSA Changes Got Postponed

The Federal Government might actually be listening to us…and we’re not talking about conspiracy theories here! We’re talking about our stance against the latest FAFSA changes, which we believe could jeopardize the financial health of countless American families. We wrote at length about this major development at the beginning of the... read more →

Jul 16

How Does a Gap Year Affect Financial Aid?

A gap year is a period of time when a student suspends schooling in order to explore the world through work, volunteering, and/or travel. Often a gap year is taken between high school and college, although it can be taken during college or even after college graduation. Students use this time... read more →