Today we’re diving into the dollar-saving-world of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as the FAFSA (which has seen some significant changes this year). Other than the cost of a hospital visit, nothing has skyrocketed in price like college tuition and fees over the past 20 years. You think your house or your new car is crazy expensive? Nope, just wait until your kid starts looking at colleges- that’s when the real sticker shock kicks in! And that’s why we’re excited to be joined by Tina Steele who is known as The FAFSA Guru. Tina is an expert when it comes to financial aid- she has decades of experience whether she was directly working for different public and private universities, leading a statewide initiative in Maine helping disadvantaged students to pursue college, or creating incredibly valuable videos for her YouTube channel. Today we discuss the critical changes to the FAFSA, who those changes helped and who they hurt, costly mistakes that divorced parents make, the best strategy for appealing a financial aid offer, and other tactics for curbing college costs and avoiding later regrets.

Additional links:

• FAFSA & Financial Aid Academy – Tina’s signature course is still open but you might only have a couple more days to register if interested! But head over to her site to check out everything that she offers.

• Credit Card Tool – Looking for the right credit card for you? Then check out our new credit card tool that’ll help you to easily filter through all the cards based on your preferred airline, whether or not they have an annual fee, or simply by the cashback offer! Just toggle the sliders and you’ll know which card to consider.

• Newsletter – Don’t forget to sign up for the best personal finance newsletter in all the land! It’s completely free and something we create to help you along your journey to financial freedom. It drops every Tuesday morning and you can always unsubscribe if you don’t dig it!

During this episode we enjoyed a Blue Crab Special Reserve by Other Half Brewing- a big thanks to Jason for sending this one our way! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!

Best friends out!