Looking for more guidance on preparing to pay and actually paying for college, as well as general personal finance information on a variety of subjects? (If you're reading this blog, I'm guessing that you're interested in these topics!)
There's a great new book out by wealth manager Russell Bailyn 
called Navigating the Financial Blogosphere , which has two chapters on paying for college — one on saving for education (Chapter 13) and one on borrowing for education (Chapter 12) — in a section called "Building Wealth Requires Planning."
The content is very objective and provides several different online resources to find more information. I especially like that the chapters are short and conversational. In fact, one of the reviewers on amazon.com calls it "a personal finance blog disguised as a book."
Of course, I should mention that the Student LoanDown blog is even mentioned on page 96, which is how I found about the book in the first place!
i have a question
Crystal--if you have a question, we can help!
Ask us here in Comments, or if you'd rather correspond by email, use our new "Ask the Expert" tool.
I am a parent trying to help my daughter through college.My husband and I are in Chapter 13 and have no extra funds to pay for school righ now. Yet when we apply for stuff they just look at how much we make. Any suggestions? She only works part time and wants to really just try to get her Associates Degree and then go on from there. She was taking courses to try and get into nursing school but that didnt go very well and we paid for some of those courses and she used a credit card of $1000 she was able to get for this last year. So she has some college credits and is now just trying to get an AD Thanks
Hi Anonymous--I understand your desire to help your daughter finance her education. Many parents are struggling with this same situation right now, and it can't be easy.
I'm not sure what kind of funding you are applying for, but what I would recommend is that your daughter talk to the financial aid office at her school. They will be able to tell her what her options are for scholarships, grants, and student loans.
If your daughter is working part-time and going to school at least half-time, she most likely would qualify for a Federal Stafford Loan. These loans generally have much lower rates than you'd find with a credit card. Plus, payments can be deferred while she is in school, so even if you and your husband are not able to qualify for financing to help her right now, you might be able to help her make payments on the loan down the road once your financial situation improves.