Snowdon Financial

Lighting the Path to Your Financial Dreams

Parent's Page

College Funding

For most families, other than purchasing a house, sending children to college is about the biggest expense they will face. It's no wonder that the whole issue of college - choosing the right one, getting in, and most of all paying for it - can produce stress.

The links below can help shed a little light on the topics of saving for college and applying for financial aid. While we don't list them here, every state has their own specific resources that can provide additional help.

Planning for the Costs of Higher Education
Are You on Course to Send Your Children to College?
What Investments are Best When Saving for College?
College Board: www.collegeboard.com/
SallieMae: www.salliemae.com/
SEC Introduction to 529 Plans: www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/intro529.htm

Guide to Financial Aid: www.finaid.org
FAFSA: www.fafsa.ed.gov/
College Financial Aid: www.finaid.org/calculators/
College Savings Plans Network: www.collegesavings.org/index.aspx
US Dept. of Education Financial Aid: www.ed.gov/parents/landing.jhtml

Teen Topics

Learning about money and how it works is a key part of financial success. These links are focused on giving teens the financial foundation they need.

Planet Orange and Escape from Knab put you on another world and help you learn about finances and money by playing games.
If you have ever been concerned about getting scammed, check out the FTC Scam Challenge site.
NEFE has one of the most comprehensive high school financial education programs I have ever seen. It teaches information most adults wish they knew. Get your school to teach the program, and all your friends will be way ahead when it comes to their own personal finances.

NEFE Teen Financial Planning Site: hsfpp.nefe.org/students/index2.cfm?deptid=15

ING Planet Orange: www.orangekids.com/
Probably best for younger teens. You get a guided tour of Planet Orange - a place where you can have fun while learning about how money works.

Federal Trade Commission: www.ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm

Young Americans Center for Financial Education: www.yacenter.org/index.cfm

FTC Grand Scam Challenge: www.ftc.gov/grandscam
Can you avoid a financial scam? This site can help

Escape From Knab (US Bank): www.escapefromknab.com/
Great game that also teaches a lot about money and making choices.

CreditScore: www.creditscore.net
Good information about budgeting, personal finance, credit cards, cars, and college, plus lots more.

Parent's Page

This page has two major sections. The first is all about College Funding. There is some introductory information on saving for college, includiong 529 savings plans (definitely worth checking out). You can also look through several sites that highlihgt federal financial aid. The FAFSA site is your gateway to applying for financial aid.

Of special note is the US Dept. of Educaion site. It has a parent's section as well as one for students. In addition to financial information, it is a good general resource for helping your children in the whole education arena.

The Teen Topics section is designed to help your children learn about money. Most school programs do not do the best job of teaching teens how money and the financial system works. The links on this page lead to some really good financial information, and it's fun and focused at their level.

The NEFE site is definitely worth a mention. They have what is probably the most outstanding high school financial education program I have ever seen. If you would like to get it into your child's school, take a look at their site.