Shellee Howard of College Ready explains why every student should complete the FAFSA, calling October 1st the opening of a "money gate" to grants, scholarships, and loans. You need it to determine your Expected Family Contribution, which colleges use to decide how much aid to give. Without it, you miss free money.
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Hello, and thank you for joining Shellee Howard and College Ready. I am going to tell you that October is one of my favorite times of the year. Summer's done, feeling refreshed and ready to go, and the FAFSA's open. So October 1st is the day that the money gate opens, and I want you to think of it as an opportunity for free money. So today I'm wearing my green for Show Me the Money, and I'm super excited because this is the first year after 9 years I will not be completing the FAFSA. My son is going to be graduating medical school and my daughter is going to be graduating nursing school, and I'm getting a big raise. No, I'm just kidding. They, they're doing it on their own, debt-free. Free and life is good. They're, they're starting off well. So today I wanted to share with you the importance of the FAFSA and what does it mean for your family. You may be thinking like most of my clients that I make too much money and I won't get any money, so why complete the FAFSA? I can tell you how many times I hear that Often, almost daily. What I don't think people realize is the FAFSA is the, the link to free money, any kind of free money, scholarships, grants, even loans. So if you think that you would rather pay full price for college, then do not complete the FAFSA. But if you would like to receive any kind of free money, Please complete the FAFSA regardless of what you do or don't make. So why, why do we have to complete the FAFSA? Well, the government already knows how much you make because you pay taxes. So now colleges want to know what your expected family contribution will be. And I've created an entire program to share with you what it takes to get into college and graduate debt-free. It's called College Ready Debt Free, and I'm happy to share the program with you if you have a need for this information. So with that, who should complete the FAFSA? Everybody should complete the FAFSA. Why? Because you want free money. Now really, the best money comes from picking the best colleges. That means the right academic fit, the right social fit, and the right financial fit. There's nothing more important than those 3 things. Many people say, well, how do I even know any of that? Well, after doing this 11 years and spending hours upon hours reading, it's not an easy thing to find. But just like doing your taxes aren't easy, or all of the other things we have to pay, it really is important that you know this. Because what you do not know will definitely cost you, and I would hate for that to be the case. So for any student who would like merit money, scholar athlete money, uh, theater money, any kind of free opportunity for a reduced scholarship or application costs or book costs, or it's tied to everything. Prior to testing going test optional all over the place, testing was another great way to get free money, and it still is. So for those of you who are banking on test optional to, uh, beat the game, I am here to tell you that is not a good strategy. Testing is used for so many other things other than just getting you into college. They're used for scholarships, for grants, for not having to take the basic 101 English or math class while you're in college. Time and money are valuable. So FAFSA, back to the FAFSA. So the FAFSA is free, and I had a student ask me today, how do I complete the FAFSA, or where do I even start? You are simply going to go and log in to fafsa.gov or you can spell it out, it's up to you. If there is a charge, it is the wrong site because the FAFSA is completely free. The student must go in there and complete the first section, which takes about 5 minutes, to get their student ID, who they give to the, uh, person who is handling the, the FAFSA numbers, the financial part. The parents the one whom the student lives 51% of the time with, will complete the FAFSA using the student ID and connecting the two. So those are the first two steps. If those intimidate you, just know I have a certified financial planner who can help you. I have a tax person who can help you. I have a whole team of experts that can give you the information you need. And this is, you know, it's just an added bonus. It's not something that College Ready charges for. We're here to give you information. We're here to make sure that your return on investment is solid, that your student graduates debt-free and has the gift of no debt. So if you are questioning whether or not to complete the FAFSA, Please call, email, text me, and let's talk about it before you just don't do it. I promise you it will be something you'll never regret. So you do need to do it every single year your students are in college. Any questions at all, if you need any financial help, please reach out, uh, to me, Shellee Howard, um, at college-ready-plan.com. I'm offering a free strategy session this month to help you get through this crazy COVID process with FAFSA on top. I can also help you with the CSS Profile and the Expected Family Contribution. Thank you so much, and I really hope you take advantage of this free opportunity for money. Have a great day.
