Student Loan Strategies and Budgeting

Описание: The college financial aid process doesn't have to end with your initial award letter. In this webinar, Joe Messinger (Capstone Wealth Partners) and Amber Gilsdorf (Estrela Consulting) pull back the curtain on the "appeals" process to help families who are struggling to make sense of their college financial aid offer.

In this session, they break down the complexities of understanding, comparing, and appealing financial aid, in addition to providing helpful tools.

Topics covered in this webinar:

Deciphering the Award Letter: Learn how to cut through the noise and identify "Self-Help" (loans/work-study) vs. "Gift Aid" (grants/scholarships).
The Hidden "Gotchas": Why you should watch out for "frontloaded" aid and how to check if your scholarships are renewable for all four years.
The Loan Landscape: A deep dive into Federal Direct Loans (subsidized vs. unsubsidized) and the 2026 changes to the Parent PLUS loan caps.
The Appeal Process: How to use competing offers from "peer schools" to negotiate more merit scholarship money. Also, how to appeal based on job loss, divorce, and other life circumstances.
Financial Fit & ROI: Assessing the "premium" of certain degrees versus expected starting salaries.