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[00:00:00] It is a, it’s, it’s definitely an emotional conversation because I’m certainly feeling that myself with, with, um, my kid going to college. College is so expensive these days that it isn’t the case that most parents should be able to fully fund it. For all their kids. That unfortunately that’s, it’s really hard to do.

So I’m always telling families to just be kind to themselves, especially the parents, and understand that they’re not alone. That whatever their situation they’re in is very common across the board for many families, it’s not just them. So what do you think families should do then to set themselves up the way?

I think you can make it easier on yourself as a family. Is to start talking about these things at a much earlier timeframe. Do you have to educate yourself about [00:01:00] college admissions and college financial aid earlier and educate your kids? We call it kitchen table conversations, but we talk about, um. It, they happen during dinner.

They might be happening as we’re, you know, in the car driving somewhere. And so that way you can explain to them how the process works, how you wanna find a good fit, but it has to be a fit academically, socially, and financially. Every college has a net price calculator on their website where you can go in and, um, understand what your family is going to pay at that particular school.

Early on, get the student to apply to some schools that are on the lower cost end, trying out maybe a community college or trying out a university. State university. We MEFA talk a lot about, uh, many of the programs across Massachusetts that provide so many different opportunities to have cost savings.

We’re gonna apply for financial aid, apply for some [00:02:00] scholarships, and we’re going to, you know, have you apply to colleges. That you think would be a great fit for you, and then we’re gonna sit down, weigh all of the factors and make that decision together. What, what’s the end goal? It’s to get an education.

It, it’s not necessarily to go to an $85,000 school that mom and dad have to pay 60,000 a year for, that’s, that isn’t necessary to get a higher education. What’s necessary is to get into a college that the family can afford.