"Paying for college is one of the only decisions a parent makes that can negatively impact multiple generations of a family." Debbie Schwartz, Road 2 College College is one of the largest expenses most families will ever take on, often second only to buying a home, and sometimes even more expensive. The biggest mistake some families make is applying to (or accepting) a college and then trying to figure out how to pay for it . Most families cover college costs with past income (savings),...

By Liz Agather, Agather College Consulting Over ten years ago, when my daughter was looking for a college, I had no idea how much college would cost. I spent hours researching her crazy-long list of 25+ performing arts schools as we firmed up "our family scholarship" and removed colleges that were over our budget. Full disclosure: In planning, I missed the $7,500 conservatory fee added to her tuition each year as a requirement for her major. The experience left me passionate about helping...

by: Liz Agather, Agather College Consulting “Mom, I might have failed English 201.” When my daughter said this to me in December of her...