FinAid | Answering Your Questions | Books for Parents of Undergraduate Students

Books for Parents of Undergraduate Students

FastWeb College Gold: The Step-by-Step Guide to Paying for College, Harper Collins, September 2006. $21.95. 305 pages. Includes information about maximizing eligibility for need-based financial aid, winning scholarships, saving for college, avoiding common errors and scholarship scams, completing financial aid application forms, evaluating college financial aid packages and comparing student loan options and borrowing costs. To order a copy or for more information, visit the book's companion web site www.collegegold.com.

Bart Astor, You Can Afford College: The Family Guide to Meeting College Costs, Kaplan (Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishers), New York, 1995. ISBN 0-38531-537-6 ($14.95). 284 pages. This book provides college cost and financial aid information for 150 schools, an overview of financial aid, how to apply for financial aid, and need analysis. It includes a list of state higher education agencies, US Department of Education regional offices, and a glossary. The book also discusses cutting college costs and negotiating aid packages. To order a copy, write to Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishers, 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036. For more information, send email to info@kaplan.com.

Adriane G. Berg, Your Kids, Your Money: A Financial Survival Manual for Parents, Prentice Hall, 1985.

Warren Boroson and Martin M. Shenkman, Keys to investing for your child's future, Barron's Educational Series, Inc., Hauppauge, New York, 1992. ISBN 0-81204-961-6 ($5.95). 152 pages. To order a copy, call 1-800-645-3476 or write to Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 250 Wireless Blvd., Hauppauge, NY 11788.

College Board, Meeting College Costs 1989: A Guide for Parents and Students, College Board Publications, New York, 1989. Free to students from high school guidance counselors. 8 pages. Costs $10 per package of 50 copies. Provides general information and guidelines. Revised annually. To order a copy, call 1-800-323-7155 or write to College Board Publications, Box 886, New York, NY 10101-0886. For more information, call 1-212-713-8165 or fax 1-212-713-8143.

Arnold Corrigan and Phyllis C. Kaufman, How to Finance Your Child's College Education, Longmeadow Press, 1988. ISBN 0-68140-496-5 ($4.50). 109 pages. Provides a general overview of financial aid, with some coverage of saving for college and college financial planning.

Rochelle K. Diers, Mary L. Hershberger Thun and Susan R. Treinen, How to Buy a College Education, Access Group, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1996. ISBN 0-9652898-7-7 ($14.95 + $3 shipping and handling). 116 pages. This book began as a workshop for students and parents, and talks about calculating the costs of a college education and approaches to paying for college. It provides a good overview of financial aid and financial planning and goal-setting for a college education. There are a lot of good charts and tables, and a few worksheets. Well written and carefully researched. A solid basic introduction. To order, call 1-612-944-7103, fax 1-612-941-5188, or write to The Access Group, Inc., Diers, Thun & Treinen, PO Box 44127, Eden Prairie, MN 55344.

Alice Drum and Richard Kneedler, Funding a College Education: Finding the Right School for Your Child and the Right Fit for Your Budget, Harvard Business School Press, 1996. ISBN 0-87584-628-9 ($14.95 plus $4 shipping). 235 pages. This book discusses planning for a college education for your children. It includes an overview of financial aid and the application process, tools for comparing award letters, and worksheets for computing the college expenses and the family's ability to pay for college. The latter worksheet does not compute the expected family contribution (EFC), but rather a detailed analysis of the financial resources available to the family. This is more of a budgeting exercise than an EFC calculation, and includes an expense reduction worksheet. By going through this exercise you can identify where to sacrifice in order to meet your children's college expenses. They also review strategies for sheltering funds from the need analysis process. A good general overview from a parent's perspective. To order a copy, write to Harvard Business School Press, 60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163 or call 1-800-545-7685 (or 1-617-495-6117) or 1-800-988-0886 (or 1-617-496-1449). Orders may also be placed with McGraw-Hill; to order, call 1-800-722-4726 or write to McGraw-Hill, Inc., Customer Services, PO Box 545, Blacklick, OH 43004-0545.

Scott Edelstein, Putting your kids through college, Consumer Reports Books, Consumers Union, Mount Vernon, New York, 1989. ISBN 0-89043-233-3 ($12.00). 199 pages.

Elizabeth Eisner and Valentina K. Tikoff, Preparing Your Child for College: A Resource Book for Parents, 1996-97, US Department of Education, 1996. 57 pages. Includes 16 pages about financial aid. This booklet provides information about the benefits of a college education and how to prepare your children for college educationally and financially. The topics include choosing a college, how much college will cost, how you will be able to afford it, the most common sources of financial aid, some ways to keep college costs down, setting up a long-range plan, and sources of further information. Available for free on the World Wide Web. Paper copies may be ordered by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN or writing to Catalog, Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, CO 81009.

David L. Gibberman, Planning to finance your child's college education, Commerce Clearing House, Chicago, Illinois, 1992. 66 pages. How much to save, obtaining financial aid, tax and investment strategies, work sheets.

Theodore E. Hughes and David Klein, The Parents' Financial Survival Guide, Facts on File, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-8160-3278-5 ($14.95). 200 pages. A personal finance handbook for parents, this book includes a 22-page chapter about choosing and paying for college. To order a copy, call 1-800-322-8755 or 1-212-683-2244, or write to Facts on File, 460 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016.

Andrew Kahn and Steve Kahn, The Parent-Student Guide to Selecting Colleges and Universities, Longmeadow Press, 1989. ISBN 0-68140-446-9 ($4.50). 96 pages. This is a very basic book, without much detail. It includes a 6-page chapter on financial aid. Out of print.

Gerald Krefetz, How to pay for your children's college education, College Board Publications, New York, 1988. ISBN 0-87447-248-2 ($12.95). 158 pages. This books is aimed at parents, and covers saving for college, gifts, taxes, trusts, loans, businesses, and special financial circumstances. Some of the information in this book is dated. To order a copy, call 1-800-323-7155 or write to College Board Publications, Box 886, New York, NY 10101-0886. For more information, call 1-212-713-8165 or fax 1-212-713-8143.

Gerald Krefetz, Paying for College: A Guide for Parents, College Board, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-87447-439-6 ($14.00) 160 pages. To order a copy, call 1-800-323-7155 or write to College Board Publications, Box 886, New York, NY 10101-0886. For more information, call 1-212-713-8165 or fax 1-212-713-8143.

J. K. Lasser, Guide to financing your child's education, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1985. ISBN 0-67155-816-1 ($7.95). 120 pages.

Chuck Lawliss and Barry McCarty, How to pay for your child's college education, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Massachusetts, 1990. ISBN 0-39551-107-0 ($4.95). 87 pages.

Leon LaBrecque, Funding your child's education, Educational Technologies, Troy, Michigan, 1992. 214 pages.

Sally Rubenstone and Sidonia Dalby, College Admissions, A Crash Course for Panicked Parents, 1st edition, ARCO, 1994. ISBN 0-671-87056-4 ($12.00). 200 pages. A book about college planning, including a 22-page chapter on financial aid. A little dated. To order a copy, call 1-800-716-0044 or 1-317-228-4366, fax 1-800-882-8583 or 1-317-228-4304, write to Macmillan Publishing, 201 West 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46290, or send email to orders@mcp.com. You can also write to Macmillan General Reference, Prentice Hall, 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023.

Inese Rudzitis, How to Put Your Children Through College Without Going Broke, National Institute of Business Management, New York, 1987. $4.95. Out of print.

Charles J. Shields, The College Guide for Parents, 3rd edition, College Board, 1995. ISBN 0-87447-474-4 ($14.00). 187 pages. A book about college planning, including a 24-page chapter on financial aid. To order, write to College Board Publications, Box 886, New York, NY 10101-0886.

Marguerite Smith, Paying for Your Child's College Education, MONEY (Warner Books), New York, 1996. ISBN 0-44667-165-7 ($9.99). 162 pages. A guide for parents, this book covers best buys, investment strategies with model portfolios, how much to save, cutting college costs, and education loans. To order a copy, write to Warner Books, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

Timely Information for Parents and Students: Selecting and Paying for Your Education Beyond High School, 1996-97 edition, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), Washington, DC, 1996. $9.00, 84 pages. Revised annually. Provides a highly accurate and up-to-date overview of financial aid, including information about types and sources of financial aid, determining need and eligibility, and applications. Available for free on the World Wide Web. To order a copy, write to National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), 1920 L Street, NW, Suite 200, Department TIPSWEB96, Washington, DC 20036-5020.