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If you have a child in college, or if you’re getting ready to send one off to school in the fall, chances are you have a lot on your plate.  You want to stay up-to-date to make the college process easier for your family, but when can you fit in all that research and reading?

Here’s the secret: podcasts.

If you're trying to figure out how to pay for college, you may be wondering how much aid you can get from federal, state, and institutional sources.

While state and school-specific funding can vary greatly, federal aid is pretty uniform. Let's talk about the types of federal aid and how much you may be able to expect. 

If you're trying to figure out how to pay for college next year, you may be wondering if you should take out a Parent PLUS Loan through the federal government. 

While Parent PLUS Loans can be a good deal in some cases, they can also come with some serious downsides—like interest rates that less-than-competitive. Let's talk about what you need to know. 

Two names that come up often when talking about student loans are Sallie Mae and Navient.

Lots of people know the name Sallie Mae because of its connection with the federal student loan program through the U.S. Department of Education. In fact, if you're a parent, it's possible that you had a federal student loan through Sallie Mae. But that company's role has changed. Here's what you need to know.

Your college readiness checklist is basically complete.

• Acing the last few semesters in high school? Check.
• Spending quality time with your friends and fam? Check.
• Saving money for all those textbooks? Check.
• Researching and visiting potential schools? Check.
• Finishing the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA)? Check.

You may have thought your financial aid award letter would answer one burning question: how much does this school cost? But, as you may have noticed, many schools don’t include the cost of tuition in financial aid award letters. 

On top of that, your financial aid allocations can be ... confusing. Can you imagine buying anything else in life without knowing the price, or what kind of discount you might be receiving? Probably not.