New financial aid tool helps families determine whether they will qualify for federal financial aid
May 31, 2007
Last month, the federal government launched a new online tool to help families predict whether they’ll qualify for federal financial aid. Called the FAFSA4caster, it’s modeled on the government’s official aid application, the FAFSA (which stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
The FAFSA4caster estimates a family’s expected family contribution to college costs and notes whether a family will qualify for the federal Pell grant program, allowing families to plan ahead for the cost of college. To use the tool, parents will need to enter their child’s Social Security number, as well as their own tax and financial information.
When you’re ready to apply for aid, you can easily transition from FAFSA4caster to FAFSA on the Web. Much of the information that you enter in the FAFSA4caster will populate your FAFSA on the Web application, making the experience of applying for federal student aid a lot easier.
To see the tool, visit the Department of Education’s website at www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov.
Tags: financial aid, federal financial aid, pell grant, fafsa
10+ Ways to Save on Fuel
May 29, 2007
by Jenny McKinney and Patrick McKinney, Retirement Planning Guides at About.com
With the price of gasoline constantly increasing, we are all looking for ways to save on this necessary liquid. If you own a gas guzzler, you might need to look for all the help you can get just to be able to afford the fuel for necessary trips.
Here are 10+ ways to help save on fuel. If you have some tips you’d like to add, email them to Jenny and Patrick at retireplan.guide@about.com.
1. Be sure your tires are inflated to the correct pressure. Your owner’s manual will tell you how much air you should have in each tire.
2. If you get a discount for using a store card, use it. If you get a discount for a credit card, use it only if you plan to pay off the balance when it’s due. Your savings on gasoline might be lost if you have to pay interest.
3. Keep your highway speed to around 55mph. Faster speeds can consume more gasoline.
4. Don’t accelerate up and down while driving. Try to keep a constant pressure on the gas pedal.
5. Plan your trips. If you have to drive very far to the market, make sure you purchase everything you might need for several days.
6. Have your automobile checked by a reputable mechanic to be sure it is tuned up and running it’s best.
7. When possible, walk instead of driving. It’s healthier and will save gasoline.
8. Carpool whenever possible.
9. Keep your car clean and waxed. Dirt and grime can cause a small decrease in gas mileage.
10. Watch for things that can obstruct the air flow on your automobile. Things such as the car top carriers can reduce gas mileage.
11. Use cruise control if you car is equipped with it.
12. Let the kids ride the school bus insead of driving them to and from school.
13. Never let you car run while you dash into the store, post office, etc.
14. Use your air conditioner instead of opening the windows while driving at high speeds.
It’s hard enough to save money for retirement without having to spend unnecessarily on the necessities of life. Almost everyone has a car and relies on gasoline or some type of fuel so it makes sense to try to economize whenever possible. We should really try to save on fuel even if it weren’t so expensive.
Wondering what prices are at some of the stations across the country? fueleconomy.gov is a handy web site that will answer your questions.
Recent Comments