Do you need a GED or High School Diploma to apply for FAFSA?

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Top 4 Future Careers That Pay Over $60k

Thinking about attending college to land a good paying job? Are you concerned about the high costs of obtaining an education? You may want to consider applying for a government student loan program.  With a government issued student loan, you don’t have to worry about paying your way through school.  All you have to do is focus on the one thing that matters most -- your education.  So, whether you want to earn your Bachelor's degree, Masters degree or PhD, now is the time to grab the bull by the horns and get your degree.

Why is Getting a Degree Vital?

Having a degree is more important in today’s job market than ever before.  Recently, Newsday published an article that discussed the state of the job market.  Small and large businesses are no longer hiring workers just to fill a position. They are ‘only’ hiring qualified employees that will enhance their company’s growth and profitability.  If you want to be a part of that number, you will need to have a degree.

Here are the top four future careers that pay over $60,000 a year:

Personal Financial Advisors

According to experts, there is an estimated 62,800 new jobs that will be added between now and 2018.  The median income for personal financial advisors is $64,750. Personal financial advisors help individuals with insurance, investments and taxes.

Market Research Analysts

Thinking about starting a career as a market research analysts?  By 2018, there will be 70,000 new jobs added in the U.S. The average income is over $60,000.  Degree requirements include a bachelor’s degree.  What is a day in the life of a market research analyst like? A market analysts works with Fortune 500 companies to provide special insight into target audiences and demographics. More and more companies are hiring marketing professionals to help grow their business.

Registered Nurses

Within the next 8-10 years, there will be a total of 581,500 jobs added according to labor experts. The median income level is $64,690.  As a registered nurse, you will give basic medical care to patients and manage their records.  With baby boomers getting older, there will be a major increase in the amount of people seeking medical treatment. Plus, there has been a greater emphasis on preventative care. The medical industry is growing at a rapid pace. There will be plenty of jobs available for those within the health field.

Accountants

If you're thinking about pursuing a career as an accountant, your tasks will involve preparing financial statements, managing books and tax payments.   According to recent labor statistics, there has been a significant increase in the number of businesses. There has also been several changes in corporate regulations and financial laws. This has all contributed to the demand for more accountants in the job market. The median income for an accountant is $61,690 a year.

There you have it -- the top four careers that pay more than $60,000 per year.  Don’t put off earning your degree any longer.  Applying for a government student loan gives you peace of mind while pursuing your degree and your dream job.

Do you need a GED or High School Diploma to apply for FAFSA?

Get one online!  Online-highschool.org offers the best online programs for getting your GED and High School Diploma Online!

How Gifts Can Effect Your FAFSA

Graduation is approaching for many students and relatives are trying to figure out the best gifts to hand out. You’d probably assume that money would be the most economically smart thing to ask for. You’re definitely going to need the extra cash, what with all the expenses that come with going to college, making new friends, eating out, etc. But wait! Receiving money as a gift may effect how much money the federal government is willing to give you.

Now, a gift of $10 from your 2nd cousin will not do any damage, but if you know someone who is planning on giving you a substantial monetary gift, you may want to ask them for something else. Rick Darvis, co-founder of the National Institute of Certified College Planners in Plentywood, Mont. warns that "A cash gift from (anyone) other than a parent is reported as income on the (federal) financial aid form," says Darvis. "(Student) income is assessed at a 50% rate. That means that a gift of $10,000 could potentially cost $5,000 in financial aid." Your FAFSA has a section dedicated to such gifts. This section is called “student’s untaxed income.” This part wants to know the amount of "Money received, or paid on your behalf (e.g., bills), not reported elsewhere on this form." This includes any money you’ve received from grandma and grandpa, your mom or dad who doesn’t have custody of you, and any family friend. Any cas you receive subtracts fifty cents on the dollar from your need-based federal aid.

By-passing the FAFSA trouble and going straight to the college wont help either. If the college/university was planning on awarding you a $10,000 grant, but they see that you have $10,000 coming in, they’ll take your grant away.

Read next time for Part 2

"The Five-Minute FAFSA"

The folks behind the YouTube channel FastWebContent have made a six minute video to help you file your FAFSA. If you ave any trepidation, you should definitely use this video as a tool!

FAFSA Test Runs

At this point, if you haven't already filed the FAFSA, you may just think of it as a big headache. However, you don't have to rush through it! You can do a test run of FAFSA on the Web by going to www.studentaid.gov and then to the FAFSA demonstration site. This is a good idea, as you will get a preview of the documentation that you (and your parents) will need to complete the form, such as annual tax return, earnings records, Social Security numbers, and so on, and of the amount of time you'll need to fill in the form.

TIP: You may not be done with financial aid forms even after you complete FAFSA. Sometimes, colleges may require additional information and will ask you to complete their own forms or the College Scholarship Service (CSS) PROFILE (www.fafsa.com/profile.htm), another widely used form to help determine eligibility for financial aid. Scholarships often have their own special application forms.

It doesn't cost you anything but time (and some aggravation) to make the FAFSA application. Help in completing the form is available from your high school, the college financial aid office (which often has workshops for parents and students, sometimes at your local high school), and as well as online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Help For Fafsa

Want help? You don’t have to simply accept the aid that is offered, according to Reecy Aresty of PayLessForCollege.com, who specializes in helping you gently negotiate a higher award of money that does not have to be repaid.

Arresty offers a free review of financial aid packages to my readers. If you hire him to negotiate on your behalf, the fee ranges from $195 to $395, depending on the number of schools involved. You can e-mail him at Reecy@PayLessforCollege.com.

Says Aresty: “Although May 1 is the deadline for non-refundable deposits at many schools, some families opt to make multiple deposits in order to keep the aid appeals process going beyond May 1.” Aresty notes that if the aid offers are close, it may be worth losing a deposit at one school to gain more grants of money at another.

Signing on for a financial aid package is one of the largest financial decisions any family can make, so do your research and don’t just look at the bottom line. Like your home mortgage, you expect to repay this loan over the years, while the value of the asset — your home or your education— grows over the years. As we’ve all learned, that’s a good idea over the long run — but the payments can be a huge burden over the short run

College tips: stay in state, search for best financial aid package [ChiSunTimes]