August 2006 Newsletter

26 October 2006 36 views No Comment

The Financial Aid Newsletter, August 2006 (resend)
A Publication of the Student Loan Network
Read this on the web at http://www.FinancialAidNews.com

In this issue:
+ Introduction
+ Student Loan News
+ Scholarship Updates
+ Featured article: Manage your finances with your cell phone
+ A Word from our Sponsors
+ Privacy and Subscription Information
+ Sponsorship Information

Introduction

Welcome to the August 2006 issue of the Financial Aid News. In this issue, we offer the easiest way to track your expenses ever, scholarships, and more. Be sure to listen to our daily podcast as well (no iPod required) at www.FinancialAidPodcast.com so you never miss a scholarship opportunity or money-saving tip! Finally, a reminder that if tuition bills are coming fast and furious, and you need financial aid help immediately, be sure to visit:

http://www.PrivateStudentLoans.com.com

or visiting our Financial Aid Forums online

Resend: A quick note. Our mailer had an issue and so, to ensure that everyone who is subscribed gets a copy, I’m resending this issue. If you got two, my apologies.

Christopher Penn, Editor

http://www.FinancialAidNews.com

http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com

Featured Sponsor: Financial Aid Resources

Here’s a compendium of student loan and financial aid resources online to help speed your way through the financial aid process!

http://www.StaffordLoan.com – for federal Stafford loans
http://www.ParentPLUSLoan.com – for PLUS loans for parents
http://www. PrivateStudentLoans.com – private student loans, no FAFSA required
http://www.GradLoans.com – graduate, law, and medical students
http://www.StudentLoanConsolidator.com – make your loans affordable after graduation
http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com – free scholarship database
http://www.FAFSAonline.com – free FAFSA filing information
http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com – daily free financial aid info

Student Loan News

The new SMART and Academic Competitiveness Grants are now available through your financial aid offices, but you can only qualify for these new programs by filing your FAFSA. If you haven’t already done so, it’s not too late. Visit:

http://www.FAFSAonline.com

for more information. And if your FAFSA report comes back indicating you don’t qualify for federal financial aid, there are still great options for private student loans at:

http://www. PrivateStudentLoans.com

http://www.GradLoans.com

Scholarship Updates

Another big month for our scholarships web site, www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com – now with over $1.7 BILLION in scholarships! Here’s a selection of awards added in the last month.

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-08-03.php

Target All-Around Scholarships

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-08-02.php

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Scholarships for Undergraduates

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-08-01.php

Berklee College of Music Scholarships Directory

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-07-28.php

The HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan for Graduate Study in Critical Shortage Fields

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-07-26.php

Edison International Public Scholarship

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-07-21.php

Charles Gallagher Student Financial Assistance Program

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-07-20.php

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowships

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-07-19.php

Return to Learn Rebuild Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Program

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-07-18.php

Nothing but the truth essay contest scholarship

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-07-17.php

Pension Real Estate Association Scholarships

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-07-13.php

Frank P. Zeidler International Graduate Student Travel Award

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-07-11.php

Straightforward Media Ad Agency Get out of Debt Scholarship

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-07-06.php

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/New/2006-07-05.php

Remember, you can get daily scholarship updates by listening to the Financial Aid Podcast and visiting the Student Scholarship Search web site!

http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com

http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com

International students can find resources at:

http://www.InternationalScholarships.com

Featured Article: Manage your finances with your cell phone

Last month we covered how to do a simple one page budget, which is more or less a cash flow statement – an essential tool for getting a grip on your real financial situation. However, it’s easy to fall behind on your budget. Little things like a cup of coffee or an ice cream can instantly throw off your expense calculations, and reconciling it can be a difficult, time-consuming task, sometimes so frustrating that you give up on your budget entirely.

Well, we here at the Student Loan Network may have developed *the* solution to your problem if you have a cell phone (mobile phone for our international audience). It’s an elegant solution that once implemented is so easy to manage that you’ll wonder how you did without it for so long. Here’s how:

Step 1. Set up a GMail account if you don’t have one. If you do, create a new label called Personal Finance. Once that’s created, set up a filter on your GMail to label any message from K7.net with the Personal Finance label.

Step 2. Visit K7 and sign up for a free voicemail box. Make sure you select to have messages emailed to you.

http://www.k7.net

(disclosure: we receive absolutely nothing for mentioning them)

Step 3. Program this free number into your cell phone. Ideally, use a space or the letter A in front of the name on your phone so that it’s always at the top of your list, like this:

-Phone Book-
A Expense Tracker
John Smith
Tom Smith
Terry Smith etc.

Step 4. Optionally, add the number to your speed dial.

Step 5. When you’re out and about, and you spend some money, pull out your phone and dial your expense tracker, and leave yourself a voice message, like “Spent $20 on dinner at the Thai restaurant August 12, 2006″.

Step 6. Your voice mail message will be emailed to your GMail account for you.

Step 7. When you’re ready to sit down and work on your budget, go to your GMail account and click on the Personal Finance label. This will bring up all of your voice mail messages. Download them to your computer and listen to them in order as you do your budget.

Step 8. As a bonus, load them onto your iPod or media player like WinAmp, and listen to them one after another as you do your budget.

That’s the instant cell phone expense tracker! It’s so easy, so fast, and you don’t have to carry around five pounds of gear just to manage your expenses. Sit down with your one page budget each week and get your personal finances back in order!

And now a word from our sponsors…

Need lots of money for college fast? Try alternative student loans! With funding as fast as 5 business days, alternative student loans can help bridge any shortfall or unexpected expense you might have. Learn more and apply at:

http://www. PrivateStudentLoans.com

The Financial Aid Podcast is financial aid radio whenever you want it – for free! On your PC, on a CD, on your iPod, at school, home, or work. Learn about student loans, scholarships, how to get a job, and more. Make sure you have the latest copy of iTunes from www.Apple.com and then visit:

http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/subscribe/

Privacy & Subscription Information

You can always change your subscription options by visiting our
subscription page, located at:

*Â Â Â http://www.FinancialAidNews.com

Back Issues

Missed an issue? Did you remember a scholarship but can’t find the
back issue? You can always find back issues of the Financial Aid
Newsletter at:

*Â Â Â http://www.FinancialAidNews.com

Want to tell a friend about the newsletter? Forward a copy to them, or
have them visit:

*Â Â Â http://www.FinancialAidNews.com

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the newsletter will be delivered to more than 750,000 subscribers,
many of whom forward the newsletter to friends, associates and
customers. If you would like us to consider you or your company for
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The Student Financial Aid News is a publication of the Student Loan
Network. Copyright (c) 1998 – 2006, the Student Loan Network. 15 Cottage
Avenue, Fifth Floor Quincy, MA 02169 and on the web at:

http://www.StudentLoanNetwork.com

iPod and iTunes are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.

The End