In this issue:
- Introduction
- Student Loan News
- Scholarship Updates
- Featured article: The One Page Budget
- A Word from our Sponsors
- Privacy and Subscription Information
- Back Issues
- Sponsor this newsletter!
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.AlternativeStudentLoan.com
or call one of our experts toll-free at 877-328-1565.
Christopher S. Penn
Publisher, The Student Financial Aid News
Producer/Director, The Financial Aid Podcast
A Publication of the Student Loan Network
1250 Hancock Street, Suite 703N
Quincy, MA 02169
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!
Start with:
- http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com - free scholarship database
- http://www.FAFSAonline.com - free FAFSA filing information
Next:
- http://www.StaffordLoan.com - for federal Stafford loans
- http://www.ParentPLUSLoan.com - for PLUS loans for parents
- http://www.AlternativeStudentLoan.com - private student loans, no FAFSA
- http://www.GradLoans.com - graduate, law, and medical students
After Graduation :
Finally, a quick word about consolidation. Though the 2005 - 2006 interest rates expired on July 1, 2006, anyone who filled out an application request before that date and is eligible for consolidation will still get the lower rates. Not sure if you are qualified? Visit http://www.StudentLoanConsolidator.com today and fill out an application request. You'll recieve information by email about your eligibility to obtain last year's rates.
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:
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.ActEducationLoans.com
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
- Target All-Around Scholarships
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Scholarships for Undergraduates
- Berklee College of Music Scholarships Directory
- The HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan for Graduate Study in Critical Shortage Fields
- Edison International Public Scholarship
- Charles Gallagher Student Financial Assistance Program
- National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowships
- Return to Learn Rebuild Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Program
- Nothing but the truth essay contest scholarship
- Pension Real Estate Association Scholarships
- Frank P. Zeidler International Graduate Student Travel Award
- Straightforward Media Ad Agency Get out of Debt Scholarship
- Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
- Unique Scholarship to Foster Native American Economic Development
- University of Miami Black / African-American Scholarship Directory
- NASE Future Entrepreneur Scholarship
- AFSCME Jerry Clark Memorial Scholarship
International students can find resources at:
Remember, you can get daily scholarship updates by listening to the Financial Aid Podcast and visiting the Student Scholarship Search web site!
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.AlternativeStudentLoan.com
The Financial Aid Podcast is financial aid radio whenever you want it - for free! No iPod required! 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/
Got financial aid questions you want to have answered on the air? Call our comment line and leave a voicemail question!
Toll-free: 877-328-1565 extension 529!
Privacy & Subscription Information
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Quincy, MA 02169
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