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Aug. 26, 2022

Fresh Take: Ron Lieber on "The Price You Pay for College"

The college financial aid process can make parents feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Ron Lieber, author of THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR COLLEGE, says it’s not our fault: the system is designed to confound. Here’s how to approach this huge financial decision.

Sending a kid to college these days can cost well into the six figures, whether you're looking at state universities or small private colleges. There's merit aid to be had, but how does one find it? How much should you be saving if your kid is in kindergarten? And why have the costs of college skyrocketed?

Ron Lieber is the “Your Money” columnist for The New York Times and the author of several books, including The Opposite of Spoiled. His latest bestseller, named one of the "Best Books of 2021" by NPR and just out in paperback, is THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR COLLEGE: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make– a book about who pays what, and why, and how the whole system got so complicated...

In this episode, Amy and Ron discuss:

  • how the financial aid process is designed to confuse
  • how early decision has changed the college application process, for better and worse
  • how –and when– to talk to your kids honestly about what college will cost and what your family will be able to contribute
  • some basic approaches and mindsets that will get you saving the right amounts now


In this episode we also discuss Ron's article for The New York Times: "Early Decision Isn’t Binding. Let Us Explain."

Find THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR COLLEGE in our Bookshop store: https://bookshop.org/books/the-price-you-pay-for-college-an-entirely-new-road-map-for-the-biggest-financial-decision-your-family-will-ever-make/9780062867308

https://ronlieber.com/

@ronlieber on Twitter and Instagram


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