Meet Michelle!

Michelle Onaka is a mom of two young children, part-time university academic counselor supporting first-generation college students, and founder of Intentional Money Life. She loves to learn, strategize, support others, get into the nitty gritty, systemize, and demystify things. In her business, she helps people build financial education, apply it to themselves, and intentionally create a life that they love. She does this through posting regular educational visuals and short videos on social media, as well as through offering online financial courses.

“If you couldn't make your student loans, making sure that you're aware there's forbearance, there's deferment, and then there are multiple different repayment plans. You can get on a different payment plan where you pay less.”
-Michelle Onaka

Timestamps
04:39 - Michelle's role and expertise
06:06 - Pell Grant
07:02 - How many people are getting the Pell Grant?
08:53 - Pell Grant and EFC calculations
09:30 - What is the threshold of the EFC to be Pell eligible?
11:23 - What does being considered independent mean for you?
14:40 - What do you need to do to be declared independent?
15:26 - To get any of these resources you do need to fill out the FASFA?
17:22 - What to do if you think you're eligible.
19:39 - What services do you offer? What does this program do?
25:23 - What to do if you aren't Pell eligible?
26:13 - Being strategic about your course selection and what will transfer.
35:17 - A few things to know about student loans.
37:25 - How can you figure out how much your student loan is before you graduate?

For easy step by step directions and worksheets on getting your budget together and done in 30 minutes a month, download my FREE Budget Starter Kit on budgetsmadeeasy.com/start

And if you enjoyed the podcast today and got some great takeaways, I’d really appreciate it if you followed the Money Mindset Podcast so you don’t miss out on future episodes

Resources and Links Mentioned:

• FREE Budget Starter Kit - www.budgetsmadeeasy.com/start
• Michelle Onaka’s courses :www.intentionalmoneylife.com/courses

Connect with Ashley:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/budgetsmadeeasy

Connect with Michelle:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intentionalmoneylife/
• FB: https://www.facebook.com/IntentionalMoneyLife
• Website: https://intentionalmoneylife.com/

Special Guest: Michelle Onaka.

There are so many questions when it comes to preparing for college. Wondering what college is best for the student, what financial aid they will have access to and what to do if the family finds themselves paying for a parent loan they weren’t aware of.

Listen in as Ann answers some of your burning questions and gives us some great tips on navigating how to pay for college without ending up with huge debts.

Meet Ann Garcia

AKA The College Financial Lady, has helped thousands of families save millions of dollars on college. A fee-only Certified Financial Planner® and managing partner of Independent Progressive Advisors, Ann specializes in helping families balance the desire to support their children’s dreams with the reality of funding their own lives. Her book How to Pay for College is set to release this summer from Harriman House; its companion online course is available now.

Early in Ann’s career as a financial advisor, she heard the same two questions again and again from her clients. One group asked, “How can we possibly afford to save for college and retirement?” Another group asked, “How can I save for retirement when I’m paying so much on my student loans every month?” Realizing that too many people struggled with this topic and too few advisors were willing to talk about it, she started The College Financial Lady blog to answer families’ college planning questions. A decade later, she is not just the go-to person for college financial planning, she is a trained assassin in that arena.

_“Think about it from the perspective of where do you see your student 10 years from now? What's the life that you want them to have? What are the experiences you want them to have in college? What are the things that make them successful or unsuccessful in an academic or social environment? .” _
- Ann Garcia

Timestamps
01:02 - About Ann
03:21 - What's more important? Saving for retirement or college first?
05:21 - How do you balance your own student loan when your kids are about to go to college?
08:14 - Who takes out the student loan? The parent or the student?
12:00 - General advice for making the best long term financial decisions.
19:17 - Tools to navigate scholarships and get great information
20:54 - Does it matter which college you go to?
27:03 - Parents who didn't realise they took our a parent loan.
30:01 - What do they do now?
35:12 - Can social security be garnished for the student loans?
36:50 - Those eligible for student loan forgiveness.
41:14 - Ann's book: How To Pay For College
42:40 - Last words of wisdom and book recommendations

For easy step by step directions and worksheets on getting your budget together and done in 30 minutes a month, download my FREE Budget Starter Kit on budgetsmadeeasy.com/start

And if you enjoyed the podcast today and got some great takeaways, I’d really appreciate it if you followed the Money Mindset Podcast so you don’t miss out on future episodes.

Resources and Links Mentioned:

• FREE Budget Starter Kit: www.budgetsmadeeasy.com/start

Book Recommendation:

• Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/39q8MVT

Connect with Ashley:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/budgetsmadeeasy

Connect with Ann:

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/collegefinanciallady
• Website: www.howtopayforcollege.com

Special Guest: Ann Garcia.