Tips for financial assistance of incoming college freshmen

Many incoming and returning students still needs to consider about thousands of dollars they and their families will have to pay.

It is not too late for students to have some financial help. Some scholarships from nonprofits or banks, and other help are still available according to the Deep Blue Group.

Scholarships

Some scholarship programs set their deadlines no later than March or April, but some alternatives are still available. A student can browse on free websites such as CollegeBoard.org, Fastweb.com, Petersons.com, and StudentScholarshipSearch.com.

Each site allows students to customize their search in a variety of ways, including whether they are a high school senior or returning college student, their major or other factors. All of these websites helps students to personalize their search in a number of ways, such as whether they are a high school senior or a returning college student, their majors, etc.

Wells Fargo, an American multinational banking and financial services holding company is offering $1,000 to 160 students (80 to high school students and 80 to college students) through its College STEPS sweepstakes program, which has an August 13 deadline.

Whereas Us. Bank Scholarship Program offers $5,000 scholarships to five students who apply, with a deadline of September 17.

One can find other talent-specific scholarships, such as a $1,500 Get Girls Golfing Scholarship award by the website MyGolfInstructor.com to one female high school senior that plays golf competitively in high school and plans to play golf as a freshman at a 2 or 4 year college. The application deadline is May 15.

Students also need to search for support in their area of interest or study. For example, the National Asphalt Pavement Association awards scholarships worth up to $2,000 to 50-75 undergraduate and graduate students majoring in civil or construction engineering or construction management. Deadlines vary by the state where the student is attending college.

Tuition installment plans

Students should also consider inquiring at their college bursar's office if they can sign up for a tuition installment plan wherein it allows students to split their college bills into equal monthly payments during a semester or an academic year.

Many such plans are generally interest-free, but a few have fees or finance charges. Typically the fees are less than $100. This can be pretty beneficial for families who don't have the capability of paying the bills in one go but wants to avoid student loans.

State financing options

Students and their parents looking for loans should search further than federal and private loans. Some states provide their own loans with lower interest rates.

One of the state agencies that provide financial aid to support students is the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC). It offers one of the most affordable loans which have a fixed rate of 1% and a repayment period of fifteen years for students signing up for the loan for the school year 2015-2016.  Students must be residents of the state and attend their college there.

Recently, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board announced that Texas College Access Loan interest rates on student loan will fall to a fixed rate of 4.5%, down from 5.25% and a repayment period of twenty years. Students must also be residents of Texas and attend their college there.

Tax breaks

Using the American Opportunity Tax Credit, families can easily recover some of their expenses that can be claimed for the upcoming fall semester when parents file their 2015 taxes.

The credit is worth up to $2,500, based on the amount parents spend on tuition, certain fees and course materials, such as textbooks, with the complete amount usually given when $4,000 is paid toward those expenses during the taxable year. Taxpayers with adjusted gross income that is greater than $90,000, or more than $180,000 for joint filers, are unable to claim the credit.

Requesting a package

Students whose financial conditions have changes since they filed their financial aid or who believe that they should qualify for more need-based aid, can often appeal the aid package they have been offered.

They've got to provide documentation, including pay stubs or bills documenting their expenses, to their college's financial aid officer.

However, students with an unexpected change in finances have the best chance at getting a more generous package. Changes includes students' parents lose their jobs or have a pay cut, or families have immediate medical bills that are not covered by insurance.

Certain schools will only consider these students for an appeal. They can submit this appeal at any point, even throughout the school year.

Video streaming provider Netflix is reportedly negotiating with Chinese media firms in a bid to enter the country's huge market. However, it could possibly be faced with challenges like censorship along the way.

According to reports, Netflix is currently in talks with several Chinese firms that hold content license in the country. Most notable among them is Wasu Media Holding, co-owned by Jack Ma of Alibaba.

Shares of Netflix increased sharply after reports of its possible operations in China became public. It increased by 5%, gaining around 30% since April and passing the USD 600 threshold for the first time. Moreover, the online video streaming service got almost 5 million new customers, reaching the all-time high of 60 million subscribers -- with 20 million coming from its foreign markets.
Doing business in Beijing will present a number of concerns for the company like potential censoring of certain programs and questions about streaming rights in the country. Netflix has been licensing some of its programs to Chinese companies before but is now looking to acquire global rights to its content.

However, Deep Blue Publications Group LLC reported that Netflix is cautiously saying that the company's plans in China is a modest one -- just a "small service" if things work out well with their negotiations.

"If we go, it will be a modest investment. Because we won't have that much content, we're going to be very cautious and feel our way along through that process, if we're able to get that license," said Netflix's Reed Hastings.

Their video streaming service has recently launched in New Zealand, Australia and later Japan. Looks like Netflix is getting closer to its goal of being available in two hundred nations as it has already reached 50 at present. Perhaps it's trying to boost its international presence more than ever as domestic growth is slowing down, according to Deep Blue Publications Group LLC. Indeed, its foreign markets' growth is overtaking that of its domestic numbers.

When you are single, you're possibly too busy living the life instead of thinking about serious things like savings or investing because anything related to finance and money doesn't hold much weight to you. But you should also consider investing your money for the future.

Deep Blue Group Publications provided some important financial tips below for singles.

Begin having a budget

Without a budget, you will never find out how much you have overspent and how much you actually need to stay out of debt, so make an effort to start budgeting as soon as possible. Since almost everyone nowadays has a mobile phone or smartphone, there are a lot of mobile applications to help you monitor your finances. Alternatively, you could also use a notebook to track your finances.

As soon as you begin tracking your finances, you will realize what you really need and not want, and reduce spontaneous purchases.

Save and invest now

Some single individuals put off savings for later. However, the sooner you start, the better it is for you 10 years later, as you would have a significant amount in your bank, and this will only continue to grow until you retire. So take action and do it soon.

As Albert Einstein pointed out: "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it... he who doesn't... pays it." He also referred to compound interest as "the most powerful force in the universe". The magic of compound interest lies in the way that today's investment returns will generate gains in the future.

Discuss your finances

In case you are not knowledgeable with the fundamentals of finance, you can speak to your parents or seek a financial adviser to discuss about your finances, and get an advice on why it’s best to invest your money for the future. After you get an understanding of what investments works best for you, then you can make your own decisions slowly but surely.

Build an emergency fund

Start your emergency fund even if you can only save a few dollars monthly. Any emergency savings is better than none.

It is necessary to have a small amount of saving in case of an emergency so you will not be caught off guard. Put your emergency funds where they can be utilized quickly and without penalty if you need them. High-interest savings accounts and money market accounts are great options.

Treat yourself every now and then

You don't have to be a penny pincher constantly. Remember that you are allowed to treat yourself on specific occasions, and appreciate the treat instead of feeling guilty about it. However, keep in mind the budget you create for yourself and spend wisely.