College:

Off to college … it’s exciting, challenging — and usually expensive. Here are several tips that may help reduce costs if your child — or you — are thinking about college. And if you want to help your friends or family prepare too, please feel free to forward this on to them.
Get ready: Prepare early
Early — as in researching the many college options when your child is a high school sophomore. (Or even earlier: Start a college fund when your child is in diapers. In fact, let’s have a conversation about how you can get smarter about the many ways to save for college.)

• Plan ahead. The high school guidance counseling office is a good place to begin, and online resources abound. The College Board website, www.collegeboard.org, is among the best. You can check out the types of colleges, majors offered, costs, and so on.
• Consider AP and/or CLEP. Taking Advanced Placement classes while in high school and the College Level Examination Program may allow you to earn college credit before you even start, so you can finish faster.¹
• Consider both public and private options. Yes, costs for a private school generally are higher than a public school, but financial aid usually is calculated on the difference between cost and ability to pay, so you may qualify for more financial aid at a private school.
• Consider in-state and local community colleges. Tuition at public schools may be double or even triple for out-of-state students. A community college in your area may allow students to save money by living at home.
• Research online degree programs. You may be able to earn the degree you want by attending a virtual university rather than a brick-and-mortar campus. Be sure the online institution is accredited. You can check accreditation at the U.S. Department of Education website: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation.
• Apply to your top choices. Narrow your search to a few, and apply. You won’t know how much financial assistance you may get until you apply and talk to the school’s financial aid adviser.
• Seek scholarships. You may qualify for scholarship assistance on the basis of merit or need, or both. Most scholarship information is available from the granting organization or school free of charge; avoid so-called “services” that charge a fee.
• Create your own scholarship. Websites such as www.Greennote.com and www.scholarmatch.org help students find financial assistance from individual donors.

Get set: College may affect insurance coverage
“With e-books replacing notebooks and textbooks, curricula and classes going online, expensive electronics are not just a luxury, they are a necessity for many college students today,” said Jeanne M. Salvatore, Senior Vice President and Consumer Spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.). “And, in addition to the things they need to study, students also tend to bring a number of comfort items from dorm furniture to high-end music and DVD players.”²
Here are several steps to take in the weeks prior to moving to a brick-and-mortar college setting:

• Create a ‘dorm inventory’ — Make a list of items your student plans to bring to school, along with the estimated value. Check out the I.I.I.’s free Web-based software, available at KnowYourStuff.org. An up-to-date inventory can help determine how much insurance to purchase and may help get insurance claims settled faster in the event of a covered loss.
• Contact me — College may trigger the need for adjustments in insurance coverage.

• Auto — If your student has been driving the family car and will now be away at college, you may be eligible for a discount on your auto insurance. If your student owns a car, it is very important to let me know if the car will be taken to school or left home, as the cost of the insurance will be based on where the car resides. I can also tell you about the Farmers Good Student Discount.³
• Homeowners — For many students living on campus, there may be no need for additional insurance, as they will be covered under your homeowners policy. This coverage is dependent on the student still calling your address his or her primary residence. If your student will have an expensive laptop, HDTV or other high-value items in his or her dorm room, you may want to consider a personal property floater.

Go! (but don’t forget the bigger picture)
Whatever college option is part of your family’s life right now, it’s just that — part of your life. So try to avoid sacrificing your future retirement dreams for your child’s college dreams. Financial aid is available for students, but not for retirees.
Do what you can to help make sure your student can graduate. That’s where life insurance comes in. Could the student in your family — whether teen or adult — continue if something happened to you? I can show you several life insurance options that may suit your needs and budget and help ensure that nobody’s education is cut short.

At Farmers, we want to help you to get smarter about your insurance planning. Let’s have a conversation so you can decide if you and your student are as covered as you want to be.