The Impact of Divorce on College Planning Taming the High Cost of College!

Transcription

1 The Impact of Divorce on College Planning Taming the High Cost of College! Presented by: Brad Baldridge, CFP Baldridge College Solutions, LLC W. Layton Avenue Suite 200 Greenfield, WI Ext Registered Representative, Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Baldridge Wealth Management and Baldridge College Solutions are affiliated. Cambridge and the Baldridge companies are not affiliated. 6-13

2 Taming the High Cost of College! Brad Baldridge Baldridge College Solutions, LLC W. Layton Avenue Suite 200 Greenfield, WI (414) Registered Representative, Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Baldridge Wealth Management and Baldridge College Solutions are affiliated. Cambridge and the Baldridge companies are not affiliated The Ingalls Family Charles, age 50, Mill Worker, Salary $45,000 Caroline, age 52, Office Manager, Salary $40,000 Mary (2014) age 17, Junior #2 in her class GPA: 4.4 ACT 32 Interested in Math or Engineering SCHOOL LIST: MIT, Northwestern, Madison, MSOE, Bradley, Valparaiso Laura (2015) age 16, Sophomore Strong Student (not quite as strong as Mary), the writer in the family GPA: 3.7 Laura wants to go to South Dakota State with her boyfriend Almanzo Wilder Carrie (2018) age 13, 7 th grade Straight A s Strong soccer player top 5 of all 7 th graders in the state. The Huxtable Family Cliff, age 54, self employed doctor, Salary $75,000 Additional $100,000 as draws from the medical practice Clair, age 52, office manager, at medical practice, Salary $40,000 Theo (2012) age 19, College Freshman at Madison Biology major.doing well. Vanessa (2015) age 16, Sophomore GPA: 3.87 ACT: 29 Class Rank: 19/225 Musician SCHOOL LIST: Dreams of Juilliard, considering Lawrence University, NYU, Boston College, Carroll, Carthage Rudy (2019) age 12, Sixth grade Good kid Will go to college 1

3 The Connor Family (divorced 10 years) Sarah, age 47, works two jobs, Salary $35,000 Bill, age 49, Sales Rep in Texas, Salary $50,000 $25,000 behind in child support John (2014), Age 17, Junior at Marquette High School GPA: 3.9 ACT: 29 Class Rank: 15/225 SCHOOL LIST: Marquette University, Carroll Grandpa has $40,000 in an UTMA at Vanguard. Grandpa is the custodian and John is the owner. Late Stage College Planning College finances Financial aid planning Financial aid forms Offer letters The appeal process Saving and investing Tax planning Cash flow College selection College visits College fairs Finding the good fit school College testing ACT SAT PLAN/PSAT Athletics Division I, II, III NAIA Marketing Academics High school curriculum GPA Class rank Career/life planning Choosing a major Career planning Learning life skills Admissions Applications Essays Recommendation letters Early decision/early action Scholarships Need-based scholarships Merit-based scholarships Institutional Private College Costs Average cost of public school: $21,447 per year* Average cost of private school: $42,224 per year* Includes: Tuition and fees, room & board, transportation, books & supplies and personal expenses (COA) * Based on data from The College Board, Trends in Pricing,

4 Cost of Wisconsin Colleges Alverno College $33,216 Lawrence University $50,370 Marquette University $46,644 University of WI-Madison $23,774 * Based on data from College Board, Fall 2012, living on campus College Costs Does everybody pay the same price for College? Who Pays Less? Which Would You Prefer Attending the Best School -or- Attending the Best School for your Student 3

5 Finding a School that is a Good Fit College Visits College Fairs College Reps at the High School Websites Social Media Divorce Issues with High School Students Who does all the leg work...i.e., testing, visits, research? Who participates in the decisions or has veto power? Who will pay for all pre-college expenses? This process can overwhelm a single parent! Selection Criteria Academics Majors Distance from Home Urban, Suburban or Rural Large or Small Finances 4

6 Advanced Strategies What can the student do to increase the odds of receiving admission or scholarships? Common Financial Aid Myths We earn too much. Our child has poor grades. We have too much equity in our home. There is nothing we can do. We will pay for college ourselves. Financial aid is easy to understand. Where is the money going to come from? Current Income Savings / Investments Financial Aid Loans Scholarships Reductions in other expenses Taxes Interest Expenses Unnecessary Expenses Life Style / Retirement 5

7 Financial Aid Need based Aid Income and Assets Parents and Student Merit Aid Academics Talents Geography Others Three Types of Families Type 1: Those families who will qualify for large amounts need-based aid. Type 2: Those families who qualify for some need-based aid. Good planning may increase the amount of aid received. Type 3: Those families who will not qualify. These families need to focus their planning on other areas. (i.e. Tax, Merit-aid, Athletics, Cash Flow, Investment) Need-based Aid Cost of Attendance - Expected Family Contribution =Financial Need COA - EFC = FN 6

8 Top 5 Need-based Aid Factors Student Income Student Assets Parent Income Parent assets Number of Students in College Who s my Parent? Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) If your parents are divorced or separated, answer the questions about the parent with whom you lived more during the past 12 months. Download the fact sheet at Income Based on taxes from the prior year (AGI) Un-taxed income is added to AGI Student income is assessed more heavily than parents 7

9 Divorce Issues Income If recently divorced or separated, tax return may be joint. Reconstruct as if you were single. Child support, family support, and alimony are all forms of income that may be assessed. Assets Values reported are the values on the day you sign the forms Not all assets are assessed Student assets are assessed more than parent assets Divorce Issues Assets Prior to finalizing divorce, probably divide things done the middle, 50/50. Post divorce the assets belong to whoever received them from the divorce. 8

10 Divorce Issues Assets (continued) Who should own 529 accounts What s the proper mix of assessable versus non assessable assets for each spouse Who should have control of the college assets 2 Need-based Aid Systems Federal Aid System FAFSA- Free Application for Federal Student Aid Institutional System CSS Profile Approximately 300 Colleges CSS Profile Schools (Non Custodial Parent Form Required) Northwestern University, IL Principia College, IL University of Chicago, IL Saint Mary's College, IN University of Notre Dame, IN Wabash College, IN University of Michigan, MI Carleton College, MN Macalester College, MN St. Olaf College, MN Lawrence University, WI See CSS Profile handout for the entire list or visit 9

11 Examples of Federal EFC FAMILY #1 FAMILY #2 Parent Income $75,000 $150,000 Student Income $0 $0 Parent Assets $20,000 $20,000 Student Assets $1,000 $1,000 Students 1 1 EFC (Est) $10,500 $31,500 *Hypothetical example for illustrative purposes only Pell Grant The 6 Federal Programs Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG) Work-Study Perkins Loan 5% fixed Stafford Loan Subsidized 3.4% fixed Unsubsidized 6.8% fixed PLUS Loan 7.9% fixed Increase Your Need Are there things that you can do that will increase your need? YES! 10

12 How Does Your Family Apply for Aid? The FAFSA The CSS Profile The College s Own Institutional Forms Additional Forms: Business / Farm Supplement Non-Custodial Parent Form When Do You Apply for Aid? The first FAFSA application is generally due in February of the senior year of high school. Each college sets their own deadline. You will apply every year. You cannot file the FAFSA before January 1 st of each year. The CSS Profile form can be filed before the end of the year. When do you plan for Need-based Aid? When would you like to know how much aid you can expect? Before the Base Year NOW!! 11

13 Merit Aid From the Colleges Mostly Private Some Public Schools (out of state) Who gets Merit Aid Students in the top ~25% Students the College wants Athletes Musicians Diversity Merit Aid Usually has an impact on needbased Aid May need to be earned year over year. Athletic Performance Maintaining grades Cash Flow College expenses can be more than we can afford in any one year. We may need to spread 4 years of college expenses over 6 or more years to make them manageable. Multiple students make things worse. 12

14 $60,000 Cash Flow $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 $ Saving Parents Retirement Taxable Other Student UTMA Retirement Other Gifting Assets Gift assets that have appreciated to your children or grandchildren Stocks Real Estate Mutual Funds 13

15 Gifting Assets Before: Parents Capital Gain $10,000 Capital Gains Rate x 15% Parents Tax $1,500 After: Child s Capital Gain $10,000 Child s Effective Rate X 0% Child s Tax $0 Tax Savings $1,500 Shifting Income Pay your student from your business or rental property The student must do meaningful work Shifting Income Income Shifted $5,000 Parents Tax Rate (Fed & State) x 31% Tax Avoided $1,550 versus Shifted Income $5,000 Child s Tax Rate X 0% Child s Tax Liability $ 0 equals Tax Savings $ 1,550 14

16 American Opportunity Credit $2500 Credit Must pay $4000 in Qualified education expenses. Phases out $160,000-$180,000 Married. Phases out $80,000-$90,000 Single. Divorce, College & Taxes American Opportunity Credit goes with who claims the student as a dependent Other tax breaks are based on qualifying child rules (head of household, low income tax credits) Financial aid and the American Opportunity Credit are currently not in the MAC Davis or DFS tax calculation software Please fill out the Evaluation 15

17 We offer a College Funding Report Determine the cost of college Recommendations of dos & don ts in the divorce settlement relative to college Need-Based aid analysis Merit aid analysis Address questions and concerns Thank You! 16

18 The Impact of Divorce on College Planning Taming the High Cost of College! Workshop Evaluation Form (Door County) 1. Did you find the presentation informative? Strongly Agree Agree Somewhat Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 2. Was the topic discussed clearly? Strongly Agree Agree Somewhat Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 3. Do you feel you will be able to personally benefit from the information discussed? Strongly Agree Agree Somewhat Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Individual comments or question(s) you would like answered: I found out about this workshop through: Send me your (free) newsletter. (Great information for parents of high school students) My address is written below. (Please make sure you write clearly.) Contact me about integrating college planning into our family law practice. Add me to the college planning family law distribution list for: Newsletters on college planning for family law professionals Information on upcoming CLE Audio & video on college planning for clients and prospects Contact me about my personal college funding needs. Name Firm Address City State Zip Code Office Phone Cell Phone