The College Money Guys News February 2018

The College Money Guys News February 2018

February 2018

Award The

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Send Your Kids to College, Keep Your Money at Home

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AN HOURGLASS, GLUED TO THE TABLE THIS IS 50

My birthday is this month, which means I’m staring down the big 5-0. Half a century on this earth. I still can’t quite wrap my head around it! This is one of those milestones in life that really turns your thoughts inward. On the one hand, I’m acutely aware of my own mortality. On the other, I’m incredibly grateful for the life I’ve had. My mind keeps returning to the chorus of Anna Nalick’s “Breathe”: “You can’t jump the track, we’re like cars on a cable / And life’s like an hourglass, glued to the table.” Like it or not, we all have a limited time on this earth and we owe it to ourselves to make that time awesome. That’s why this year I’m breaking out the bucket list. For starters, I need to explore more of the world. My kids have become more well-traveled than I am, and I’ll admit I’m envious. There’s nothing more maddening than looking at Facebook photos of your children enjoying some exotic beach while you’re slaving away at the office! Personally, I’d love to get away to Machu Picchu and Australia in the coming years. Unfortunately, my other goals keep me from packing my bags and becoming a full-time rambler. I’ve always found business exhilarating. That’s why growing College Money Guys to its full potential is absolutely on my personal bucket list. The challenges of figuring out how to best serve our clients, in the most efficient way possible, is a special kind of problem solving that has always proven extremely rewarding. I want to keep building and growing my own experience as a business owner well into old age. We’ve got big plans for College Money Guys on the horizon, stay tuned. Next on the list is bringing my dream of writing a best-selling book to fruition. Becoming an author was a big achievement, but I want to take it a step further. My next book, “I Got Straight-A’s and All I Got Was F’ed,” is coming together nicely. This collection of case studies “Like it or not, we all have a limited time on this earth and we owe it to ourselves to make that time awesome. That’s why this year, I’m breaking out the bucket list.”

surrounding college debt is a culmination of my decades of work educating students and parents in college finance. I hope to finish it in the near future. Of course, it would help if I had a writer’s retreat. The Texas backcountry has a rugged beauty that has captured the imagination of generations of poets and songwriters. Building a house out on that scenic land would be incredible. A friend of mine built his backcountry house into a gorge, 150 feet above the ground. Framed in glass on two sides, the only thing more amazing than the home itself is the view from inside. So, there it is. Not exactly a small list! But I’ve always been ambitious, always strived for more, and it’s gotten me far in life. I’ve had the pleasure of raising three amazing kids who have grown into incredibly successful, well-rounded adults. I couldn’t have done it without the help of Elizabeth, whom I’ve been lucky to call my wife for 26 years. Liz, there’s something to be said for the fact you’ve been with me over half of my life. Thanks for being an incredible partner throughout the years, I couldn’t ask for a better friend to celebrate my 50th with. Spending time with you will always be at the top of my bucket list.

Happy Valentine’s Day,

–Bra nnon Lloyd

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3 STUDYING HACKS FOR SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS

GET OFF FACEBOOK Is your child wasting all of their precious studying hours on social media? According to Common Sense Media’s 2015 national census survey, tweens and teens spend an average of six to nine hours on some form of media daily. Help your student learn to self-regulate with StayFocusd, a web extension available for free in the Chrome Web Store. By adding this extension to your web browser, you can limit the amount of time your child spends scrolling through Facebook and maximize the time they spend on Google Scholar and Quizlet.

Are your kids already sweating exams this semester? Fear not! Combine these tips with a regular studying routine, and they’ll be set for anything their teachers assign this year. CHEW ON THIS Not all classrooms allow gum, but those that do offer students a distinct advantage. According to Scientific American, chewing gum increases the flow of oxygen to the areas of your brain responsible for attention and memory. Your student can even coordinate gum flavors with each of their classes. Do they have a biology test coming up? Encourage your student to chew peppermint gum while they study and while they take the test. Their brain will associate the minty flavor with those plant cell organelles they studied for an hour the night before. PROOFREAD WITH GOOGLE Is your child trying to perfect an essay before a midnight deadline? Be sure they leave time to read their essay aloud! Tom Stafford, a psychologist who studies typos at the University of Sheffield, notes that when we reread our work, “we don’t catch every detail; we’re not like computers or NSA >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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