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Category: College Planning

A laptop displays a FAFSA login screen on a desk with a coffee cup, plant, paper clips, and a yellow keychain nearby.
  • College Planning, Financial Planning
2 min read

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid

The FAFSA is a critical part of the college application process. For the 2026-2027 school year, you can apply on October 1, 2025.
A notebook with "529 plan vs. Roth IRA?" written on a black page, next to a pen and calculator, suggesting a comparison of savings options.
  • College Planning, Retirement Planning
4 min read

From College to Retirement: How 529 Plans Are Evolving

Saving for a child’s education is one of the most loving things you can do, and today’s 529 plans offer more flexibility than ever before. If you’ve been contributing to a 529, you may be wondering what options you have now that life (and legislation) has changed. At Griffin Black, we’re here to help you navigate those decisions with clarity and care. Here are a few timely opportunities worth knowing about.
People sit and read at long wooden tables in a large, ornate library room with tall windows, chandeliers, and shelves filled with books.
  • College Planning
6 min read

College Planning: Key Financial Considerations

Benjamin Franklin once said that “an investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” As many high school seniors prepare to make their final college decisions, families face one of the most significant financial commitments of their lives.
Two adults and two children run joyfully together on a sunny beach with waves in the background. The adults appear older, possibly grandparents, and the children are a boy and a girl.
  • College Planning, Financial Planning
6 min read

6 Rules Grandparents Should Follow When Helping With Grandchildren’s College Savings

Contributing to your grandchildren’s college savings is a wonderful idea. You can reduce worry and financial stress for your own children during their peak career years, enabling them to save more effectively for their own retirement. You can lower the likelihood that student debt will be a burden on the family. And your gifts may even be part of a smart estate plan.
An elderly couple with glasses smiles at a toddler wearing a graduation cap. The child is near a jar of coins and a rolled-up diploma tied with a red ribbon.
  • College Planning, Financial Planning, Saving & Budgeting
5 min read

Why College Planning Is a Core Part of Any Financial Plan 

Celebrating as a family member graduates from high school and attends college is the culmination of years of hard work and a joyous event. Paying for college, however, remains a significant source of stress for many households.
A young woman in graduation attire stands smiling between two adults, likely her parents, at an indoor event.
  • College Planning
8 min read

Five Ways To Make College More Affordable

It’s that time of year—the potential of receiving a college acceptance letter makes checking the mail a little more exciting than usual. The cost of college has jumped four times as fast as the rate of inflation over the last ten years. The numbers facing students (and their parents) are staggering. College is expensive and can leave graduates suffering under a huge financial burden well into their professional lives. It’s bad enough that the cost of higher education creates such a burden for students, but families can also suffer. Parents who foot the bill for their children’s education can find themselves unwittingly making tradeoffs with severe consequences for their own retirement. So how can you help your child get through college without sacrificing your retirement?
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