Many of the best practices to pay for college are fairly easy to comprehend. Save as much as possible (preferably in a 529 plan). Apply for need-based financial aid. Don’t refrain from applying to colleges out of your budget (you might get aid to help), but don’t ultimately attend a school that will put you in more debt than you can pay off.
But the process becomes much more complicated with individual circumstances. Divorce, disability, layoffs—there’s an answer to each scenario, but rarely one that’s found within the discussions of the basics.
Last month, expert Mark Kantrowitz joined Washington Post’s nationally syndicated personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary for a live chat, “Color of Money Live: How to plan college savings.” They answered a variety of questions, almost all of which pertain to topics that while not uncommon still extend beyond the basics. If you’d like to dive into the details, the full transcript is here.