SoFi Blog

When Matt Bachmann decided to get his MBA three years ago, he didn’t imagine it would lead to a startup fueled by his favorite beverage. “I was committed to using the time as a break from the corporate world, and I knew I wanted to explore entrepreneurship,” says Bachmann. “But I had no idea what the final outcome would be.”

With higher education expenses galloping far ahead of inflation, parents at all income levels are finding it difficult to help out with their kids’ college education. If you’re one of many parents whose savings is coming up short, even with a 529 Savings Plan, a Coverdell, or other education-specific plan in place, you may be considering other options to cover the expense gap, including taking out a loan or dipping into retirement accounts.

Before going either route, be sure to fully explore the options available to your family, including potential grants, financial aid, work study programs and employer-provided education assistance programs. And if it’s too late to apply or your child won’t qualify for financial aid, your family may still qualify for one of the tax credits or deductions currently available. While these education-related tax credits won’t necessarily help every family due to limitations and income level phase-outs, they are worth exploring if you’re new to the education funding process.

If you want to explore using retirement savings or private loans to help close the funding gap, here is an overview of the available options in those areas.

As families and friends across the country gather for Thanksgiving, many Americans are bringing an unwanted guest along with them: high interest rate credit card debt.

And while it probably won’t be a topic of conversation around the dinner table, it’s always there in the back of your mind – a reminder that you’re spending thousands of dollars on interest when you’d rather use that money to pay for holiday gifts or a ski vacation.

Related: Credit Card Interest Calculator

Fortunately, there is a better solution. Find out how refinancing credit card debt with a low interest rate personal loan can get that unwanted turkey off your back – so you can focus on the fun of Thanksgiving instead.

When it comes to choosing an MBA program, cost is only one consideration. For years, business schools, pundits and publishers of MBA rankings have urged that you should also weigh factors such as average class size, required test scores and placement rate when choosing where to apply. This advice still rings true, but it fails to convey a harsh reality.

If you’re thinking about getting an MBA to advance your career, you’ll first want to conduct due diligence to ensure the return on investment is what you need it to be. After all, the average cost for top MBA programs in 2013 was $111,418, according to U.S. News & World Report.