Our newest video introduces Miss Rev, our new virtual assistant, and how she can help you find answers regarding your financial aid. 

View the Miss Rev video. 

 

As assistant director of the Money Education Center and lecturer for AGEC 235, Foundations of Money Education, Nick Kilmer has his hands full helping current and former students learn how to handle their expenses.

Kilmer works with three other full-time employees and five student workers in the Money Education Center, which is located on the first floor of The Pavilion. The Money Education Center first opened its doors in August of 2016. It offers financial advising free of charge for current and former students, faculty and staff.

 In a given year, the Money Education Center connects with around 10,000 students, Kilmer said. Despite this constant business, he still exhibits a passion for his work.

 “I love people, and I love working with money,” Kilmer said. “If you can help people be less stressed about money, that’s a fun job to have.”

View the full article on the Texas A&M Money Education Center.

Americans who are struggling to pay off their debt could see lower FICO credit scores in their future, especially if they miss payments.

Fair Isaac Corp., the company behind the popular FICO credit score, announced the launch of its latest FICO 10 model today, Jan. 23, that will start incorporating consumers’ debt levels into their scoring model.

This comes as total household debt in the U.S. has steadily increased for about two years, and currently sits at about $13.95 trillion as of last September 2019, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That’s higher than the previous high of $12.68 trillion seen right before the 2008 financial crisis.

“This was bound to happen,” John Ulzheimer, an expert on credit scores and credit scoring, tells CNBC Make It. “The job of scoring models is to properly assess risk, not simply give people better scores as a default position.”

FICO estimates that about 110 million consumers will see a change of less than 20 points to their score under the new credit score model. Overall, roughly 80 million consumers will see a change in score of 20 or more points in either direction, upward or downward, FICO says.

View the full article on the FICO credit score changes.

Below are the anticipated awarding timelines for 2020-2021. Please check the Status tab of your Financial Aid portal for the 2020-2021 academic year to make sure there are no incomplete requirements on your account that will delay awarding or disbursement of your financial aid.
 
Undergraduate Students

• New Freshman (College Station and Galveston): Awarding begins late January
• New Transfer students (College Station and Galveston): Awarding begins Mid to late March
• Continuing Undergraduate students (College Station and Galveston): Awarding begins June
• Upper-level Public Health Undergraduates: Awarding begins early July

Graduate Students

• New Graduate students (College Station and Galveston): Awarding begins early to mid-May
• Continuing Graduate students (College Station and Galveston): Awarding begins June
• Nursing Graduate students: Awarding begins early July
• Public Health Graduate students: Awarding begins early July

Professional Students

• 1^st year Law students: Awarding begins early April
• 2^nd and 3^rd year Law students: Awarding begins Mid-June
• 4^th Year Pharmacy students: Awarding begins late May
• 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd year Pharmacy students: Awarding begins early June
• Dental professional students (DDS): Awarding begins mid to late April
• 4^th Year Medicine students: Awarding begins late May
• 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd year Medical students: Awarding begins early June
• 4^th year Veterinary students: Awarding begins Early- April
• 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd year Veterinary students: Awarding begins Mid-June

Use the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) to complete you FAFSA. It allows you to populate your FAFSA with your 2018 federal income tax data. It takes less time to complete the FAFSA and reduces the chance of having to submit more information later. Make sure you and/or your parent, if applicable, electronically sign the FAFSA.

Watch for communications from our office on any further documents needed from you. Do NOT send anything until we request it. Submit all requested documents as soon as possible to ensure you are awarded quickly and so there will be no delay on your Fall 2020 financial aid being released to you. 

You can complete your FAFSA at studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa. The priority date is January 15, 2020.

You can now complete the eTASFA online through your Howdy Portal.

Step 1: Sign into howdy.tamu.edu, and click on the My Finances Tab
 
Step 2: Click on the link for the eTASFA application in the Student TASFA section and select the 2020-2021 academic year.
 
Step 3: Complete your 2020-2021 eTASFA! The application will save your information as you go, so you can return to complete it later.
 
Step 4: Have your parent e-sign your eTASFA. (Note: Your parent must have Parent Access to financial aid information in Howdy to sign the application. Visit the Parent Howdy Account page for instructions on setting up Parent Access. Or you can print your application for your parent to sign and then upload it through the Financial Aid Portal.
 
Step 5: After October 18th, additional required documents will be requested in your Financial Aid Portal. Upload all required documents to complete your application.

Watch for communications from our office on any further documents needed from you. Do NOT send anything until we request it. Submit all requested documents as soon as possible to ensure you are awarded quickly and so there will be no delay on your Fall 2020 financial aid being released to you.

Lacking the skills needed to make informed financial decisions hurts individuals and the economy. What can advisers do to help?

View the article on Financial Literacy.

The money will help students whose lives were upended by Hurricane Harvey and who slipped through the existing safety net at campuses in College Station, Galveston, Kingsville, Prairie View and Corpus Christi.

To view the full article, visit the Qatar Harvey Fund article.

"It’s one of the oldest cons around. Come up with the cash to pay a small fee up front, and there is a big pot of money just waiting for you," Acorns reports. 

"You might recognize this classic grift from some of its common versions, which often appear out of the blue in your email inbox. Your long-lost uncle has named you in his will! You won an overseas lottery! Or that timeless classic—a Nigerian prince needs your help getting cash out of his country!

The name for these is 'advance fee scams,' and unfortunately for college students, there is another variety: The scholarship scam.

To view the article, Watch Out for These 3 Red Flags of Scholarship Scams.

Con artists love to take advantage of anyone who is stressed out during the days leading up to the next semester. So, the scams need to be discussed each and every year as the kids go off to college. 

To view the full article, visit https://www.freep.com/story/money/personal-finance/susan-tompor/2018/08/22/back-school-scams-financial-aid/1040177002/