Paying for college is one of the most stressful financial decisions a family will ever face — and most families are navigating it completely blind. This week on the Extreme Personal Finance Show, Chris sits down with Jack Wang, wealth advisor and host of the Smart College Buyer podcast, to pull back the curtain on how the college financial aid system actually works, and how families can stop leaving money on the table.

Jack brings a refreshing and honest take right out of the gate, college is still worth it, but not just for the ROI reasons most people debate. The personal development, the friendships, the experience of figuring out who you are — those matter too. And yes, the numbers still have to make sense. Jack breaks down exactly how to make them work.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why "I make too much money to qualify for aid" is almost always wrong — and what high-income families are missing
• How the FAFSA actually calculates your Student Aid Index and what that number really means for your family
• The NFL Draft analogy that perfectly explains how colleges decide who gets the big aid packages
• Why your kid's gender, major, and even home state can dramatically affect how much aid a school offers
• How divorce changes the FAFSA equation — including the major rule change that tripped up a lot of families
• The right way for grandparents to help pay for college without accidentally tanking financial aid eligibility
• Why Jack prefers financial flexibility over locking money into a 529 — and what accounts he recommends instead
• The one conversation most married couples haven't had about college that can derail the whole plan

Jack also shares his two top strategies for families just getting started, explains why filling out the FAFSA matters even for high earners, and digs into how schools in different states treat out-of-state students very differently when it comes to aid.

Whether your kid is a freshman in high school or heading into senior year, this episode will change the way you think about paying for college.

Contact Chris:

https://heavymetal.money

https://www.facebook.com/MoneyHeavyMetal

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https://www.instagram.com/chrisluger

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email: chris at heavymetal.money

Connect with Jack Wang

Smart College Buyer on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGvxjS_uLUIPnHKelqSLaHg

Jack Wang on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/fafsafred/

Jack Wang on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejackwang/

Resources and Links:

Free Tuition in Minnesota: Unveiling the North Star Promise

https://heavymetal.money/northstarpromise/

Pay Less For Two-Year Degrees That Can Make You Bank

https://heavymetal.money/twoyeardegree/

High-Paying Trade Jobs and Careers That Don’t Require a College Degree

https://heavymetal.money/tradejobs/

Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life―A Revolutionary Approach to Maximizing Life Experiences Over Accumulating Wealth by Bill Perkins

https://a.co/d/09JgROQc

Contact Chris:
https://heavymetal.money

https://www.instagram.com/heavy_metal_money/

https://www.youtube.com/@heavymetalmoney

https://www.facebook.com/chrisluger

email: chris at heavymetal.money