FAP679: How to write a 500 word scholarship essay, holiday guide

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Scholarship Search
+ How to write an effective 500 word scholarship essay
+ Here’s 529 words in a blog post I wrote recently
+ How fast do you speak? Most people speak about 100 - 150 words per minute
+ Tell a story
+ Structurally, what’s a good 3 - 5 minute story you tell?
+ Establish a context in the beginning - not necessarily an intro, but a context
+ Think about how a movie trailer starts - Dom LaFontaine’s classic “In a world…”
+ End with the scholarship topic phrased or paraphrased
+ “That’s why the housing bubble bursting is the most pressing societal issue today”
+ In the middle, offer details and examples
+ Recent economic blog topic post read aloud
+ The most important thing you can do is to think conversationally to start

Scholarship Update
+ The Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)is an international society advancing an interdisciplinary approach to the science and application of light. SPIE has distributed nearly $3 million in awards through its scholarship and grant program. These awards are for both high school and college students.
+ To be eligible to apply, students must be a member of SPIE
+ Be enrolled full-time in an optics, photonics, imaging, or optoelectronics program or related discipline at an accredited school for the full year beginning Fall 2008
+ Be in high school or secondary school, undergraduate or post-secondary school, or graduate school
+ Deadline January 11
+ $320,000 up for grabs
+ About $2,500 per award
+ Details at our free college scholarship search site

Free Stuff Friday
+ Google Maps on your phone has wannabe GPS
+ Give the gift of free software this holiday season
+ The Financial Aid Podcast Holiday Guide of things you can give for free - please regift!

Promo
+ Private student loan consolidation from StudentLoanConsolidator.com

Did you like today’s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don’t have to remember to download it every day.
+ Click here to subscribe for free by email
+ Click here to subscribe for free in iTunes

Direct MP3 file download: MP3 file

Reminders
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ Discuss this episode at the Financial Aid Forum!
+ FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208.

Technorati Tags: financial aid financialaidpodcast

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I put together a little 10 page guide - slideshow, actually - of 5 gifts you can give to others that won’t cost you a dime, and 5 gifts you can give to yourself that are also free but invaluable.

Please enjoy and share with my blessings for a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season!

Download the PDF (10.5 MB, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

I just had a thought.

The Student Loan Network, and for that matter any student loan company, can’t use Facebook’s Beacon advertising service for its core loan products.

From the Beacon description page:

Simply determine which user actions you would like publish to Facebook and add a few lines of code to your web page. Facebook Beacon actions include purchasing a product, signing up for a service, adding an item to a wish list, and more. When a user performs the action, they will be alerted that your website is sending a story to their profile and have a chance to opt out. No additional user action is needed for the story to be published on Facebook, and users remain in control of their information.

Here’s the issue with Beacon and student loan products: under regulations such as FERPA and the Gramm Leach Bliley Act, attaching Facebook’s Beacon service to a student loan service like our Stafford Federal Student Loan could publicly disclose that someone borrowed or had the intent to borrow a student loan. Disclosing nonpublic financial information is a major no-no, and since the Student Loan Network is committed to your privacy, Beacon can’t live on our transactional sites - or any other financial institution’s site in which a nonpublic financial transaction could take place. Just imagine in your Facebook News Feed:

“Bob just borrowed $20 from a Bank of America ATM at Solomon Pond Mall! Bob paid $2.50 in service fees and has a remaining balance of $251.”

I’ve applied for Beacon for the Financial Aid Podcast to see what it does, and if I’m approved and get into the program, I will publicly disclose exactly what actions you need to take on the Financial Aid Podcast web site to trigger Beacon’s activation. I’m thinking I’d like to attach it to the Add to iTunes button, since listening to the podcast is NOT indicative that you need financial aid or have an intent to borrow, since lots of my social media friends listen to the show who don’t need financial aid of any kind.

What are your thoughts on this?

Facebook now allows organizations and companies to create “Fan Pages” for products, services, and other entities that aren’t actual people. I’ve set up a Fan Page for the Financial Aid Podcast (click here) and if you’re on Facebook, please become a fan of the show.

What I’m trying to assess is how Fan Pages are different than groups, and which is the better avenue for the podcast and the Student Loan Network to potentially use for community development. I’ll post my results after I have something of significance to show for the effort, but I need your help. Please click here and become a Facebook Fan.

And no, we won’t spoil anyone’s Christmas with Beacon, though I’m tempted to install it on the Podcast site just to see what it does.

FAP678: Managing Financial Aid Deadlines, MIT for High Schools

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Student Financial Aid News
+ Inside Higher Ed: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s OpenCourseWare program puts course materials online and makes them available free to anyone — in an effort that has been praised by educators worldwide for opening up MIT materials.
+ On Wednesday, MIT announced a high school version, Highlights for High School, that will put materials online for high schools to use to improve instruction in science, technology, engineering and math. On on Wednesday, MIT announced that it now has 1,800 of its courses — virtually all of them — in OpenCourseWare.
+ Incredibly powerful stuff because it allows poorly funded high schools access to a great curriculum developed by one of the foremost science schools in America
+ If you’re a teacher, there are materials, handouts, videos, etc.
+ If you’re a student, and you want to get ahead in your classes in AP Bio, AP Chem, or AP Physics, this could easily put you ahead of the pack
+ Sample from 7.012, Fall 2004 Mitochondria Function and Production of ATP
+ That, of course, means higher grades, more scholarships, therefore more opportunities to get into more colleges, and possibly fewer student loans
+ Combine with iTunesU and you have an opportunity for academically gifted students who may not have access to the best teachings at their own local school to excel anyway - for free

Scholarship Update
+ Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association General John A. Wickham Scholarship
+ Deadline May 1 of each year
+ Scholarships of $2,000 each will be awarded to full time students currently enrolled in accredited degree-granting 4-year colleges or universities in the United States. Candidates must be at least second-year college students, enrolled full time as sophomores or juniors at the time of application.
+ Candidate must be a U.S. citizen and working toward a degree in the following or C4I-related fields of electrical, computer, chemical, systems or aerospace engineering; computer science; physics; mathematics; science or mathematics education; technology management; or management information systems. Majors directly related to the support of U.S. intelligence enterprises or national security with relevance to the mission of AFCEA will also be eligible. A GPA of 3.5 on 4.0 scale or better is required.
+ Details at our free college scholarship search site

Focus on Financial Aid
+ Deadlines
+ Financial aid deadlines are hard deadlines - meaning that if you miss them, you can’t ask for more time.
+ Some common deadlines:
+ Early decision
+ The FAFSA - March 1 for many schools and states
+ October 1 - first tuition bills
+ February 1 - first tuition bills for spring semester
+ Federal student loans like the Stafford Loan and the Parent PLUS Loan - your financial aid office may have deadlines. Usually the month before the semester starts
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Parent PLUS loans at ParentPLUSLoan.com
+ 6 months after you graduate, your student loan payments start
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ Just about every scholarship has a deadline
+ How do you keep track of deadlines?
+ Use a calendaring system with reminders
+ I like Google Calendar because it’s fast, easy, free, and powerful
+ Set up deadlines in Google Calendar
+ Quick Add - just type in natural language sentences
+ If you have unlimited SMS, go to settings/mobile setup
+ Add your cell phone into there for SMS/text reminders
+ In settings, make sure you have popup, mobile, and email reminders turned on
+ Tip: store data inside the reminder. For example, if you have to visit a website, include that in your calendar. Phone, email, etc.

Did you like today’s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don’t have to remember to download it every day.
+ Click here to subscribe for free by email
+ Click here to subscribe for free in iTunes

Direct MP3 file download: MP3 file

Reminders
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ Discuss this episode at the Financial Aid Forum!
+ FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208.

Technorati Tags: financial aid financialaidpodcast

FAP677: Scholarship Expert Shayla Price Interview

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Expert Interview
+ In today’s show, I interview Shayla Price, a senior at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Shayla has the unusual distinction of earning more than $100,000 in renewable scholarships, effectively paying for her complete education without student loans or a dime of her own money. We discuss the process she used to find those scholarships, her lessons learned, and some innovative ideas for using today’s technologies in a scholarship search that could net even greater awards.
+ I love the idea of a scholarship community and will be expanding on my vision of what that could entail in the upcoming scholarship search secrets e-book, version 4.0, due out in December. It will be free for download.

Did you like today’s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don’t have to remember to download it every day.
+ Click here to subscribe for free by email
+ Click here to subscribe for free in iTunes

Direct MP3 file download: MP3 file

Reminders
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ Discuss this episode at the Financial Aid Forum!
+ FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208.

Technorati Tags: financial aid financialaidpodcast

FAP676: Private student loan market issues, job opportunities in a recession

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Student Financial Aid News
+ From the Houston Chronicle: First Marblehead Corp.’s (ticker: FMD) stock sank Monday after a Friedman Billings Ramsey analyst downgraded the student finance company, saying there may not be as much cash committed to covering unpaid student loans as people think.
+ First Marblehead helps banks like Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. package their student loans into pools and sell them as bonds. The company charges fees for advising on the deals and helping funnel the payments from the students to the bondholders.
+ The prices the bonds command _ and in turn the commissions First Marblehead charges _ are boosted by a nonprofit organization called The Education Resources Institute, or TERI. TERI promises to buy student loans that are in default, which rescues bondholders from losses. This makes the bonds safer and thus more appealing to investors.
+ After Fitch downgraded TERI’s credit last month, Snowling said he reviewed the organization’s finances and concluded it does not have enough cash to buy all the loans that are going to be in default.
+ Much of TERI’s $612 million in cash is restricted, and the organization can only commit $127 million to cover student loan losses, he said. That represents less than 1 percent of the $13.2 billion in loans TERI guarantees.
+ If student loan defaults overwhelm TERI’s cash, Snowling said First Marblehead will have to pledge more collateral itself, which eats into its profit on deals. Plus, the company will securitize fewer student loans and at lower prices because of the heightened risk, he said.
+ What does this mean for you? Private student loan credit requirements are probably going to get a lot tighter. Any time a lender has to buy back loans out of a securitization, it’s a loss, particularly if the loans default.
+ One of the many reasons the Student Loan Network is absolutely adamant about responsible borrowing - never borrow more than you can afford to repay. Everyone loses when you do.
+ In the short term, if the market believes that private student loans are a risky investment, credit available to First Marblehead will be more restricted, the same as is happening in the housing and mortgage markets. That means private student loans themselves will be harder to qualify for, with more rigorous credit checks, higher requirements in terms of credit score, and possibly higher interest rates if the number of loans defaulting spikes, which it may.
+ If you are in danger of defaulting, don’t just sit there. Call your lender and ask to negotiate a payment plan or other means of default aversion. If you have a loan from the Student Loan Network, and you’re in danger of defaulting, call us at 877-328-1565! We want to keep you out of default as much as you want to stay out of it.
+ Remember, private student loans are NOT your first loan of resort for paying for college. Choose federal student loans like those at StaffordLoan.com first.
+ Disclosures: First Marblehead powers our Act Education Loan Private Student Loans
+ I also own one share of FMD stock now worth half what it was earlier this year, about $27.

Scholarship Update
+ IFDA Student Member Scholarship
+ The IFDA Student Member Scholarship is offered to current IFDA student members who have completed four courses in interior design or related field and are in good standing. An additional letter of recommendation from an IFDA Professional Member is required. The student identification number must be included on the application form. The IFDA Educational Foundation will award a $2,000 Scholarship for the academic year to a full time student member.
+ Deadline March 31
+ Details at our free college scholarship search site

Jobcast
+ Evaluating job opportunities in a recession - which is where we’re headed if we’re not already there.
+ Look for companies with strong growth potential - they tend to be smaller rather than larger, more agile, and disruptive, doing something new in their vertical
+ Look for companies that are hiring on big paid job boards like Monster. If they’re willing to shell out cash to hire someone, they’re not at a point where trimming costs includes paid hiring
+ Look for compensation that has a strong base salary component, so that even if the economy trends downward, you still get a paycheck, as opposed to being purely commission-based
+ Look for benefits that will offset high personal costs - strong healthcare is a huge plus in a recession - 80/20 split is standard, but look for 100 less copay.
+ It is perfectly acceptable to ask in the job interview about the prospects for growth and stability - and be on the lookout for incongruent nonverbal communication
+ Look for job opportunities that have flexibility in them; a recession is not a great time to be making a major career change, but it is a great time to focus on training and professional development
+ It is perfectly acceptable to even ask about the financials if you’re interviewing for a management position
+ Obviously, stay away from jobs in troubled sectors like banking, lending, finance, mortgages, housing, real estate, etc.

Did you like today’s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don’t have to remember to download it every day.
+ Click here to subscribe for free by email
+ Click here to subscribe for free in iTunes

Direct MP3 file download: MP3 file

Reminders
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ Discuss this episode at the Financial Aid Forum!
+ FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208.

Technorati Tags: financial aid financialaidpodcast

FAP675: 2007 Financial Aid Calendar, Hillary Clinton on Student Loans

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Student Financial Aid News
+ Inside Higher Ed: Rose State College, a two-year institution in Oklahoma, is dropping most Friday classes to help its students — most of whom have significant commutes — minimize gas purchases at a time of rising prices. Up until now, most Rose State courses met for either 75 minute sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays or 60 minute sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and alternate Fridays. The latter group will now be shifted to Monday and Wednesday meetings of 75 minutes. Rose State officials stressed that classrooms would not be empty on Fridays: Professors have been asked to develop courses that will meet for longer periods, but only on Fridays.
+ Look for distance learning and online opportunities to increase as well
+ Distance learning private student loans
+ Chronicle: Texas A&M University at College Station is making students an offer they might have trouble refusing. Starting next year, students who take courses over the summer will pay half the normal tuition rate, according to today’s Houston Chronicle. The university’s goal is twofold: Its facilities will get more use year-round, and its students will move more swiftly to graduation. The cost of the pilot program, which might be tried later at other public colleges in Texas, will be borne by the state. Assuming that students can take courses they need to graduate, all they have to lose is their summer jobs and their tans.
+ Look for more colleges to offer “off-peak” learning opportunities - and if you’re a high school student, consider asking colleges if they’ll award credit in advance. The more freshman level courses you can take and be done with, the faster you’ll complete your degree - which means you’ll pay less for college. The 3 year college degree isn’t out of the question.
+ NASFAA: “Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton had some tough words Saturday afternoon for the college student loan industry, saying banks and other lenders had ‘ripped off’ students with high interest rates and repayment plans that were onerous on recent graduates and their families,” reports The New York Times. “‘I want to get rid of the student loan companies,’ Mrs. Clinton said at an event in Sioux City, as she laid out her college affordability plan in response to a parent’s concern about high tuition prices.
+ Let’s see, the student loan industry is an $85 billion/year industry. $60 billion of that is provided through student loan companies. Unfortunately, all of the candidates proposing this solution have not included how they’re going to make up the shortfall. The Department of Education’s budget certainly doesn’t have the flexibility to cover that.
+ Also a bit disingenuous: federal student loans like those at StaffordLoan.com are identical to the Department of Education loans.
+ Great conversation about the value of a college degree on the blog! Join the conversation!

Scholarship Update
+ The AEE Foundation Scholarship program was established to encourage qualified practitioners in energy engineering and energy management by awarding scholarships to further education in the field. To date the Foundation has awarded a total of over $520,000 in funds for use by 936 outstanding students. Scholarships shall be available to undergraduate and graduate degree candidates who are enrolled in engineering or management programs at accredited colleges or universities. Scholarship funds are to be used for courses directly related to energy engineering or energy management preferably within the curriculum leading to a major or minor in energy engineering.
+ Deadline May 1 of each year
+ 40 awards of $1,000 each
+ Details at our free college scholarship search site

Focus on Financial Aid
+ A review of the financial aid calendar for the rest of the year
+ October is early decision time for high school seniors - make sure you get an idea of cost of attendance and have your finances in order
+ November is a great time to begin scholarship search for the 2008 award year. Scholarships ramp up in January, so taking the time in November and December to crank out essays and do your scholarship Google prep will put you towards the front of the line when the gates open
+ November and December are good months to review your taxes and possibly see a CPA/CFP. Anything you can do in the last couple months of the year to minimize your AGI will benefit your taxes and your financial aid for the upcoming year
+ Get ready to file your FAFSA on January 1
+ It’s a great time of year to take inventory of your personal finances, do your budget, and figure out some goals to achieve for the next year
+ Again, most community banks and credit unions offer financial planning services either for free or at nominal cost
+ View the full financial aid calendar at StudentLoanNetwork.com

Did you like today’s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don’t have to remember to download it every day.
+ Click here to subscribe for free by email
+ Click here to subscribe for free in iTunes

Direct MP3 file download: MP3 file

Reminders
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ Discuss this episode at the Financial Aid Forum!
+ FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208.

Technorati Tags: financial aid financialaidpodcast

What is the value of a college education?

I have a very serious question for you. What is the value of a college education? At what point does your return on investment diminish to the point where the degree isn’t worthwhile, particularly when you factor in opportunity cost?

I’m of two minds on this topic. Traditionally, and statistically, a college degree is likely to help you earn more pay over your lifetime. Based on 2005 US Census data, it’s estimated that a bachelor’s degree is worth more than $1,210,760 in lifetime earnings on average than a high school diploma. These statistics are based on average income and the average cost of a college education.

The contrary view is that college degrees are not causative factors; that is, someone who is smart, self-motivated, and successful would achieve success with or without a college degree, as these traits are self-selecting for college-bound students. Furthermore, the contrary view says that if you were to invest the money spent in a four year college degree over the same time period while, say, starting an entrepreneurial venture, your lifetime earnings could easily eclipse that of a college graduate’s earnings.

My thinking on this is such: If you are likely to be an average to above average person, working in an average or above average professional field, living an average to above average life, a college degree makes total sense, as it is a prerequisite for getting in the door of many companies, especially for jobs that have a management track. If you intend to go into an established industry, a profession that doesn’t change much, or a professional which requires advanced degrees (medicine, law, etc.) then a college degree doesn’t just make sense, it’s a requirement for advancement.

However…

… if you are an exceptional person who focuses their future on disruption, a college degree probably isn’t going to matter much, and may in fact hold you back.

Exceptional people will be exceptional with or without a college degree, and if they do interview for a job, their credentials will be their track record and personal brand. The example I cite most is my friend Chris Brogan, who, after PodCamp Boston 1, got a job with Jeff Pulver’s Pulvermedia. Chris’ traditional resume was not all that impressive, to be blunt. But PodCamp Boston was a resume of sorts for him of a new kind, and that plus a personal blog were the credentials that landed him the job - at considerably more than average pay, I should add.

Disruption is when something’s changing so fast that only the agile can keep up, or in the best case scenario, a disruptor is leading change. For example, YouTube is a disruptive force in the world of video entertainment. It’s a game changer, forcing existing players in the space to deal with it on its terms. Google changed advertising forever with search. Social networks changed social interaction.

Disruption is important for two reasons - first, there’s a lot of opportunity to succeed, and second, there are no rules in a disruptive environment. The environment isn’t fully formed, so any rules that are “established” are quickly invalidated by change. This makes things like a college degree useless as a credential, and traditional ways of thinking a handicap, rather than an asset. Disruption is constant, never-ending change, and if you have a mind tuned to either creating disruption or being able to ride the waves of change like a surfer, the only thing a college degree will do is cost you four years’ worth of time that you could better use to stay ahead of the changes.

Here’s the quandary: how do you know which kind of person you are? I have no idea. I know I personally lean more towards disruption than establishment, but I also hold bachelor’s and master’s degrees. I can say for sure that the degrees are not causative - the traits that let me succeed did not come with the degrees; if anything, the degrees exist solely to confirm a few personal traits that were always there.

As a new media professional, disruption is my bread and butter, and I’ve seen many people in new media (a highly disruptive, ever-changing space) be incredibly successful with their track record and personal brand alone; to this day, I still don’t even know if half of them have college degrees or not, and to someone who is deeply engaged in new media, I don’t know that a college degree, at least in the traditional sense, would be the right choice for them. This, of course, highly conflicts with my role as an executive of the best student loan company I know, because I have an economic incentive to promote the college degree as an achievement, encourage as many people as possible to go to college, and if appropriate, encourage them to use our fine student loan products while in college. It’s an interesting dichotomy.

What’s your perspective on the value of a college education? Ultimately, if you were giving a graduation speech in front of 1,000 high school seniors, what would you say to them about whether or not college is the right choice?

Here’s some food for thought.

• Oil is crawling towards $100/barrel.
• Gasoline? $3/gallon.
• Heating oil? $3/gallon.
• Foreclosures expected to balloon in 2008 with adjustable rate mortgage resets
• Foreclosures and defaults expected to take huge chunks out of property tax revenues

What does all this mean to the average college student?

If you’re living off campus and renting an apartment…

• Energy gets more expensive = rent goes up
• Foreclosures means more people competing for rental properties = rent goes up
• Tax revenues decline means cities have to increase taxes on people still able to pay, like landlords = rent goes up

The bottom line is this: 2008 isn’t going to be a great year, economically. This is pretty much baked in at this point. What remains to be seen is how bad it will be. One of the advanced preparations you can make is to inquire with your landlord if you are currently renting to renew your lease for another year right now at a modest rent increase (or no increase if you have a super relationship with your landlord). If you can lock in your rent now, by the time price pressures force rents up in your area, you’ll be reasonably well protected, at least for another year.

Disclosure: I’m not a certified anything. Any financial advice I give should be validated by someone who has a certification and liability insurance in the event they dispense bad advice. Do not make changes in your personal financial situation solely because you read it here.