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November 2018
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Letter
Send Your Kids to College, Keep Your Money at Home
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WHAT I’M THANKFUL FOR
About this time every year, I begin to get nostalgic for the Thanksgiving road trips of my youth. When I was young, my parents would take my brother and me to Pittsburg, Kansas, to visit our great-grandparents. Cruising along the Indian Mission Turnpike in our Chrysler New Yorker Brougham, even the drive was memorable. I miss that old boat of a car and its eight-track player. We always stopped at this restaurant called “The Gateway Diner.” The dining area itself straddled the turnpike, so you could eat your burger and watch the cars and trucks pass beneath you. After fueling up on some classic American grub, we got back in the car and settled in for the rest of the journey, listening to my dad’s three eight-track tapes over and over again. Cycling through Roger Whittaker, Frank Sinatra, and a Moog synthesizer mix a dozen times, we eventually made it to our great- grandparents’ house along with the rest of our relatives. The home itself was rustic, like something out of “This American Life,” with a peach tree in the yard and their wraparound porch that was larger than the house itself. The small size was actually a blessing since the old building had no central air and had to be warmed with a gas heater. “Huddled together around the dinner table with loved ones, with the bitter cold of Kansas in late fall outside, it was easy to feel the sense of gratitude and togetherness that Thanksgiving is all about.” Huddled together around the dinner table with loved ones, with the bitter cold of Kansas in late fall outside, it was easy to feel the sense of gratitude and togetherness that Thanksgiving is all about. In my opinion, thankfulness is one of the greatest human emotions — one we should strive to feel year-round. Still, having a day to come together and celebrate what we’re grateful for certainly doesn’t hurt. Now that I have a family of my own, I find that we have about three
Thanksgivings every year. Taking the time to see both sides of the family means we eat plenty of turkey every November, but I don’t mind. It’s great to celebrate your familial connections, including your work family. That’s why we have our own feast at the office on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It’s one of my favorite traditions at The College Money Guys, and if you have never attended, please stop by! We get started around noon and always have plenty of food. Andrea’s empanadas are always a big hit, and I always bring in my own handmade tamales. Our rule is the more the merrier, so if you’re not too caught up in your own Thanksgiving planning that Wednesday, we’d love it if you dropped by! After all, this time of year is all about thanking the meaningful people in our lives. In my mind, that sort of gratitude definitely extends to the families we’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. You’ve trusted us to help you with the monumental task of financing your child’s future, and the gravity of that trust isn’t lost on my team and me. It may be a small gesture, but we’d be honored to break bread with you, catch up, and give thanks. Of course, it’s a busy time of year, and we understand if you can’t make it. Either way, we’ll be raising a toast to you this Thanksgiving. It always blows me away that I’m privileged enough to have a job helping young people reach their dreams. That would not be possible without you.
Cheers,
–Bra nnon Lloyd
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For Everyone on Your List BEST DIY GIFT IDEAS
Looking for gift ideas that don’t break the bank but still show the special people in your life how much you care? Do-it-yourself (DIY) gifts are the way to go. Here are a few ideas to put together on a chilly night. Pull out your crafting supplies, turn on some holiday tunes, and get creative.
some acrylic paint in a variety of colors. Then get crafty! The kids can use their handprints as a starting point and add other decorations as they like. You can also find some fun ideas on the blog Little Page Turner, like painting a butterfly from your kids’ stamped footprints. Have fun with it!
chatter”) or list their favorite beverage (“coffee, no sugar” or “green tea”). Write something that makes them think of you, or create a simple drawing. Enjoy the artistic freedom as much as they’ll enjoy your thoughtful gift. Best DIY Gift for Someone Special: Memory Map Utilize a map, a pair of scissors, some glue, and your memories of meaningful places to create this sentimental gift. Choose map locations that are meaningful to you and your special person — where you met, where you celebrated special moments, where you first lived — and cut them out in geometric or heart shapes. Then, glue the cutouts to a piece of matboard. You can add kind words at each point, or let the map locations explain themselves. Place in a frame and gift to your loved one.
Best DIY Gift to Make With the Little Ones: Handprint Apron Aunties, uncles, and godparents will love a gift that incorporates their favorite little ones, and it’s a great way to get the kids in on the project. Choose some unadorned aprons from your local craft or home goods store and
Best DIY Gift for Your Bestie: Personalized Mug
You only need a mug and an oven-safe or porcelain marker to create this personalized gift. Use a mug you already own, or pick one up from the dollar store or thrift store, and get expressive! You could write a sweet or funny message (“but first, coffee” or “two shots, hold the
OUR CLIENTS SAY IT BEST
“Because of all your support, expertise, quick work, and Kurt’s wonderful letter of support, the review committee at ACU was able to approve Declan’s appeal, which included Kurt’s letter. This means that ACU reinstated Declan’s scholarship, and he will be able to return to school tomorrow. Without this scholarship, he would not have been able to return, so we are very, very grateful. “Thank you also for spending a great amount of time speaking with Declan about the choices he’s made that did not serve him well in the past and his plans for getting set up for success in the future. He understands that he’s been given a second chance and is not taking it lightly. “We truly appreciate all of the support we have received throughout the years from The College Money Guys. You all have been a pleasure to work with and a tremendous blessing to our family.”
– Margaret, Rogers, and Declan
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UNDERSTANDING WHAT INFLUENCES FINANCIAL AID
Independent Students
When a student is applying for financial aid, it’s important to know how your family’s circumstances may differ from the “statistical norm” of two married parents, an average student with average grades, and employment by a company that isn’t your own. Here are two special situations that can affect financial aid.
Some individuals may try to sign up as “independent,” thinking that they will receive more financial aid. However, many people don’t realize that to be considered independent, the student needs to meet at least one of the following criteria: Be 24 years old or older before Dec. 31 of their first year of college Be a veteran of the armed forces Be an orphan or ward of the court •
Divorced or Separated Parents
2. If the parent who matches the
qualifications above is remarried, a student must include the income and the assets of the stepparent as if they were the biological parent. 3. Some private colleges and universities might ask applicants to include the noncustodial parent’s financial information. If your student is applying to a private school, don’t be surprised if this information is required. Also, the information given by the other parent will not affect federally based funds.
If a student’s parents are divorced or separated, there are a few things they need to know before proceeding with their college or university application. Financial aid forms are geared toward students with married parents. If a student’s parents are not married to each other, the form should be completed with the information of the parent they live with for the greater part of the year. 1.
• • • • •
Have legal dependents
Be a graduate or professional student
Be married
Knowing what can impact your qualifications for financial aid will help you better prepare for the future.
SPICY, CREAMY SWEET POTATOES
PUZZLE
Inspired by The New York Times
INGREDIENTS • 5 pounds sweet potatoes • 1 cup canned coconut milk • 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste INSTRUCTIONS 1. Heat oven to 375 F. On a large sheet pan, bake potatoes until very soft, approximately 75 minutes. 2. Let potatoes cool until they are safe to handle, then peel and mash. 3. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine coconut milk and curry paste. Once mixed, add the mixture, salt, half the sugar, and half the butter to potatoes. 4. 30 minutes before serving, heat oven to 425 F. Spread potatoes in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. 5. Uncover potatoes and dot with remaining butter and sugar. Broil until brown, crusty, and delicious. Serve hot. • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
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2000 North Loop West Suite 200 Houston, TX 77018 713.422.2720
INSIDE
1 2 2 3
What I’mThankful For
The Best DIY Gifts
Testimonial
Special Circumstances That Affect Financial Aid
3 4
Spicy, Creamy Sweet Potatoes
HowThanksgiving Became an Official Holiday!
BONUS MONEY-SAVING CONTENT INSIDE!
SARAH HALE HOW THANKSGIVING BECAME A NATIONAL HOLIDAY
Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays celebrated throughout the United States. One of the first documented Thanksgiving celebrations took place in 1621 when Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared a feast together. But the banquet, which celebrated the colonists’ first successful harvest, wasn’t just one large meal, nor did it last for only one day; in fact, the feast lasted for three days. In later years, Thanksgiving also lasted for longer than a single meal. During the time of the American Revolution, the Continental Congress chose several days throughout the year to celebrate giving thanks. Then, in 1789, George Washington made the U.S. national government’s first Thanksgiving proclamation. He used this to speak to his fellow American citizens about the Revolution’s satisfactory conclusion and encouraged them to show their thanks for the freedoms they gained. Thanksgiving became a national holiday more than 200 years after its first celebration. It gained this status largely due to the persistence of a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale. Hale was a successful magazine editor, prolific writer of novels and poems, and author of the famous nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” which was first published in her 1830 collection entitled “Poems for Our Children.”
to state and federal officials expressing her desire that it gain official status. In 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln finally declared it a national holiday, hoping that it would help heal the wounds of the country. Lincoln decided that the holiday would take place on the last Thursday of November. It was celebrated on that day until 1939, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving a week earlier in the hopes of increasing retail sales during the Great Depression. However, this plan was very unpopular, and in 1941, the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November. Without the efforts of Sarah Hale, we might not have the pleasure of the Thanksgiving feast we know and love to this day. This year, give thanks for family, good food, and the resolve of one woman who recognized the importance of Thanksgiving as a national holiday.
Thank you for your referrals!
Corwin Family Lloyd Family Monroe Family
Palmer Family Schermuly Family Estrada Family
McGlone Family Nadel Family
In 1827, Hale began a campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. For the next 36 years, she wrote numerous editorials and countless letters
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