late stage college planning

Do you and your parents have a plan to reduce college costs that includes:

• Creating a "bidding war" between colleges who see their competitors on your applications list?
• Expertly searching and applying for private scholarships?
• Analyzing education-related tax breaks such as the American Opportunity Tax Credit?
• Opting out of the college's health plan?
• Evaluating meal plans and textbook vendors? 

If not, please read this Wall Street Journal article and talk about it with your parents, your academic/college adviser/s, and your family's financial adviser/s.

If there is interest I can also ask Ms. Deborah Fox if she'll join us online for Q&A.

In the interest of full disclosure:

1. Ms. Deborah Fox is a brilliant, insightful, nationally known expert in the field with a quick wit and a winning smile.
2. She's also my cousin.
3. I don't have any financial interest in her business-- but I think it's a really good idea, which is why
4. I poached the article by taking the screen shots below, since (as you already know if you tried the link above without a subscription to the WSJ) the article lives behind a paywall (screen shot at bottom), which means that almost all of the people who most need to read it won't.  If this presents an ethical dilemma please stop reading here.