The 35th edition of The Princeton Review's 'Paying for College' offers essential strategies for maximizing financial aid and managing college costs effectively.

One of the hardest financial decisions you'll ever face isn't how to make your money grow — it's what to do when someone you love needs it. This week we take on the show that's long overdue: helping family with money without hurting them, your relationships, or your own retirement.   On this week's Money On Tap, we combine the two things people are most emotional about — loved ones and money — and walk through how to help from strength instead of hope. It starts with the oxygen mask principle: secure your own financial stability first, because two people going downhill financially is not a rescue. From there we get practical: the questions to ask before any check gets written (emergency or recurring problem? give, lend, or pay directly?), why where the money comes from can double the cost of the same act of love, and a college approach that teaches kids to swim instead of holding them up forever. We cover the sandwich generation and why a parent's ask for time carries real financial cost, the special needs planning traps that can accidentally cost a loved one their benefits, and the gift-versus-loan playbook — documentation, matching, the enforcement question, and the case for sometimes just saying "forget about it."   What you'll learn: - The first questions: give it, lend it, or pay the expense directly? - Emergency or recurring problem — and why the answer changes everything - The oxygen mask principle: protecting your retirement isn't selfish - Your real number: income need and genuine surplus, not net worth - Why retirement account withdrawals can double the cost of helping - College help that teaches: hard dollar amounts, real responsibility - "You can't take a loan out to retire on — but a kid can for tuition" - Treating children fairly when circumstances won't cooperate - The sandwich generation: when they ask for time, not money - Special needs planning: ABLE accounts, trusts, and the beneficiary-form trap - Gift, loan, match, or direct payment — and the loan-as-gift mindset - Using your planner as the excuse — and when to just forgive the loan Plus Money In The News: - Medicare's projected 2027 changes — why this enrollment season demands real homework - Warren Buffett steps down as Berkshire chairman at 96 — the lessons and quotes he leaves behind - Retirees are fleeing to no-tax states in search of financial heaven — and don't always find it Want this week's white paper — the Family Financial Assistance Stress Test? Email us at info@yourmoneyontap.com and we'll send it over.   Read our most recent Blog Post on this topic here: https://www.fmgwebsites.com/d772de05-9833-44e4-9676-f510f85cef74/blog/family-generosity-help-without-the-hurt-the-oxygen-mask-principle Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tap   Contact Us - Phone: 855-226-8551 - Email: info@yourmoneyontap.com - Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110 - Web: brayshawfinancial.com Securities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Retirement account withdrawals may be subject to income taxes and, before age 59½, an additional 10% federal penalty. ABLE accounts, trusts, and public benefit programs are subject to federal and state eligibility rules that vary and change — coordinate with qualified legal and tax professionals. Medicare figures referenced are projections as of the air date and subject to change. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

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