Even with all of your savvy college shopping and research about financial aid, college costs may still be prohibitive. At these prices, you expect you'll need to make substantial financial sacrifices to send your child to college. Or maybe your child won't be able to attend the college of his or her choice at all. Before you throw in the towel, though, you and your child should consider steps that can actually lower college costs. Although some of these ideas deviate from the typical four-year college experience, they just might be your child's ticket to college — and your ticket…

Divorce can be a lengthy process that may strain your finances and leave you feeling out of control. But with the right preparation, you can protect your interests, take charge of your future, and save yourself time and money. You certainly never expected divorce when you cut the wedding cake; you and your spouse planned on spending the rest of your lives together. Unfortunately, the fairy tale didn't work out, and you're headed for a divorce. So where do you begin? First things first: should you hire an attorney? There's no legal requirement that you hire an attorney when divorcing.…

You may have heard about the horrors of probate, but in truth, probate has gotten an undeservedly bad reputation, especially in recent years. If you bypass probate, your estate will go to your beneficiaries without any court proceeding, and you may save a certain amount of time and expenses. However, there is usually little reason for most people to avoid probate today. States continue to revise their probate laws, making them more consumer friendly, particularly for small estates. For most modestly sized estates, the probate process now costs little. In fact, there are some good reasons to distribute your property…

When you refinance your mortgage, you take out a new home loan and use some or all of the proceeds to pay off the existing one.   Why refinance your mortgage? There are a variety of reasons why you may want to consider refinancing your mortgage, such as: Lowering your monthly mortgage payment by refinancing to a lower interest rate Shortening the length of your loan (e.g., from a 30-year mortgage to a 15-year mortgage) to potentially reduce interest charges over time Accessing extra cash through a cash-out refinancing to pay for home improvements, pay for college, or consolidate debt…

529 plans can be a great way to save for college, but they're not the only way. When you're investing for a major goal like education, it makes sense to be familiar with all of your options.   Mutual funds Mutual funds are an option to save for college costs. They offer unlimited investment control and flexibility as you can choose from a wide variety of funds that meet your risk tolerance, time horizon, and overall investment preferences. And there are no restrictions or penalties if you sell your shares and use the money for something other than college. But…