Today, we have a very special and important guest as we dive into college affordability and student loans. Our guest today is a nationally recognized expert on the topic of student financial aid scholarships and student loans. His name is Mark Kantrowitz. You may have seen his name quoted in the media often. He is my go-to expert and resource when it comes to learning more about student loans. Mark aims to deliver practical information, advice as well as tools and resources to students and their families so that they can make informed decisions about planning and paying for college. In the last five years, he has been quoted in more than 5,000 newspaper and magazine articles. He has written for major publications including The Times, The Journal, The Washington Post and Forbes. He’s also the author of four best-selling books about scholarships and financial aid. We discuss what works for you and against you when it comes to receiving financial aid, demystifying the FAFSA, the free application for federal student aid. What gets factored in? What doesn’t? How to earn more money as you go through college. Because you may experience a decline of your financial circumstances. Maybe a parent at home loses his or her job? Maybe you lose your job? How do you apply for more financial aid and where can you find free money for school? For more information visit www.somoneypodcast.com.

Today’s guest is the co-director of College Counseling at the Colorado Academy, which is an independent prep school for grades pre-K through 12th grade. It’s located in Denver. Mark Moody has been helping students at the school prepare for the college admission process since 2008. Before that he was the director of college counseling at the Bush School in Seattle. He is an active member of the Association for College Counselors in independent schools and other college counseling networks. He’s also contributed to the New York Times, the Chronicle of Higher Education and the True Admissions blog. We talk about the biggest mistakes students make that could hurt their chances of getting in to a desired institution. Personally, I’ve been rejected from a few schools and it doesn’t feel good. I wish I had known prior to that experience how to improve my chances of getting in. We discuss how to invest in college properly to get the experiences, the tools and the knowledge that you need for your next phase in life. Mark speaks with admissions directors at major schools frequently - lots of them at Ivy Leagues. He shares his best insider tips based on these conversations that might help applicants. We also discussed this controversy around the Coalition for Access Affordability and Success. It’s a new coalition of public and private schools. The goal is to encourage more students from low income families to apply to these schools, including some ivy leagues but it stirs up a lot of controversy. For more information visit www.somoneypodcast.com.

It is college week on So Money! All week we’re dedicating the show to all aspects of college – How to afford it? How to pick the right school? How to dissect the financial aid process? Is college worth it? And much, much more. This concept of doing a themed week is thanks to you, by the way. I asked you a couple months back what types of changes or additions you would like to the show and some of you suggested themed weeks. I experimented with it last year with Millionaires Next Door Week and So Money Millennials Week. And they were very popular. I'm hoping to dedicate more of the podcast to these special deep-dive weeks. Kicking us off to educate us all on the best ways to afford college and how to steer clear of too much debt is the author of the new book "The Debt Free Degree: How to Eliminate College Debt At Every Step." John Wasik is an award-winning author of 15 books, speaker and journalist discussing financial topics from investing to student loans and more. John also serves as a personal finance columnist and blogger for Reuters. Prior to his current role he served as a former special projects editor for Consumers Digest magazine.  His work has been featured in outlets including CNBC, Bloomberg TV, CNN amongst many others. For more information visit www.somoneypodcast.com.

For more information visit www.somoneypodcast.com.

Our guests today want to help you make 2016 the year you save HALF your income. I know what you’re thinking…"Say, what? It’s hard enough saving 10%!"Joe Saul-Sehy and Kathleen Celmins, both of the Stacking Benjamins podcast, have a new course called Save 50: How to Save Half Your Income and Take Control of Your Future. Kathleen has actually done this herself - and continues to save 50% of her income. We explore how this can actually work on any income. And why if you’re in debt you may be the most likely candidate to successfully save half.To sign up for their e-course, which helps you learn the techniques to figure out your magic number, cut expenses, earn more money, and set up a system to save half your income for the rest of your life, go to farnoosh.tv/save50.For more information visit www.somoneypodcast.com.

Today’s guest needs no introduction. If you’re a female under the age of 30 and you like fashion, you probably own something from this designer. She is Rebecca Minkoff, global fashion powerhouse. It's her first podcast ever and she is full of amazing, insightful, relevant advice for all listeners, not just the women out there, but all aspiring entrepreneurs because guess what? She wasn’t always Rebecca Minkoff, the fashion mogul. She at one point had no money left and was going to go maybe be a waitress and how did she get through that? How did she get through the recession earning more than her competitors? 500% surge in sales and what is she doing this Fashion Week, coming up in February in New York, that people are saying it’s disrupting the fashion industry plus, what she likes to do in her spare time when she gets a free 30 seconds. For more information visit www.somoneypodcast.com.

Who was your favorite super hero growing up? I think mine was ... Who am I kidding? I didn't watch action movies or read comic books when I was a kid. I was too busy running my pretend newspaper and bossing around my Cabbage Patch Dolls (I was an only child until age 11).This has a point.Steve Kamb a self-proclaimed "rebel leader" at Nerd Fitness and is our guest today. He has just released his first book "Level Up Your Life," which is all about how to be a real-life superhero. There, you see?He talks about how he went from a dead-end corporate job filled with anxiety-ridden days to living his dream life of seeking adventure whether it's flying stunt planes in New Zealand or gambling in a tux at Casino de Monte-Carlo and shares how you can do it, too.For more information visit www.somoneypodcast.com.

The focus on today's show is retirement. I have an incredible guest who is out with a new book this week on this very subject. His name is Chris Hogan. He's a former National Champion and an all American Football player turned financial advocate and author who currently works with Dave Ramsey and his team, helping audiences across the country with financial freedom.Chris’s number one focus right now is retirement. He is out with a new book this week called, "Retire Inspired: It’s Not an Age, It’s a Financial Number." In our conversation, we talk about what Chris calls the RIQ, the retirement IQ, what’s yours, what’s mine? The healthcare wild card had a factor in unpredictable health costs and retirement and so much more.For more information visit www.somoneypodcast.com.

In this week's episode of Ask Farnoosh, I answer your biggest questions about coming to an agreement on family finances, getting rid of debt to improve your credit score, how long you should keep your tax paperwork and more.For more information visit www.somoneypodcast.com.

Today's guest is anonymous, we only know her first name - it's Sherry from the Save. Spend. Splurge. blog. She is on the show by popuar request. A few of you have written in specifically asking to hear from her. So we delivered. This is, in fact, Sherry’s first ever podcast. The intrigue aroundSherry stems from her ability to live the good life. She likes fancy things, she admits. And she’s not afraid to write about it. She has turned her blog into a business and that, in conjunction with her day job, has earned her a net worth of over $500,000 in her early 30s. We discuss how Sherry alsoyanked herself out of $60,000 worth of debt in just 18 months. She did it using The Budgeting Tool which she now offers her readers and donates the net proceeds to charity. Her negotiating prowess. And how we should all approach salary discussions with prospective employers. Why retirement is a privilege. For more information visit www.somoneypodcast.com.