It’s a true Tale of Two Cities episode—Matt’s digging out from the Blizzard of ’26 in the Northeast while Peggy’s bracing for 80-degree temps in Arizona. After a little Bruce Springsteen love (yes, 10th Avenue Freeze-Out makes an appearance 🎸), they dive into your biggest college planning questions in this month’s Open Grab Bag Q&A.

In this episode, Matt and Peggy break down:

• Why your financial aid offer might be taking longer than your neighbor’s

• What the Student Aid Index (SAI) actually means for your family

• The real difference between subsidized vs. unsubsidized federal student loans

• Waitlisted vs. deferred—what’s the strategy and what should you expect?

• Whether your aid can change if your income changes

• Why colleges push enrollment deposits before you’ve seen your financial aid package

• How (and when) you can pay off student loans—with no prepayment penalties

• Whether students can take out private loans without a co-signer

As always, this episode is packed with practical advice, straight talk about how colleges really operate, and the clarity families need to make confident financial decisions.

Got a question for a future episode? Send it our way on social media or email [email protected]

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