Everyone will give you their opinion about which kind of loan is best, but best for who? The bank? The college? The kid down the block?

You need your very own personal college loan consultant. Someone who can match Your needs with the right information.

Have you already tried looking for useful student loan information?

Boy, I hope not! It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. What no one tells you is that all student loans can be good, bad or ugly depending on what your individual situation is.

What may be right for a parent with one college-age child, or a good credit rating or expectations of rising earnings, is probably not right for someone with younger children, or a mediocre credit rating or expectations of fixed earnings.

Your Best Interests Are...

NOT represented by advice from:

• financial institutions who want to get their biggest share of this $85 billion per year industry
• colleges who only want students with funds to pay (and sometimes kickbacks and other benefits)
• the government who puts out unreadable, bureaucratic nonsense that even their people don’t understand
• high school guidance counselors who do not know any better, because they rely on information from the sources above

Student Loan Information or Misinformation?

As a professional research specialist, I am shocked by the amount of misinformation and lack of common sense that even respected organizations show. For instance, all studies have shown that students feel the pinch when they borrow more than 7% of their post-college income. Yet the CollegeBoard recommends that students borrow 10-15% and suggests that parents can afford a debt ratio of 37%!

As a parent who has been through this process twice, (with four more to go) I've seen the lack of focus on the important facts about student loans.

Did you know that almost all private loans (if you can even find them, now) for college have variable rates?

And that loan repayment schedules are different for parents and students even when both types of loans are government-backed?

These are just a couple of details that are usually glossed over. But it's not only the negative things that do not get enough play. The positive aspects of a college loan (yes, there are some) are also ignored.

A student loan can help you achieve a high credit rating.

It can also be used to repair your credit while saving you money.

If you take a smart, consumer-oriented approach to every phase of your college loan, you can transform it from the monkey on your back to a cash cow.

Every phase from FAFSA to consolidating student loans will be discussed here. I will tell you which options are right (or wrong) for each individual situation so that you can make your college loan work for you!

It all starts with your FAFSA...