Happy Tuesday.
I want to tell you about my oldest son, Fernando.
When he was getting ready for college, we didn't start with a dream school. We started with a strategy. We chose an in-state university with a strong business program that offered him a great scholarship.
Then came the icing on the cake.
His sophomore year, I started working at his university. That one job change qualified him for a 75% tuition reduction as my dependent — on top of his scholarship.
Four years later, Fernando walked out with two diplomas, minimal debt, a job waiting, and a lot less stress than most graduates.
Here's why that last part matters. More than half of college graduates — 52% — are underemployed a year after graduation, working jobs that don't even require their degree. And 73% of them are still stuck there ten years later.
Fernando wasn't because none of this was luck.
The Hacks Fernando Stacked
In-state + strong program + merit scholarship — we picked the school where the money and the major were both strong, not the school with the best brochure.
My employer benefit — my job at his university cut his tuition by 75%. (Yes, parents — YOUR job can pay for THEIR college.)
Internships — we researched them early, and he did them. The underemployment study found internships are one of the biggest factors in landing a degree-level first job.
Study abroad without the price tag — he planned a semester at a top London business school while paying the same in-state tuition through the university's exchange. COVID canceled the trip, but the hack was real: exchange programs let you swipe your home-school tuition price abroad.
Earn-to-learn — he graduated into a job at Honeywell Aerospace, not into an often long and difficult job search.
One family. One stack of hacks. Two diplomas, minimal debt.
This Week's Hack: Check Both Paychecks
Employer education money has two doors:
Door #1 — Your job. Some employers pay for your kids' college. Mine did — that was Fernando's 75%. Universities, hospitals, and big companies often have dependent tuition benefits nobody mentions at orientation.
Door #2 — Your teen's job. Starbucks pays full ASU Online tuition for part-time baristas. Amazon, Walmart, Target, Chipotle, UPS, Disney, and McDonald's all have real education money for hourly workers — including teenagers.
Your five-minute win tonight: log into your benefits portal (and your spouse's). Search "tuition assistance," "tuition reimbursement," "educational assistance," and "dependent scholarships." Nothing there? One email to HR: "Do we offer education benefits for employees or their dependents?"
Teens with jobs: ask your manager the same question. Asking is the whole hack.
Running Family Savings
Potential savings identified so far this year: $28,000–$45,000 per family
And the story isn't over.
Fernando is planning his master's degree next. His employer's education assistance will help pay for it — Honeywell's program covers coursework toward a degree, reported at up to $5,250 per year.
The same hack, working twice in one family: my job paid for his bachelor's. His job will pay for his master's.
I didn't just write this week's hack. I lived it.
See you Saturday — we're taking on the biggest misconception families have about "the best college" and why the right fit leads to the greatest financial freedom.
— Angela
P.S. Know a parent who's never checked their benefits portal? Forward this to them. Fernando's 75% was sitting in mine the whole time.