Improve Your ACT Score with Proven Strategies

College costs are increasing at a rate of about 7% per year. Student loans are everywhere, and some people think they can escape them through bankruptcy. They can't. The government will garnish disability checks. The government will garnish social security checks.

Recently, a woman took her case against the government to the Supreme Court to prevent them from garnishing her disability check for a student loan payment. She argued she couldn't afford medicine if they took the money. The Supreme Court said: "Sorry, but you shouldn't have taken the loan."

Don't do it. Even if you have to attend community college. Even if it takes you 5 years to graduate instead of 4 because you're working. Even then, it's better than graduating with $60,000 of debt for a degree that pays $25,000 a year.

Do the math: how long will that take you to pay off?

Start with the Coverdell ESA (also called the Education IRA). You can save $2,000 per year per child in after-tax dollars, and it all grows tax-free if used for education.

The big advantage of Coverdell: you control the investment. Build your own portfolio of mutual funds.

Once you max out Coverdell, move to 529 plans. They're limited to state-selected funds, but they're still powerful.

College costs are increasing at a rate of about 7% per year. So calculate carefully.

My wife and I are saving for our two children so they can attend one of the major four-year public universities without borrowing. If they choose to go out of state or private school, they cover the difference. If they earn scholarships, we match that in cash.

Here are the numbers:

Average public state school in the Midwest: ~$16,000 per year for tuition, books, dorms, fees, meals (University of Nebraska, Iowa, Iowa State, University of Arkansas, Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, Arizona, Arizona State).

Assuming your child graduates in four years:

• Current $64,000 at 7% inflation per year = ~$160,000 for a current 5-year-old
• Current $64,000 at 7% inflation per year = ~$225,000 for a newborn

How to save:

• 2,000peryear(166.67/month) in a Coverdell ESA growing at 10% per year
• = $53,000 for your 5-year-old (starting college at 18)
• = Over $100,000 for your newborn

Look at those numbers. Starting 5 years earlier nearly doubles the balance.

The best time to have planted an oak tree was 30 years ago. The next best time is today.

We have the prep book, Chad Cargill's ACT, which works for individual study and classroom settings. Studies have shown that students raise their composite ACT score an average of 2.4 points after using the book. Students with below 20 in reading raise an average of 5.9 points in reading alone.

The books are $20 each with a 10% discount on all orders of 20 or more books. We're happy to send you an examination copy of the book and teacher folder so you can review it for your classroom.

Use every resource you can find:

• Your school's counseling office (start here)
• Your parents' employers
• Companies and foundations (many have scholarship programs)
• Free websites: www.fastweb.com and bigfuture.collegeboard.org

Don't stop at one source. Keep digging.

Many people say: "God first, family second, then everything else." Fewer people actually live it.

I do. I'm in leadership at my church. My wife and I lead the kids' church at Harrah First Assembly of God in Harrah, Oklahoma. When we have church on Wednesday nights, we're at church.

Schools sometimes ask me to make an exception–just this once. The answer is still no. Why would I put students in a position where they have to choose between attending church or coming to listen to me? Let them experience their commitment to faith with their friends on Wednesday nights. They can hear me speak another time.