Most parents would want the best for their children especially when they're start off at college for the first time. So if you're a financially smart parent you would have started saving for you child's college fund when they hit the age of 5. However not everyone is as lucky enough to put aside enough money or even think about college at such a young age. Never the less it's never too late to send your children to college even if you can't afford it.



You might have heard of college loans or student loans on the TV, newspaper, and telemarketing or maybe from a friend. And yes it actually works and you apply for a college loan from most lenders. However there is a big catch to loans and if you already have a loan with a bank then you'll know that interest rates pay a big role in your repayments.

That is why as a parent you can help finance your children through college by helping them pay off their college loans. But before you go out and get you kids a college loan you'll need to figure out how much money they'll need. Here's a check list of a few things to calculate.

1.Annual college fees

2.Books and equipment

3.Boarding

4.Food

5.Social life (yes they will be going out once in a while too)

6.Transportation

These are just a few things to think about when figuring out how much you need to borrow. Once you've determine how much they'll need you need to figure out how many years they'll be in college for.

Now that you're ready to get a loan make sure you get the loan under your children's name because some lenders offer lower interest rates for students. Make sure you're getting a good rate for your loans before you sign any papers and always read the fine print.

Suppose your child finishes their studies and wanted to go for another year to do their masters. What do you do and where do you get the money from? You can always get another loan from another lender but what happens if you already have 2 loans going for a third loan is going make your interest rate sky rocket.

Thank God for student consolidation loans. If all fails and you really need to get more loans why not consolidate all your loans with one lender. A student consolidation loan can actually save you more money than you think, even up to 50% per month.

It works in a very simple manner. When you consolidate your loans you're combining al l your loans with one lender who will offer you a lower interest rate but spread out your repayments for a longer period. It works to cheaper in the long run. Now what are you waiting for send your children to college and stop worrying about funding them.