Hi guys, I recently turned 18 and am looking to save money for college. Currently, I have 1400 saved, which will be 2000 by the end of the month. I am with Wells Fargo however I've heard they're not the best and I'm looking to join another bank, preferably a credit union. I will qualify for Navy federal/USAA via family members but I'd have to convince them to vouch for me, and I am unsure if I should go with those two or try something local. Thoughts on this?
As for my income, I work about 20-30 hours a week for 8.50/hour. There is optional 401k but it requires a 6 month employment period which means I do not qualify. However, I believe I can start a Roth ira on my own(?) but I do not feel like that would be the best investment since I don't add much and the money I would be able to contribute would be minuscule. I was thinking about dumping all of my money into a 6 month CD just to have some guaranteed growth before college, but similar to before it'd be 20-50 dollars max, so basically nothing.
For side gigs, I've thought of running a local business filing tax for the upcoming season, though I have no certifications and the only experience I have with filing is by paper and TurboTax programs. I would also like to run a writing/editorial outlet but I have no idea how I would get my feet into the water. Advice on starting up things like these would be appreciated.
Finally, college starts for me next fall and I've got some issues in deciding what I should do. There's a college near me that I would be able to attend but it's not the most reputable, but it would cut down cost by a massive amount since I wouldn't have to pay for boarding or food plans. I would much prefer to leave my current living arrangement and get into the city where my other colleges are. I've compared financial aid calcs for all of my choices and I'd only save 2k by going to a closer college, and while I know it's not much in the long run, that's a ton of money. Plus, I know I'd lose out on networking by not being in a big city.
As for how I plan on paying, HOPE and Pell grants cover a decent amount of my tuition, but I'll be on my own for the most part. I've applied for scholarships, but no luck so far. I've also been donating plasma for about $80 a week and I'll probably try to donate sperm in college. Other than that I'm lost and need financial guidance because the huge price tag on education is very daunting as someone who's been poor most of their life.
Submitted January 04, 2019 at 03:14AM by General_Practice http://bit.ly/2QnFkjB
