December 2011 Volume # 3

Hello,
I know the hustle and bustle of the holidays is just around the corner, but take a few minutes to read this month's newsletter to figure out if you need to do any planning before the end of the year!
IN THIS ISSUE Be Good for Goodness Sake!

I'll explain the concept of the "base year" in college planning!

HappyHolidays,
Brad's Road Shows Brad's College Test Challenge Brad Recommends Who We Are

BradBaldridge,CFP CollegeFundingConsultant/FounderBaldridgeCollegeSolutions

UPCOMING EVENTS Taming the High Cost of College!

They Know If You've Been Bad or Good, So Be Good for Goodness Sake!
I'malwaysamazedbywhatdriverswilldowhentheythinknobodyiswatching! Whilestopped at a red lightonmywayhomefromworklastTuesday,Icouldn't helpbuttoglanceoveratthecarstoppednexttome.There,inalittlered Toyota,wasateenagerchecking her cell phone and painting her nailswhilethe musicinhercarpoundedmychestwitheverybeat. I'mprettysureherbehaviorwouldhavebeendrastically different if mom, dad or a college admissions officer were around. Sowhatdoesthathavetodowithcollege?Letmeaskyouthis. Would your financial behavior change if you knew the colleges were watching? Thecorrect answer should be yesbytheway.Youneedtobefinanciallyvery wellbehaved,especiallywhenyouknowthecollegesarewatching. "So when are colleges watching?" you ask.Greatquestion!Inordertoexplain,I needtoteachyouabouttheconceptcalledthe"base year"becausethatiswhen

Thur. Jan 26 New Berlin West High School 18695 W. Cleveland Wed. Feb 8 Menomonee Falls Community Center W152 N8645 Margaret Rd Thur. Feb 15 Oak Creek High School 340 E. Puetz Road Tue. Feb 21 Lydell Community Center Whitefish Bay 5205 N. Lydell Avenue Wed. Mar 14 Range Line School Mequon 11040 N. Range Line Rd Wed. Mar 22 Franklin High School 8222 South 51st St

Click here to register

Secrets to Winning Scholarship Money for College! Tue. Feb 28 Franklin High School 8222 South 51st St Tue. Mar 27 Lydell Community Center Whitefish Bay 5205 N. Lydell Avenue Wed. Apr 25 Range Line School Mequon 11040 N. Range Line Rd Click here to register

collegesstartwatching. The base year is the first tax year that you report to the college when you apply for financial aid.Whatmostpeopledon'trealizeisthatthebaseyearstarts in the middle of your student's junior year of high school. Forexample,ifyoucurrentlyhaveahighschooljunior(classof2013)yourbase yearwillbethe2012taxyear.Butyouwon'tactuallysubmitanythingtothe collegesuntilJanuaryorFebruaryof2013whenyoufilloutyourfinancialaid forms.The key is that the information that you put on the financial aid forms in 2013 is from your 2012 taxes. Formanypeoplethegoalistokeeptheirincomeaslowasreasonablypossiblein thebaseyearinordertoincreasethelikelihoodofreceivingfinancialaid. Therefore,good financial behavior for the base yearwouldincludethingslike: Realizingcapitallossesonyourinvestments. Managingyourincomefromyourjob,yourbusiness,oryourrental property. Contributingmoretobenefitslikeflexiblespendingaccounts,health savingsaccountsandcafeteriaplans. Avoidingthingsthatwillincreaseyourincomelikesellingstockoptions, investments,orrealestate. There's another great strategy if you have a junior or sophomore.Youhavethe opportunitytomisbehavebeforeyourbaseyearstartsandgetitoutofyour system!Youmaybeabletodothingsfinanciallybeforethecollegesarewatching inordertobeinabetterpositionwhentheyarewatching. Parents of juniors have the remainder of 2011, so you need to move quickly. Parentsofsophomoreshaveuntiltheendof2012. Sowhatmightyoudoifyouwantto"behavebadly"onpurpose?

Greater Milwaukee College Workshop Sunday, March 4, 2012 Hilton Hotel Milwaukee

gmcollegeworkshop.com

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Baldridge College Solutions 10521 W Layton Ave. Suite 200 Greenfield, WI 53228 414-529-9400

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Rebalanceyourinvestment Sockmoremoneyintoretirementplans Sellthingslikestockoptions,investmentsorrealestate DoaRothIRAconversion Takebonusesearlyfromyourbusinessoremployer Sohere'sthebottomline: Seniors: 2011 is your base year. Youhavenowuntiltheendoftheyeartodo whatyoucantoimprove2011.

 Juniors: 2012 is your base year.Youhavenowuntiltheendoftheyeartodo thingsthatshouldnotbedoneinthebaseyear.Thendowhatyoucantobe goodduring2012. Sophomores: 2013 is your base year. Youhavethenextyearorsotoget organizedandplannedforyourbaseyear,butdon'tdelay....itwillbehere beforeyouknowit. So the next time your teenager heads out the door, remind them they should think twice about misbehaving because you never know who's watching!
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Brad's Road Shows

I'll be offering my workshop "TAMING THE HIGH COST OF COLLEGE!"againintheWinter/Spring.This free 90-minute sessionwillexplainhowparentscanSAVE MONEY, SAVE TIME and REDUCE STRESS. In addition, I will be offering my workshop"Secrets to Winning Scholarship Money for College!"You will learn tips and tactics of how to greatly increase your odds of winning scholarships! Asalways,I'mpartneringwithlocalParkandRecreationDepartmentstobringthesetoyourcommunity. Thesesessionsrunfrom 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. For more details, click here. Ilookforwardtoseeingyouthere!

TAMING THE HIGH COST OF COLLEGE!

Thursday, January 26 New Berlin West High School 18695 W. Cleveland Avenue Wednesday, February 8 Menomonee Falls Community Center W152 N8645 Margaret Rd Thursday, February 15 Oak Creek High School 340 E. Puetz Road Tuesday, February 21 Lydell Community Center - Whitefish Bay 5205 N. Lydell Avenue Wednesday, March 14 Range Line School - Mequon 11040 N. Range Line Rd

Thursday, March 22 Franklin High School 8222 South 51st St

Secrets to Winning Scholarship Money for College!

Tuesday, February 28 Franklin High School 8222 South 51st St Tuesday, March 27 Lydell Community Center Whitefish Bay 5205 N. Lydell Avenue Wednesday, April 25 Range Line School Mequon 11040 N. Range Line Rd

For more details and to register for one of these workshops, click here www.BaldridgeCollegeSolutions.com/workshops

Brad's College Test Challenge

This month's question comes from a study guide on American History and Social Studies originally published in 1966.ThestudyguidewasdesignedtoprepareyoufortheCollegeBoardAchievementTest whichhavesincebeenredesignedandrenamedtheSATSubjectTests. Thefourthpersonthate-mailsthecorrectanswertocontactus@bradbaldridge.comwillreceiveacopyof Colleges that Change LivesbyLorenPope. All Quiet on the Western Front is to World War I as The Red Badge of Courage is to: A)theAmericanRevolution B)theCivilWar C)theskirmisheswiththeBarbarypirates D)theSpanish-AmericanWar E)WorldWarII Ifyouthinkyouhavetherightanswer,clickheretoconfirmit!NOPEEKING!! Congratulations to last month's winner: Vickie Silver of Mequon!

Brad Recommends:

Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change The Way You Think About Colleges by Loren Pope.
I enjoyed reading this book because it gives a different perspective on the whole college process and why you're going to college in the first place.Thefirst33pagesintroducethebookandgiveyouabitof background.Theremaining300pagesareprofilesof40schoolsaroundtheU.S.Ifoundtheprofilesto bethought-provokingandinterestingevenifthesecollegeswouldneverbeonastudent'slist. If your student is considering a liberal arts education or is looking for a small unique college, this book is a must-read!ThisbookisalsoagoodcompaniontoU.S.News&WorldReport'sbecauseitgivesa completelydifferentperspective. If you take the time to check out this book, let me know what you think!

Who We Are
Baldridge College Solutions specializes in providing customized planning using the latest tax, cash flow and academic strategies to help reduce college expenses for businesses and families. Founder, Brad Baldridge, is a College Funding Consultant and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Professional. To learn more about us, visit www.BaldridgeCollegeSolutions.com

10521 W. Layton Avenue Suite 200 Greenfield, WI 53228 414.529.9400 Brad@BaldridgeCollegeSolutions.com

Registered Representative, Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Baldridge Wealth Management and Baldridge College Solutions are affiliated. Cambridge and the Baldridge companies are not affiliated. You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up to receive it.

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Copyright 2011 Baldridge College Solutions, LLC All rights reserved. You may reproduce this article by including this copyright and, if reproducing it electronically, including a link to www.BaldridgeCollegeSolutions.com.

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