Sending Your Pastor's Kid to College Debt-Free: Maximizing the High School Years
In episode 18 of the Pastors & Money Podcast, we continue the three-part series on sending your pastor's kid to college debt-free. This episode dives into strategic planning specific to the high school years, emphasizing mindset, college choice, and practical tips. Joy draws parallels with the biblical story of Joseph, highlighting that faith and strategic action go hand in hand. She covers essential topics such as college funding plans, financial literacy, scholarship applications, community colleges, trade schools, and work-study programs. The aim is to guide families to make informed financial decisions and set clear expectations, ensuring a debt-free degree is within reach.
00:00 Introduction to the Pastors & Money Podcast00:36 Episode 18: Debt-Free College Series00:54 Biblical Parallels and Financial Stewardship02:21 High School Strategies for Debt-Free College02:55 Mindset and Commitment: Key to Debt-Free Education05:16 Creating a Comprehensive College Funding Plan09:02 Teaching Financial Literacy to Teens14:39 Choosing the Right College21:08 Scholarship and Financial Aid Strategies25:53 Practical Tips for Saving Money28:05 Conclusion and Next Steps
Resources from this Episode
Books and Courses:
Debt-Free Degree by Anthony O'Neil
Financial Peace University
Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
Foundations in Personal Finance (school/homeschool curriculum)
Tools and Apps:
EveryDollar app
Spreadsheets for budgeting
Envelope system for tracking income/expenses
Test Prep Resources:
Magoosh SAT & ACT Prep (I used their test prep for the GRE and got a perfect score on the verbal!)
Free Downloads/Links Mentioned:
College funding plan template (see here)
Scholarships for Pastor's Kids and Missionary Kids
Contact/Additional Help:
Book a Debt-free College Strategy Session at pastorsandmoney.com/collegestrategy
How to Send Your Pastor's Kid to College Debt Free - Part 2
Introduction
Joy Suzanne: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Pastors & Money Podcast. I'm Joy Suzanne Hunt, pastor and financial coach, bringing you conversations about personal finance, church finance and how we disciple our churches in the areas of finance and stewardship. You can find the episode show notes, and more at pastorsandmoney.com. And here's the show.
Joy Suzanne: Hi there, and welcome to episode number 18 of the Pastors and Money Podcast. Today, we're continuing our three part series on sending your pastor's kid to college debt-free. In part one, we laid the foundation with early preparation strategies and today we'll focus specifically on maximizing those crucial high school years.
Biblical Foundation: Joseph's Example
Before we dive in, I've been thinking about the parallels between planning for college. And the story of Joseph in [00:01:00] Egypt. When God showed Joseph, there would be seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Joseph didn't just have faith that God would provide, though.
He absolutely did have that faith. He also took action, created a detailed, strategic plan, and worked diligently to implement it. His story shows us that trusting God and taking practical action aren't opposites. They go hand in hand.
Now I know some of you might be thinking that's great, but we're not exactly in a season of abundance right now. I get it. Ministry salaries often don't leave a lot of room for saving and some of you may feel like you're already in those lean years, but here's the thing, whether we're in a season of plenty or barely making ends meet the principles are the same. We trust God to provide.
Planning Through All Seasons
And we also need to be wise stewards and do our part with whatever resources he's given us. No matter how small they might seem. Some of that strategic planning and preparation can be things that don't cost you, as the parent,