About Sharon Feliciano

http://www.ParentingGeekly.com

Posts by Sharon Feliciano:

Parent Plus Program

Parent Plus Program
Thе Pаrеnt Pluѕ program wаѕ launched іn 1980 wіth lіmіtѕ оn what раrеntѕ could borrow. Thоѕе сарѕ were ѕubѕеԛuеntlу lifted by Cоngrеѕѕ. Sіnсе 1993, раrеntѕ hаvе bееn еlіgіblе tо bоrrоw up tо thе соѕt оf attendance[1] (mіnuѕ aid received bу thе ѕtudеnt) to finance thе cost of аn undergraduate’s еduсаtіоn. Thе elimination of borrowing сарѕ combined with tuition іnсrеаѕеѕ, changes іn thе іnѕtіtutіоnѕ and programs ѕtudеntѕ аttеnd, аnd rеgulаtоrу changes hаvе lеd to increased lоаn burdеnѕ аnd wоrѕеnіng rерауmеnt оutсоmеѕ fоr раrеntѕ. Tоdау аt lеаѕt 3.4 mіllіоn Pаrеnt PLUS bоrrоwеrѕ оwе $87 bіllіоn (nоt іnсludіng аnу соnѕоlіdаtеd lоаnѕ[2]). That’s аbоut 6 реrсеnt of аll оutѕtаndіng fеdеrаl student lоаnѕ. Parent loans issued today are сhаrgеd a 4.248 реrсеnt origination fее аnd аn іntеrеѕt rate оf 7.6 реrсеnt.
Get Tips for Parents Borrowing Loans for College | Paying for College | US  News

Bесаuѕе раrеnt borrowers are gеnеrаllу іnеlіgіblе fоr many оf thе borrower рrоtесtіоnѕ аnd іnсоmе-bаѕеd loan plans аvаіlаblе tо ѕtudеnt bоrrоwеrѕ, the consequences оf rіѕіng dеbtѕ and dесlіnіng ability to рау саn bе ѕеvеrе, especially whеn bоrrоwеrѕ dеfаult. In thоѕе саѕеѕ, fеdеrаl аuthоrіtіеѕ аrе rеԛuіrеd to gаrnіѕh wаgеѕ аnd Sосіаl Security bеnеfіtѕ аnd confiscate tax rеfundѕ—а particular burden оn lоw- аnd mіddlе-іnсоmе families. (In 2017, the Trеаѕurу оffѕеt $2.8 billion, mоѕtlу іn tаx refunds, for delinquent ѕtudеnt-lоаn dеbtоrѕ іnсludіng bоth students аnd parents.) Whіlе defaults аrе rаrе аmоng раrеntѕ оvеrаll, they аrе relatively соmmоn fоr lоаnѕ tаkеn tо рау tuіtіоn аt сеrtаіn institutions аnd аmоng low-income bоrrоwеrѕ wіth wеаk сrеdіt. More gеnеrаllу, mаnу trends іn раrеnt bоrrоwіng mіrrоr changes in the patterns оf undеrgrаduаtе bоrrоwеrѕ.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT PARENT BORROWERS AND REPAYMENT
Pаrеntѕ mау bоrrоw using PLUS lоаnѕ fоr соѕtѕ thаt are not mеt by оthеr fіnаnсіаl аіd (like grаntѕ оr loans taken оut bу thеіr сhіldrеn). Bоrrоwеrѕ fасе a vеrу bаѕіс сrеdіt check tо establish еlіgіbіlіtу, but thе сrеdіt ѕtаndаrd is low. Fоr instance, a parent who is already dеlіnԛuеnt оn uр to $2,085 іn dеbt іѕ ѕtіll еlіgіblе. Unlіkе ѕubѕіdіzеd ѕtudеnt loans, раrеnt loans begin ассruіng interest immediately uроn issue of the lоаn аnd mоnthlу рауmеntѕ bеgіn. Hоwеvеr, рауmеntѕ оn thе loan may bе dеfеrrеd (wіth іntеrеѕt) whіlе thеіr children are іn ѕсhооl. In рrасtісе, many parents арреаr tо сhооѕе dеfеrrаl, often fоr lоng durаtіоnѕ, leading tо rіѕіng bаlаnсеѕ. You can keep on reading more about other financial assistance programs by visiting https://www.sofi.com/student-loan-calculator/.

Convention Tips and Etiquette

Convention Tips and Etiquette

Last week I had a chance to participate in a Seattle AntiFreeze Event at the Museum of History and Industry.  This fun monthly event features people from different Seattle communities sharing some of the things that makes Seattle special. I am on the Board of GeekGirlCon and I presented with Board President, Kristine Hassell.  We talked about what makes GGC special and how Seattle, with it’s plethora of conventions, is a great place to be a geek!

Emerald City Comicon, is coming up soon and it kicks off the start of Seattle’s Con Season.   Between now and November there is at least one con a month including SakuraCon, PAX. Norwescon, Jet City Comic Show as well as some smaller more specialized offerings (Supernatural Con, anyone?)

I am a seasoned con-goer at this point and one the most frequently asked questions ParentingGeeky gets is “What can I expect at my first con?”  So, whether you are new to cons or a seasoned pro, these tips will help you make the most of your con experience!

What to Wear

Deodorant – It may be a cliche that cons can get stinky, but with a lot of people crammed into relatively small spaces it’s bound to happen. Do your part by wearing deodorant! Conversely, many people are sensitive to strong smells, skip the body sprays and perfumes.
Comfortable shoes – This is not the time to try out your sweet new stilettos. You will be on your feet for hours, take care of them! Even if your cosplay requires fancy feet, bring something comfy to change into.
Layers – Going from a stuffy a exhibition hall to an overly air conditioned auditorium can make staying comfortable tricky. Dress in layers so you are prepared for any situation.
Sun Protection – At bigger cons like San Diego ComicCon and PAX, you will be traveling between multiple buildings and may even have to stand in line outside. Even at ECCC, which is mostly in one building, you may wish to venture out to a nearby restaurant or sit in the attached park. Sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses can be a lifesaver.

What to Bring:

Hand sanitizer/Disinfectant Wipes – Cons are germy places. Hand sanitizer can be used before and after shaking hands, though it isn’t a substitute for frequent hand washing. Wipes can be used on communal game controllers, pens, etc.
Snacks and Water – Con food is expensive and sometimes hard to come by. Tidy snacks like jerky, granola bars, and trail mix can stave off low blood sugar. You can refill water bottles in sinks and water fountains for free.
Sharpies – Always good to have your own supply for signings.
Folder, backing board, poster tube – For keeping new purchases from getting rumpled.
Patience – Lines are long, sometimes even moving through the crowd in the expo halls can take a long time. Be patient and kind, even when everyone else isn’t.
Line Entertainment – Especially important if you have kids. Books, tablets, a Gameboy all help lines go faster.
WiFi Hotspot – If you have one, bring it. Con wifi is notoriously slow, if it’s even available. Even 4G data can get pretty clogged with so many users in one place, so keep expectations low and download entertainment before hand rather than counting on streaming while there.
Money (and a budget) – Cons are expensive! Make a loop around the whole vendor area before you spend. Otherwise you might blow your whole budget before you’ve even seen everything.
A backpack, but not a BACKPACK – I appreciate the convenience of toting my stuff around in a backpack, but can’t tell you how many times I’ve been hit in face by a tall person who swings around suddenly with a huge, fully extended pack on them. Try to take up as small a footprint as you can, and be mindful of the people around you.

How to approach guests, speakers, creators, etc.

Those you know and admire

If they are sitting at their table or another public area of the con where they are clearly working: say hi! Keep interactions short, especially if there is a line. Don’t get too personal. Respect personal space and any rules posted about autographs and photos; at many cons pictures are not allowed at tables because there is a professional photographer to buy photos from. If no rules or prices are posted, ask before taking photos. It is a surprise to many first time con-goers that media guests and celebrities frequently charge for an autograph.  These fees can range from $15 to hundreds of dollars (Sylvester Stallone notoriously charged $395 at NYCC in 2013)  – though prices usually cap off around $100 for event the biggest celebrities.

If you bump into them in a con area restaurant, shop or a bathroom, or roaming the con as an attendee: A simple smile and nod is appropriate. Notables need some downtime to recharge, be polite and let them have it.

People you are unfamiliar with: Ask them what they are working on! Most people are there to share their passion or a current project and will be happy to tell you all about it. No need to be shy! A simple “I’m unfamiliar with your work, what is your current project” will get the ball rolling!

As a parent who frequently has my geeklings in tow, I also wrote a guide to bringing them to conventions:  http://bit.ly/kidsatcons

Is it Worth Your Allowance?: Grow Home

Is it Worth Your Allowance?: Grow Home

Is it Worth Your Allowance? Is a weekly column written by 14 year old Nate. Nate reviews inexpensive games and lets your geeklings know if it’s worth spending their hard earned allowance on. Have a game to suggest? You can email Nate here.

Game: Grow Home 
Genre: sandbox, climbing, adventure, casual
Cost: $7.99

Grow Home is a game where you play as B.U.D. (botanical utility droid) who is a small red wobbly robot made to grow and climb star plants. Your objective is to grow a star plant into space. Along the way the star plant will create a tangled web of branches that you bring all the way up to your mothership. 
The artstyle is very colorful and charming. Its low poly count creates a blocky look, but makes for a smooth game play experience, because there is less strain on the hardware. The game is easy to play but still challenging. At any second you could fall off of a mile high floating island and either have climb back up or use one of the teleporters scattered around the map. But if you do fall you can die, though the only punishment is that you’ll have to climb up again, this can be prevented by using things like your jet pack or glide leaf or fall flower (giant daisy that acts like a parachute). I like that you can go out of your way to collect energy crystals and have a different experience than if you didn’t, because when you collect enough crystals you get upgrades. I have a lot of fun using the glide leaf and the jet pack together to fly around the web of branches that I have made. I recomend this game for ages 8 and up.
Overall, my final rating for this game is 8/10 and I definitely think it’s worth your allowance.
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