The MEFA Podcast

Episode #43. Host Jonathan Hughes and co-host Julie Shields-Rutyna talk to Mark Stucker of the Your College-Bound Kid podcast. Mark is also an author and the founder and owner of School Match 4U, a personalized educational consulting firm. They discuss Mark’s podcast, alternatives to college, how to conduct a holistic college search, the value of college, and several college admissions trends, inc...

Episode #42. Host Jonathan Hughes discusses MEFA’s How to Pay for College campaign with co-host Julie Shields-Rutyna, including the webinars, seminars, tools, and guidance that MEFA is offering this upcoming spring for high school seniors and their families. Then they go to the MEFA Mailbag to discuss how to report properties and income on the FAFSA. Jonathan then talks to the CEO of MassEdCO, Mar...

Episode #41. Hosts Jonathan Hughes and Julie Shields-Rutyna discuss recent scholarship opportunities with MEFA’s own Lauren Danz. Then, they go to the MEFA Mailbag and answer a question about grandparents opening MEFA U.Plan and U.Fund college savings accounts. Finally, Jonathan talks to Director of Education and Training at the Common App Meredith Lombardi about the basics of the Common App, how...

Welcome to the MEFA Podcast, where you'll find conversations with experts about every step of planning, saving, and paying for college and reaching financial goals. Listen to every episode wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode #40. Hosts Jonathan Hughes and Julie Shields-Rutyna discuss college campus visits. Then they answer a MEFA Mailbag question about making corrections on your FAFSA. Finally, Jonathan sits down with Old Rochester Regional High School Counselor Dr. Mike Janicki to discuss college athletics including the different associations and divisions, who gets scholarships, interactions with coaches, th...

Episode #39. Host Jonathan Hughes talks with co-host Julie Shields Rutyna and MEFA Pathway Director Jennifer Bento-Pinyoun about how students can use MEFA Pathway’s College Search and Career Search features to create a postsecondary plan. Then, they go into the MEFA Mailbag to answer a listener’s question about reporting income on the CSS Profile. Finally, Jonathan talks to Drew Carter, Deputy Dir...

Episode #38. Host Jonathan Hughes sits down at the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Advisors (MASFAA) Conference in Plymouth, MA. There, he talks to Anthony Erwin, a Principal Consultant for Blue Icon Advisors of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Advisors (NASFAA). He also speaks with Anne McDermott, the Director of Financial Aid at Salve Regina University and Pre...

Episode #37. Host Jonathan Hughes first talks with co-host Julie Shields-Rutyna about students applying for private student loans for the spring semester. Then, they go into the MEFA Mailbag to answer a question about study abroad. Finally, Jonathan talks to Director of College Relations at MEFA Shawn Morrissey about financial aid for graduate students.

Episode #36. ***Please note that some details about the FAFSA in this episode are now outdated. Please reference mefa.org for updated information.*** Host Jonathan Hughes first talks to his co-host Julie Shields-Rutyna about the financial aid season. They discuss filing the FAFSA and CSS Profile as well how MEFA and other organizations can help families with that process. Then, they dive into the...

Episode #35. Host Jonathan Hughes has two conversations about unique paths when planning for college. He first talks to Ellen Ullman. She is the mother of a student who is enrolled at Michigan State University. After learning the cost difference between in-state and out-of-state tuitions the Ullmans decided to move to Michigan. After, he talks to Gracie Rosenberg, who was a dual enrollment student...

Episode #9. ***Please note that some details about the FAFSA in this episode are now outdated. Please reference mefa.org for updated information.*** Host Jonathan Hughes breaks down how to complete these forms, including maintaining confidentiality between parents, which parent completes the forms, how to determine the custodial parent, and how to keep the financial aid office involved. Jonathan i...

Episode #34 . The college experience can feel daunting for new and current students. Host Jonathan Hughes speaks with MEFA Pathway Coordinator Ajea Stupart about how to manage your college life. Ajea talks about her article on the topic as well as some of her favorite features from MEFA’s college and career readiness tool, MEFA Pathway. Jonathan is also joined by Julie Shields-Rutyna, MEFA’s Direc...

Episode #33. Join co-hosts Jonathan Hughes and Julie Shields-Rutyna as they discuss features of mefa.org, including how to sign up for MEFA emails and where to find webinars about financial aid, as well as all of the different services MEFA has to offer. Then they talk to MEFA’s Digital Creative Content Manager, Lauren Patten, about college scholarships, including how to apply for them, where to f...

Episode #32. In this rebroadcast for National Able to Save Month, host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Sarah Lazare, Director of the Banacos Academic Center at Westfield State University. Sarah explains how students with disabilities can prepare for college success and what specific programs Westfield State University offers to help students with disabilities navigate college.

Episode #30. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Drew Carter, Deputy Director of Admission at College of the Holy Cross, who explains how students can present their best college admissions application. Factors include letters of recommendation, the college essay, and demonstrated interest.

Episode #31. Host Jonathan Hughes talks to the President and Founder of TISLA (The Institute of Student Loan Advisors), Betsy Mayotte. Here, Betsy talks to Jonathan about the recent temporary changes made to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program and walks us through the program itself.

Episode #29. Each student has a different track in the post-high school journey. Recently, a parent wrote to us asking for advice for her daughter in college, who isn’t sure she is on the right path. In this episode, host Jonathan Hughes speaks with Jan Combs of Bright Horizons College Coach to address this situation and others that may come up for students deciding what to do after high school. A...

Episode #28. Saving for college may seem like an overwhelming task, but with the U.Fund 529 College Investing Plan, you can save in an account that offers affordability, flexibility, and powerful tax advantages. Host Jonathan Hughes speaks with Massachusetts guidance counselor and U.Fund account owner Kate Ryder about how she selected the U.Fund, her experience opening her account, how she’s able...

Episode #27. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Chris Peterson, Founder and Director of Penny Forward, who discusses growing up with a disability, how he got involved in the personal finance community, and how people with disabilities can save for expenses and plan for the future with ABLE accounts. Jonathan is also joined by MEFA’s Director of College Planning, Education, and Training, Julie Shiel...

Episode #25. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by MEFA’s in-house loan product experts, Frank Cavanaugh and Meg Villavicencio, and MEFA’s Director of College Planning, Education, and Training, Julie Shields-Rutyna. Frank and Meg discuss private student loans, including when families can start applying, what determines if applicants are approved, what kind of rates and terms they may qualify for, and...

Episode #26. Students from Amherst Regional High School, Franklin County Technical High School, and Tewksbury Memorial High School share how they decided which colleges to apply to, what is was like to do virtual college visits, how cost factored into the college decision, the process of writing the college essay and applying for scholarships, the financial aid process, and how they finally decide...

Episode #24. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Apelila Joseph, MEFA Pathway Program Manager, who discusses how Grade 12 students and their families can make a plan to pay their college bill, including the use of savings, payment plans and student loans, and how to be a wise borrower if they do borrow student loans.

Episode #23. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Stephanie Wells, Director of College Relations for MEFA, who discusses what Grade 12 students and their families can expect to see on financial aid offers, including grants, scholarships, and work-study, and what the difference is between each type of loan that may be listed on a financial aid offer.

Episode #22. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Jim Slattery, Senior Director of Financial Aid at Northeastern University, who discusses why some colleges require the CSS Profile, the differences between the CSS Profile and the FAFSA, how non-custodial parents file the CSS Profile, and why it’s in families' best interest to provide financial aid offices with as much information as possible.

Episode #21. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Shaun Connolly, Communications Associate at MEFA, who discusses how he opened a U.Fund 529 College Investing Plan account for his son, how he saves for college, and how he created a college gifting page to encourage friends and family members to contribute to his college savings account.