Our guest on the podcast today is The New York Times financial columnist and author Ron Lieber. His latest book is called The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make. He is also the author of The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money and coauthor of Taking Time Off: Inspiring Stories of Students Who Enjoyed Successful Breaks From College and How You Can Plan Your Own. Ron has been the "Your Money" columnist for The New York Times since 2008. Before coming to The Times, he wrote the "Green Thumb" personal finance column for The Wall Street Journal and was part of the startup team at the paper's “Personal Journal” section. He attended Amherst College.BackgroundBioBooksCollege in the Pandemic“Remote Learning Is Unequal. Coronavirus Changed That--For Now,” by Jonathan Zimmerman, thephiladelphiainquirer.com, April 8, 2020.“Spelman College Faces a Redefined Reality,” by Mary Schmidt Campbell, nytimes.com, April 23, 2020.“Colleges Won’t Refund Tuition. Autumn May Force a Reckoning,” by Ron Lieber, nytimes.com, May 1, 2020.“Back to School: How the Coronavirus Could Shape the Future of Higher Education,” by Karen Wallace, Morningstar.com, Nov. 9, 2020. “Will College Tuition Go Down Because of the Pandemic?” by Norman Vanamee, townandcountrymag.com, Feb. 4, 2021.School Choice and CostWhere You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admission’s Mania, by Frank Bruni, March 8, 2016. “The Price You Pay for College, 21 Important Questions to Ask,” by Ron Lieber, grownandflown.com, Jan. 23, 2021.“College Costs Are Less Terrifying Than You Think,” by Ron Lieber, nytimes.com, Jan. 28, 2021.“How to Pay for College (and Not Lose Your Shirt),” by Ron Lieber, nytimes.com, Jan, 26, 2021.“How Taking a Gap Year Can Shape Your Life,” by Ron Lieber, nytimes.com, Oct. 19, 2016.Financial Aid and Merit Aid“How to Predict Merit Aid in a Strange College Application Season,” by Ron Lieber, nytimes.com, Sept. 25, 2020.“How to Ask a College for More Financial Aid,” by Ron Lieber, nytimes.com, April 25, 2020.“What a $300,000 College Might Cost a $200,000 Family,” by Ron Lieber, nytimes.com, Oct. 3, 2020.“High School Grades Could Be Worth $100,000. Time to Tell Your Child?” by Ron Lieber, nytimes.com, Jan. 23, 2021.“FAFSA’s Expected Family Contribution Is Going Away. Good Riddance,” by Ron Lieber, nytimes.com, Jan. 4, 2021.“Inside College Merit Aid—and the Manipulative, Lucrative System That Keeps it Running,” by Ron Lieber, nbcnews.com, Feb. 4, 2021. Loans“Parent PLUS Loans: What You Need to Know,” by Kimberly Rotter and Bob Musinski, usnews.com, Feb. 7, 2020.“For Millions Deep in Student Loan Debt, Bankruptcy Is No Easy Fix,” by Ron Lieber and Tara Siegel Bernard, nytimes.com, Nov. 18, 2020.“An Invisible Cost of College: Parental Guilt,” by Ron Lieber, nytimes.com, Feb. 3, 2021.“Here’s a Guide to How Grandparents Can Help Pay for College,” by Ron Lieber, marketwatch.com, Feb. 2, 2021.