Paper chase: Organize now for next tax year (Student Loan)

Paper chase: Organize now for next tax year
A shoebox. A Manila folder spilling forms and receipts. A cascading corner pile. Do any of those describe the sorry state of your records now that tax day has come and gone? Then there's no time like the present to get organized. Orderly record-keeping could save you money in future tax years by revealing deductions and credits that you've missed in the past. And it definitely will save your

Sandra Block: Your Money - If you consolidate student loans before July, you can lock in lower rate
We hate to nag. Really. But if you're on track to graduate from college this spring, you should consolidate your federal student loans before July 1. And if you graduated last year but didn't get around to consolidating, do it now.

Predicting The Unpredictable -- Planning Future Hospital Beds, Classrooms, Jail Cells Etc.
There were almost 900 patients waiting for care in hospital hallways or emergency rooms at one point in 1990 because the city's hospitals had more patients than they had beds for. Doctors said that hundreds more people avoided treatment altogether, knowing there was no room for them.

The rising price of the future
Think of where you could get a job these days without a college degree. If your future plans include staying in Massachusetts after graduating from college, you need to secure a well-paying job in order to purchase a home or rent an apartment. The median price for a single family home in Massachusetts in 2004 was $340,000, according to the Federal Housing Finance Board.

For students
Plan ahead for next school year. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue: College students - if not dependents on anyone's federal return - may apply for tax forgiveness if they qualify.