I sat down with Ron Lieber, the New York Times “Your Money” columnist, to tackle one of the most stressful financial decisions any family faces: the cost of college.
With headlines screaming about AI-driven job market disruptions and tuition hitting record highs, we’re digging into the math and the mindset shifts required to navigate higher education in 2026.
We explore whether a computer science degree is still a “safe bet,” how to find the “return on friendship,” and why your strategy for negotiating financial aid needs to start with empathy.
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Key Takeaways
- The $31,000 Safety Zone: Undergraduates should aim to keep total federal borrowing around $31,000. This creates a manageable monthly payment of roughly $350–$400, which is a reasonable bet even in an uncertain economy.
- Longevity of the Degree: While entry-level STEM jobs are facing a short-term squeeze from large language models, the long-term data still holds: bachelor’s degree holders out-earn non-degree holders by hundreds of thousands of dollars over their lifetime.
- The “Return on Friendship”: We often ignore the social capital of college. Ron emphasizes shopping for schools with strong alumni “binds”—networks where graduates actively “throw the rope back” to help new alumni land their first roles.
- Negotiating with Empathy: Financial aid officers often earn less than the families they are helping. Approach these conversations with kindness and human connection rather than treating it like a high-stakes used car sale.
- The Community College “90th Percentile”: Using community college as a 2+2 launching pad is a brilliant money-saver, but it requires high-level “executive functioning” to ensure every credit transfers and that you don’t lose time in the workforce.
Resources
The Price You Pay for College, a book by Ron Lieber – https://amzn.to/3RauylM
Ron Lieber’s profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronlieber/
Ron Lieber’s website – https://www.ronlieber.com
Stay in the loop – https://affordanything.com/newsletter
Join the YFRP course – https://courses.affordanything.com/
Don’t miss the YFRP Webinar – https://affordanything.com/rental2026
Chapters
Note: Timestamps are approximate and may vary across listening platforms due to dynamically inserted ads.
(0:00) Introduction
(4:56) The Macro Case for Degrees
(6:21) Using the College Scorecard
(11:06) Measuring Alumni Networks
(14:51) The $31K Debt Safety Limit
(24:16) The Home Equity Trap
(30:36) Aid Office Negotiation Tips
(37:36) The Demographic Cliff
(43:06) Community College Transfer Strategy
(48:16) Tips for Parents of Undecided Kids
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