Men, heed this advice

On this 24th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, we honor the innocent lives lost, the heroes who emerged, and all who answered the call to serve. We will never forget.

'God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ' -Psalms 46:1

Register and claim a spot. I'll see you there. https://t.co/Cw7j9HNpvP

Join me for a free workshop on 9/17 where I'll teach how families should approach FAFSA. I'll cover the ins and outs for families with kids in college right and those will be in school in the next few years. You'll learn: ​ -Why every family should complete the FAFSA -How to

Navigating FAFSA successfully can be the difference between student loan debt for years and debt free education.

5) Now vs. Then FAFSA asks some questions about your circumstances today and some questions about what happened with your finances two years ago. It's easy to get tripped up on these.

4) Parent vs. student mixups It might not seem like a difference, but whether the parent or student answers a question matters. Some questions are directed at parents and some are directed at the student. A mixup here can hurt your student, a lot.

3) Asset reporting mistakes It's is easy to make a mistake on FAFSA questions about what your family owns as assets. These questions just got changed again after being updated just two years ago.

2) Income reporting mistakes I see lots of mistakes with questions on income. FAFSA makes these questions confusing so a mistake is understandable, but can still harm chances at financial help.

1) Timing When you complete FAFSA makes a difference. There's a window to complete for the upcoming school year that lasts about 9 months. When you complete FAFSA matters and most families never consider this.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is one of the most important documents will ever complete. The difference between families who get this right and those that don't can be tens of thousands of dollars. Families with college age kids have to fill out FAFSA,

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” -2 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

These are just a few of the reasons we review benefits choices with our client families during open enrollment or when there's a job change. Follow me @charleshthomas and @iefinance for more tips like these

5. Ignoring Taxes Benefit choices impact your family's taxes. Pay attention and get some help, where appropriate, to make sure these choices don't negatively impact your family's tax situation.

4. Automatically carry over choices from last year Benefit programs change, your family's needs change, and the way you use benefits all change over time. Don't assume that what was the right choice for last year will be the same the coming year.

3. Not checking beneficiaries Some benefit choices come with an opportunity to designate a beneficiary. Check this every year and make sure it is consistent with your wishes, any life changes, and your will. Don't forget that beneficiary choices override what you have in

2. Skipping disability insurance Your income is important to your family. You wouldn't drive a car without insurance b/c you want to protect the car. Your income needs protection too. Disability means that your family will continue to get some income if you are unable to

1. Not taking advantage of free money Employer match dollars are the closest thing to free money that exists. Matches for health care accounts, like HSAs, and retirement plans (like 401ks) can be life changing. Don't ignore an amazing benefit.

1/3 of what your employer spends on employees at a typical company is in the benefits. That's why it's so important to make sure you (and your family) get the most out of what your employer offers. Here's some of the most common mistakes I see...