You've probably heard that college is expensive and financing your education can be complex. While there's a lot of information available about financial aid, student loans, creating a college friendly budget, and more, it can be increasingly difficult to convert all that information into a financial plan that truly works for you.

A Student's Guide to Money Matters: Your Financial Future Begins Now will help you learn how to successfully finance your college education. The guide assists you in developing a full financial plan, so you can think critically about the costs of college, better assess what you truly can and can't afford, and make sound decisions that will ensure your financial health throughout your academic career.

Informative, accessible, and full of real-world examples, this guide will help you develop the financial savvy necessary to navigate the costs associated with investing in your education.

A Student's Guide to Money Matters is part of the Cognella Series on Student Success, a collection of books designed to help students develop the essential life and learning skills needed to support a happy, healthy, and productive higher education experience.

Jacqueline S. Hodes is an associate professor of higher education policy and student affairs at West Chester University. She earned a master's degree in education, with an emphasis in college counseling and student personnel services, and her doctoral degree in education, with an emphasis in educational leadership and higher education administration, from the University of Delaware.

Mary-Alice Ozechoski is the vice president of student affairs and traditional enrollment at Cedar Crest College. She earned her bachelor's degree in communications from Clarion University and her master's degree in counseling and student personnel services from Edinboro University.