Prepare for a successful conversation with your coach

This checklist will help you prepare for your financial coaching call and make the most of your time with an EdAssist® by Bright Horizons® finance coach. These coaches average 20+ years of professional education finance experience, and many are designated Accredited Financial Counselors (AFCs). They can help you navigate how to pay for continued education while managing your overall financial wellness.

Determining which coaching session is right for you

Depending on your employer’s benefit plan and policy, you may have access to four different types of coaching through EdAssist. It’s important to book a session with the right type of coach based on your questions.

• Financial coaching: Helps adult learners assess strategies to pay for continued education while meeting their other financial goals and obligations.
• Academic coaching: Provides recommendations for programs, answers questions about degree requirements, and can offer guidance on returning to school based on your career goals.
• Policy coaching: Answers specific and complex questions about your employers’ tuition assistance benefits.
• Student loan coaching: Offers guidance around paying off student loans with repayment strategies, debit and credit management, and federal state forgiveness programs.

When to choose financial coaching

If you're trying to figure out how to afford going back to school, need to understand how tuition assistance works alongside financial aid, are looking for assistance with strategies to meet specific financial goals, or want to see how education fits into your bigger financial picture, financial coaching is the right choice.

What your coach can help you create

After meeting with one of our financial coaches, you may walk away with:

• A clear understanding of how much your program will cost and how much may be covered by your tuition assistance benefit
• A strategy to maximize your employer's tuition assistance benefit
• Guidance on the financial aid application process and what types of aid you may qualify for
• A plan for managing existing student loan debt while going back to school
• Insight into how to balance education costs with other financial priorities
• A realistic spending plan that accommodates your financial, education, and career goals
• Strategies for debt management, emergency savings, and overall financial wellness
• Understanding of how different financial decisions affect your overall financial health

Before your financial coaching call

• Review your employer's tuition assistance policy (amount covered, eligibility requirements, any restrictions)
• Research the academic or credentialing program(s) you're considering and note the total cost, length, and credit requirements
• Gather information about your current financial situation (debts, monthly expenses, income)
• If you have existing student loans, know your type of education loan, amount of loan debt, current payment amount, and the loan servicer.
• Think about what financial concerns are keeping you from moving forward with your education
• Write down your questions and what you hope to accomplish during the call

When scheduling your appointment

• Use the appointment notes section to briefly describe what you want to discuss
• Mention if you're trying to figure out how to pay for a specific program
• Note if you have questions about maximizing your tuition benefit
• Flag if you have broader financial wellness questions beyond just paying for school
• Indicate if you're dealing with existing student loan debt or other financial challenges

Key questions to think about
You don't need to have definitive answers to all of these. Just thinking about them will help guide your conversation.

About your education plans:

• What program am I considering, and how much does it cost?
• How long will the program take to complete?
• How many courses do I plan to take per term?
• When do I plan to start (and does timing affect my benefit maximization)?
• Are there additional costs beyond tuition (books, supplies, fees)?

About your tuition benefit:

• How much does my employer cover per year?
• Are there restrictions on what types of programs are covered?
• Do I need to pay upfront and get reimbursed, or does my employer pay directly?
• What documentation do I need to provide for reimbursement?

About your current financial situation:

• Do I have existing student loan debt? If so, how much and am I currently making payments?
• What happens to my student loan payments if I go back to school?
• Do I have other debts (credit cards, car loans, personal loans)?
• What does my monthly budget look like?
• Do I have emergency savings?

About financial aid:

• Should I apply for financial aid?
• What types of financial aid might I qualify for?
• What's the difference between grants and scholarships?
• If I've had financial aid before, what should I know about going from undergraduate to graduate programs?
• How do I find scholarships for my field of study?

About your financial goals:

• Am I trying to go back to school without taking on additional debt?
• Do I need help balancing education costs with other financial priorities (buying a home, saving for retirement, paying off debt)?
• Am I contributing to my employer's retirement match? Should I adjust that while in school?
• What are my short-term and long-term financial goals?

Questions you might want to ask your coach

• How can I maximize my employer's tuition benefit based on when I start and how many courses I take?
• If my program costs more than my benefit covers, what are my options for paying the difference?
• How do I apply for financial aid, and what can I realistically expect to receive?
• What's the difference between grants, scholarships, and loans?
• I have existing student loans, so what happens to those payments when I go back to school?
• What's an in-school deferment, and does it apply to both federal and private loans?
• Should I take out student loans to cover costs my benefit doesn't cover?
• How do I create a realistic budget that includes my education expenses?
• What debt should I prioritize paying off—the highest balance, smallest balance, or highest interest rate?
• Should I build emergency savings before going back to school, or focus on paying down debt?
• How much should I have in emergency savings?
• Am I leaving money on the table by not maximizing my employer benefits (like retirement matching)?
• How does going back to school fit into my overall financial plan?

Information that may be helpful to have on hand

• Your employer's tuition assistance benefit details
• Total cost of the program you're considering (tuition, fees, books, supplies)
• Program length and credit requirements
• If you have any college credits that may be transferable to the new program
• Your planned course load per term
• Your current monthly income
• A list of your monthly expenses or a spending plan
• Information about existing student loans (balances, servicer names, whether you're in repayment)
• Other debt balances and monthly payments (credit cards, auto loans, personal loans)
• Your credit score, if you have it
• Information about employer benefits you're currently using (retirement contributions, health insurance, etc.)

Remember

• This is separate from student loan coaching. If you have existing student loan debt and want specific guidance on repayment strategies, forgiveness programs, or whether to refinance or consolidate, booking a student loan coaching session may also be helpful if it's included in your EdAssist employer benefit.
• This is separate from academic coaching. If you're still deciding what to study or need help finding the right program, start with an academic coaching call. Once you know what program you want to pursue, a financial coach can help you figure out how to pay for it.
• EdAssist financial coaches have deep expertise. Each coach has decades of experience helping adult learners navigate the intersection of education and financial wellness, and many are AFCs.
• There's no judgment here. Everyone's financial situation and priorities are different. Whether you have significant debt or you're debt-free, whether you want to attend an elite school or the most affordable option, our coaches are there to help you figure out a path that works for you.
• Finances are fluid. You can create a plan today and adjust it as life changes. If you find yourself expecting a baby, facing a job change, or dealing with unexpected expenses, you can reassess and modify your strategy. Financial plans aren't set in stone.
• Confidentiality matters. Your financial information is private. While coaches take notes to help you, they're very aware of confidentiality and take it seriously.
• Small wins matter. If overall financial advice suggests you need six months of emergency savings and you're starting from zero, that can feel paralyzing. Your coach can help you set realistic, tangible goals—like saving $500 first, then building to $1,000. Progress happens in steps.
• Consider your complete financial picture. While your immediate question might be "how do I pay for this program," coaches can also help with related topics like credit management, debt consolidation, insurance needs, retirement planning basics, and understanding your employer benefits. Your education is one piece of your overall financial wellness.
• Bring real data if you want detailed guidance. The more specific information you can share about your income, expenses, and debts, the more personalized your coach's recommendations can be. But if you don't have everything organized yet, that's okay too; your coach can help you figure out what information to gather.
• You don't have to figure this out alone. Many people avoid thinking about how they'll pay for school because it feels overwhelming. But one conversation can help clarify your options and make the path forward feel manageable.

Ready to schedule your coaching call? Visit your EdAssist portal to get started.