"GI Bill" for Abe and Lucy to go to school
11/14/03	(for spring 04)
Variables to raise or lower benefits:   Registration bonus and monthly pay per unit:									$15	Bonus per completed unit:				$8
(If you change what is in these 2 boxes, it changes the entire table, examples, etc.)
Examples from 3 possible scenarios:  (just to see if the variables should go up or down; actual benefits are in the big table way below)
					9 units, passable grades, parent pleasing, and pay prospects			12 units, good grades, parent pleasing, and pay prospects			15 units, great grades, parent pleasing, and pay prospects
			Typical
			Fall dates
First paycheck (registration bonus)			8/25			$135			$180			$225
End of first month			9/25			$135			$180			$225
End of second month			10/25			$135			$180			$225
End of third month			11/25			$135			$180			$225
End of fourth month			12/18			$135			$180			$225
When grades arrive			?12/31			$216			$576			$1,080
Total for the semester						$891			$1,476			$2,205
Tuition to do it again:		$83	per unit			$747			$996			$1,245
Big table to figure actual benefits:  (start with your semester units in first column)
			End of semester bonuses for when grades arrive:
Semes-ter units	Basic monthly pay	Registration bonus	Future pay prospects bonus, if completed			General parent pleasing bonus, if completed			Grades bonus, if completed
	(4 mos per semester)		Passable	Good	Great	Passable	Good	Great	Passable	Good	Great
1	$15	15	$8	16	24	8	16	24	8	16	24	Gray boxes=
2	30	30	16	32	48	16	32	48	16	32	48	variables from way above
3	45	45	24	48	72	24	48	72	24	48	72	that are the basis for the
4	60	60	32	64	96	32	64	96	32	64	96	rest of the table
5	75	75	40	80	120	40	80	120	40	80	120
6	90	90	48	96	144	48	96	144	48	96	144
7	105	105	56	112	168	56	112	168	56	112	168
8	120	120	64	128	192	64	128	192	64	128	192
9	135	135	72	144	216	72	144	216	72	144	216	Blue boxes =
10	150	150	80	160	240	80	160	240	80	160	240	For the example
11	165	165	88	176	264	88	176	264	88	176	264	9 units/passable
12	180	180	96	192	288	96	192	288	96	192	288
13	195	195	104	208	312	104	208	312	104	208	312
14	210	210	112	224	336	112	224	336	112	224	336
15	225	225	120	240	360	120	240	360	120	240	360
16	240	240	128	256	384	128	256	384	128	256	384
17	255	255	136	272	408	136	272	408	136	272	408
18	270	270	144	288	432	144	288	432	144	288	432
19	285	285	152	304	456	152	304	456	152	304	456
20	300	300	160	320	480	160	320	480	160	320	480
21	315	315	168	336	504	168	336	504	168	336	504
Blank rows for figuring - fill in your numbers from above:
Definitions, details:
Semester units - for others, like Quarter, find the ratio to make equivalent. I think Qtrs are (sem X .75).
"Monthly" = roughly 30 days. (If summer semesters shorter, like 1 momake pay per unit/semester same.)
Payments - ~on time if you give me a deposit slip; a little later if not (by money order). The big one when grades come may take a few weeks.
Registration bonus paid on receipt. (If you drop the class, you should refund the bonus, 100% if in 1st week, 50% if in second, like tuition.)
Tuition refunds should be split as paid. If I pay 1/3 tuition, you should give me 1/3 of refunds on dropped classes.
For end of semester bonuses, it might be easiest to make a copy of this with the requests circled, with notes, grades, etc.
Pay prospects and parent pleasing = the lowest if kids, parents, etc. have different opinions.
Grades: Undergraduate C = passable, B = good, A = great.
Duration: This plan would probably last through undergraduate school, but be reduced each year.
Cancellation: If you drop out of all classes before completeting the quarter or semester, the plan is automatically cancelled, at least
until you ask and parent approves of restarting.
It is OK to take time off between completed semesters.
I can cancel or change the program with a notice before the next semester's registration for any reason.
Small perks for shopping:
Ask first, but I will usually give you $20 just for finding a course you could take to start college. (Once you're in, maybe for finding new plans.)
Send me the course you're thinking about, how to sign-up, dates, how you could work it schedule-wise, transportation, costs, etc.
Small perks for dropping out before deadlines: (will save whoever is paying the tuition big bucks)
Bonus	$25		Officially drop before 100% refund -  (Usually a Fri, after classes start on a Mon, I think)
Bonus	$25		Officially drop before 50% refund - (Usually a Mon, 2 weeks from first day of class, I think)
Planning for future semesters
If you want to change the benefits, you may want to diddle with charts and stuff.
In my case the issue was that I originally did not plan on paying the tuitions. When I went to community college, tuition was not a deal killer.
My kids needed that first semester tuition to get started. And my original version (not shown) of this plan was higher on monthly payments
and lower at the end. The most likely effect of me just paying for the first semester's tuition was probably going to be a cash crunch
when it was time for the kids to pay tuition when the second semester started.
So I made about 4 drafts of the new plans, and the chart below. It helped me gradually lower the benefits, and shift away from paying full
tuitions.
Math for the chart (values taken from the big table)
							For 9 units	For 12 units	For 15 units
			Tuitions				747	996	1245
							9 / pass-able	12 / good	15 / great
			Current examples				1041	1361	2080
with formulas			Cur Ex plus tuitions				1788	2357	3325
to add tuitions			New $15 and $8*				891	1476	2205
to benefits			New plus 2/3 tuition				1391	2143	3039
			Next $10 and $9				693	1248	1965
			Next plus 1/3 tuition				940	1577	2376
			Next next $5 and $10				495	1020	1725
For chart, paste			Tuitions				747	996	1245
values only,
remove some lines,							9 / pass	12 / good	15 / great
make labels better.						Cur Examples plus tuitions (fall '03)	1788	2357	3325
						New 15/8 vrbls + 2/3 tuition (spring '04)	1391	2143	3039
Select the box,						Next 10/9 vrbls + 1/3 tuition (sum or fall '04)	940	1577	2376
click chart wizard,						Next next 5/10 vrbls + no tuition	495	1020	1725
choose chart type			The stuff in this box is linked to chart. (The labels are jammed in so they go in to chart automatically.)
as line, series
in rows. Then after		Other chart items
wizard add title, etc.			Title:			How new GI Bill plans affect total benefits
			Bottom axis			Examples (units/grades, etc.)
			Value axis			Total $ per semester
*How I named the new plans you will see on the chart: The "Current examples" plan is what we are now (fall "03) doing, plus full tuition.
"New 15/8 vrbls + 2/3 tuition" is gibberish for the variables (very top of page) set at $15 / unit for reg bonus / monthly pay, and $8 for grades, etc.
Plus paying less of the tuition, 2/3. The other plans are not shown. To create them all you do is enter the new variables.