An upcoming workshop in Fountain Hills will help teens, parents and those with existing student loans understand and solve the complex world of college financing.

Set for Thursday evening, Jan. 26, the workshop is being brought to town by Thrivent Financial.

It will begin at 6:30 p.m. that Thursday at the FHUSD Learning Center, corner of Golden Eagle and Palisades boulevards.

The workshop will be presented by Brian Cox of cuLearn in cooperation with local Thrivent Financial representatives Mike Scharnow and Jerrod Stearnes.

Main topics will be planning for college, researching money options, applying for a loan and refinancing existing student loans.

“Applying for college is a lot of work, since it can include choosing schools, essays to write, forms to fill out, applications to send in and much more,” Scharnow said. “Plus, parents and teens are faced with an even bigger challenge – college financing.”

Stearnes said this workshop will help residents find solutions to obtaining student loans or even refinancing existing student loans.

“Funding college today is similar to buying a first home,” Stearnes said. “According to Forbes, a four-year degree started in 2016-17 ranges from about $121,000 at a public university to $285,000 at a private, elite university.

“And tuition and other costs continue to rise.”

Cox is senior vice president of sales and community outreach for cuLearn.

The firm is building a lending, education and resources network to help credit unions provide responsible college financing solutions to their members while teaching them to be wise with money and live balanced, generous lives.

Cox graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in management from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and has a business background in investments, asset management and in the lending industry.

The workshop is free and open to the general public. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

More information is available by calling Scharnow at 480-212-3266 or visiting culearn.com.