This guide is for parents of students in Missouri who are planning further education or training after high school. After a letter of introduction to parents from the Missouri Commissioner of Education and a brief overview of the importance of planning for advanced education, it provides checklists of planning activities for students during 9th and 10th grades, 11th grade, and 12th grade respectively. The 12th grade checklist is further subdivided by month. The next section provides advice and information on financial aid programs, including scholarships, loans, and grants. Brief descriptions and, in most cases, contact addresses are provided for the following types of scholarships: institutional scholarships; Missouri Teacher Education Scholarships; Missouri General Assembly Scholarships; Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarships; military scholarships; "Bright Flight" (the state-funded Higher Education Academic Scholarship Program); and other scholarships. After information on eligibility, the following loans are described: Perkins Loans (formerly National Direct Student Loans); Missouri PLUS (Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students) and SLS (Supplementary Loans for Students) programs; and Missouri Stafford Loans. The section on grants describes Pell Grants, Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (SEOG), and the Missouri Student Grant Program. A list of resources is appended, including addresses for test applications, federal financial aid information, and publications. (TE)