The Rick issues are a rich person’s problem and I don’t have a lot of sympathy there.
But I’m talking about things that middle class and upper middle folks don’t realize are illegal-- the asset shifts aka “gifts” which then come back to the giver, hiding money in grandma’s checking account until the FAFSA gets filed, re-titling the family home to a brother-in-law and paying nominal rent (brother in law now has a “business” which he can wash all sorts of expenses through; the parents are no longer home owners so they will look poorer on paper, that sort of thing.)
And of course- most of the time, it yields very modest increases in financial aid since most colleges do not meet full need- it’s such a waste of time and effort.
Did I forget putting the family dog on the payroll? This works better when the dog’s name is Craig or Joanne, doesn’t work as well when his name is Lassie. But it’s nice to cash Lassie’s paychecks every month AND decrease your business income/profits at the same time! At least Lassie doesn’t get to lease a car on the company…