We all want the best for our kids. We know that we would go into debt or sacrifice our lifestyle to give them every advantage in life, including $80,000-260,000 for college (College Board). It's no secret that college costs have grown astronomically over the last decades, and many parents don't have sufficient financial resources for such a high level of expense. 

Many students are scared to death of the decisions they must make, which will alter their entire life- but often they do not express their concerns to their parents. "What school" and "what major" seem  daunting life decisions. With thousands of colleges and hundreds of majors available, how can they (or their parents) be sure they have chosen the best option for them? 

It can be easy to make the wrong choice. However, a change of colleges or majors generally requires more than four years to complete a four-year degree. The average student finishes a bachelors degree in 5.8 years (National Student Clearinghouse). That one avoidable mistake could end up costing an average family an ADDITIONAL $53,760 on top of already astronomical price tags (USA Today). 

It can get worse: 

What compounds the college issue, is that traditional college funding theories seem to have left many parents confused.Traditional funding may work for the ultra-wealthy, but what about you? Have you ever found yourself thinking "We make good money, but where does it all go?" The fact is, that the average American household has $16,883 in credit card debt; $29,539 in auto loans; and 50,626 in student loans. (Nerdwallet study) If what you've done in your financial life has led you to your current debt, there may be an issue, and we need to talk. Soon. 

Why we are different: 

We believe there is an opportunity for a to attend their dream school, regardless of the price tag. With our holistic college planning approach and deep knowledge of the financial aid system, many families are able to tap into free money that you never thought possible. There is $198 BILLION of financial aid available each year for college, and your family deserves your fair share of that giant pie. Our system is designed to find as much financial aid as we can for your family. 

Our firm is not a good fit for everyone.  If you are looking for the simple answer- “just load on more debt”, than you don't need a financial advisor. If you want to reduce your lifestyle, eat rice cakes and ramen every meal, there are other dig out of debt programs. 

Our commitment to you is to help you achieve your financial goals, regardless of how unmanageable or impossible you think they are. Therefore, if you are looking to make a serious shift in your finances, with minimal impact on your lifestyle, visit our contact us page.

That’s why, our first one on one meeting is filled with information about how to help your family. In addition, as often as possible, we hold community workshops to help educate local families about the college planning and financial aid process. There is no cost to attend, and no sales pitch. For those who attend the workshop, we do offer a free one on one family consultation in our office. 

Our promise to our clients is that in every workshop and every meeting, you and your student will leave with a better knowledge of what's available to help finance a college education while attending the school of your choice. 

We have the privilege of being a recognized authority that can help your student navigate the college process. We can help each individual student maximize available financial aid, and help them chose the right college. We cannot do everything for them- none of us want to take their pre-calc test. Our goal is to custom tailor each college planning recommendation to your student's needs and, by doing so, help them to succeed. 

As part of our commitment to our community,  we encourage all parents of High School students to attend our upcoming live workshops, with no tuition, fees or charges. The sooner you learn the facts, the better the outcome will be for your family and children (everyone wishes they attended 10 years ago!) 

At our FREE Educational College Financial Planning workshop, parents will learn: 

• How to use college forms to maximize the amount of financial aid you can receive!

• How recent financial legislation has changed your ability to pay for college, and what you need to know before you save for college or file your financial aid paperwork. 

• How your child could attend an expensive private university for less than a state school!

• How to pay for college in the most cost effective way, without changing your current lifestyle or sacrificing your retirement. 

• Drastic changes in recent years to the FAFSA formula, and what you need to do differently. 

• How to lower your families contribution for college, and get the maximum amount of money from each school.

• What to do if you haven’t saved enough for college!

• And much, much more. 

Your first meeting in our office is always free of charge. We take this opportunity to help you learn about what you can expect from the college planning process. 

At this fast paced 1 hour meeting you will discover:

• what could be done to lower your EFC

• a personalized assessment of how your EFC will affect your out of pocket cost at individual schools

• an exact action plan to be sure your student doesn't miss out on free college money  

• how to approach the "reach school" that your student wants to attend

• how to get answers to your concerns about the college planning process

We have 3 requirements for your free consultation: 

1.  Both spouses must attend if married - high school students are encouraged to attend as well

2. You must bring necessary documentation from the provided list

3. Come on time, ready to learn