College Planning Solution
There are 12 critical components involved in successfully managing the project called college. You get expert guidance and proven tools for each component to support your family with your college-bound student.
Student
The college admissions process is complicated. That is why we provide a central repository, powerful tools, a schedule and support to keep them focused on the high impact activities for college admissions: submission deadlines, test dates, essay organizer, and help with making essays effective.
Gain Self Awareness
When students understand their strengths, personality type, and learning styles, they can choose an appropriate career and be more effective in college. We provide powerful assessment tools to identify aptitudes, interests, and probable careers and majors. This allows students to graduate in 4 years, versus the 5-6 years many students now take.
Get the Right Mindset
The right mindset for college students can be the difference between success and failure. We help students take ownership of their future and build accountability into their approach, so they start college with a sense of purpose and a plan.
Match Qualifications to Colleges
Prep for College Admissions
Choosing the right colleges where your student should apply is critical to not paying retail for college. Using your student's GPA, test scores and strength of their high school curriculum combined with the CAP index, we provide the tools and support to find colleges most likely to offer discounts and scholarships.
Family
Select Right Fit Colleges
Based on colleges identified and the family financial resources available, we help families create a target college list where they know the probability of admissions and likely out-of-pocket expenses before they apply. We strongly believe that students should NOT apply to a college that is not a great fit - academically, socially, or financially.
Assess Scholarship Options
The most signifianct FREE money for college comes from the colleges themselves. That is why we focus on developing a strategic college list where students will get the best discounts and incentives. We also help families find "tax scholarships" where available by using money that would otherwise have gone to taxes for college.
Compare Award Offers
When families receive award offers, they do not have a good point of reference as to whether it is a good offer or not. We provide you with an "apples-to-apples" camparison, so you can decide if it is a good offer or if you want to make an appeal.
Transition Successfully
As students head off to college, they experience a new level of independence. However, there can be road bumps for the unprepared. We provide HIPAA & FERPA directives (and a digital vault for storing them), college finance 101 coaching, and stress management support to ensure the transition is successful.
Parents
Apply for Financial Aid
Completing financial aid forms (FAFSA and CSS) is about as much fun as doing taxes, and most accountants will not help. We collect the necessary data and complete the forms for you. This ensures accuracy so you get the most aid to which you are entitled.
Far too many parents dip into their retirement money to pay for college. We work with your financial advisor to identify effective cash flow strategies that allow you to maintain your current lifestyle, stay on track for retirement, and arrive at a manageable college case flow target.
Calculate Cash Flow for College
Once you are on track for retirement, we determine your college affordability amount through a detailed cash flow analysis, identifying money you are currently losing unknowingly and unnecessarily. We assist you and your financial advisor in developing a blueprint for funding all kids, all years, of college so you can be prepared.
Estimate Family Contribution
Assess Retirement Readiness
What colleges expect families to contribute each year to their student's college expenses can come as quite a surprise. We calculate your estimated family contribution for state and private schools before your student applies. This allow you to target schools that are affordable for your family based on the financial aid system.