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Who We Are

Who We Are. They say that free advice is worth what you pay for. Using that logic, well, I'm hoping you'll take a few minutes to find out if what I present here resonates with you. If it does, then I have succeeded in making a difference, however small.

Making College Affordable

Today, a college education is a vital necessity for the future of our children and our country. 

Unfortunately, unlike many Western countries, parents are responsible for funding part of all of that education.

For a multitude of reasons, the majority of parents are not financially equipped to underwrite this obligation. But whatever the reasons were or are, there is much that can be done to help fathers and mothers comfortably meet the challenge.

Over the years I've personally seen the tragic results that poor college planning or worse, no college planning can produce. Perhaps tragic is too strong a word. I use it because if a family is weakened financially, it is put into the position of not being able to withstand the inevitable financial storms that occur in life. That should be unacceptable. Too often families will raid retirement accounts or borrow too much money without knowing just how hard it can be to pay back.

If I could share one unpleasant idea with you, it's that post-secondary education isn't a right. There is no reason that a student has to attend an expensive college if the family can't afford it. There are many colleges that are less expensive and can provide a sound education. In fact, over the past 15 years, many Tier One and Tier Two colleges have professors that received their degree from the Ivy League and other prestigious colleges. The reason that they work at these "lesser" schools is because there were no positions when they graduated from the elites and they had to find work somewhere. Thus, the colleges that are just a step or two down on the prestige ladder have seen greatly improved quality in the education they are able to offer while the Top 50 haven't had nearly the gains in quality. That being said, with the proper strategies and planning, about 90% of our clients have been able to afford the more costly schools. They just didn't know it when they came to us. With the right tools and some common sense, sending your child to the college of their dreams can come true.

My challenge as a college funding advisor is finding the balance between protecting, enhancing and preserving the net worth of his clients during the college years and into retirement.

I am a dedicated financial professional and certified college funding specialist, Children deserve the best possible education they can academically qualify for. However, that does not mean the parents should have to sacrifice everything they have and go into tremendous debt to achieve that goal.

I am one of only 500 Certified College Planning Specialists in the country, a designation accredited by the National Institute of Certified College Planners (NICCP).

I partner with other experts whose expertise is creating financial and admission strategies that make it possible for most families to send their children to any college without regard to cost and additionally emphasize the specialty of writing successful college appeals to further reduce your family contribution. A lot of people and websites pay a lot of lip service about appealing a financial aid decision but no one is out there showing parents how to write a successful appeal.