Welcome new readers! I am so excited to announce the launch of this brand new blog in January 2024. What I intend to do is share what I have learned over the years with all of you…How to Pay for College Without Going Broke!
If you believe college is beyond your financial means, you might wonder whether there is any possibility of educating your kids to this level. With costs rapidly rising, college can seem elusive to many, causing more and more families to question the value of a degree. In addition, the US college system can be complicated and confusing. You might not believe you can afford college, or you may think that school choices are limited by sticker price, leaving students to try to get their degrees the hard way (living at home and commuting). You might even be willing to spend all your life’s savings or borrow $40–50K+ per year for the sake of your kids’ education. The frustration that began fifty years ago when I was in high school is still evident today.
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to send your kids to schools you never thought you could afford? Wouldn’t you prefer not to be in debt, or to save your money for your child’s grad school—if not for your other kids’ future college funds? Wouldn’t you like to hang on to your savings for your retirement? Let me assure you that these possibilities are all within your reach.
Did you know, no matter what your financial situation, you can get tens of thousands of dollars per year in free money for college education? What is particularly amazing is that most of this financial aid comes from the colleges themselves, not (as you might expect) from the government or private scholarships. The average amount of free money that private colleges provide, on an annual basis, is close to $20K; however, many colleges routinely provide much more ($30–60K+ per year). Also, 82% of first year students at those schools receive free money from the schools themselves. This blog is packed with insights designed to enable you to access that cash so that you are able to make those choices for yourself. My plan is to continue to add more and more information
People routinely ask me why I am so passionate about college planning. Quite simply, finding the means to pay for college education has not improved since I was in high school. I was the first in my family to ever consider going to college. We had no money, and the local high school provided no financial advice. I didn’t know how to pay for college and was faced with the reality of not going. I had to figure it out on my own, but I was determined to find a way. Thus began my seven-year journey to get a four-year degree.
If I had not ultimately discovered the magic of other people’s money (in the form of financial aid from the colleges themselves), who knows whether I would have ever finished college. I am eternally grateful that I discovered how the system worked, which enabled me to graduate from a great college and go on to build a successful career. I am now a certified public accountant (CPA) with more than forty years of financial services industry experience, helping multi-billion-dollar companies with their money, including as an executive with major consulting and Wall Street firms advising Fortune 500 clients.
About twenty years ago I decided that, instead of focusing on companies, I wanted to give back to my community by helping individuals and families with their finances, so I joined up with a friend and neighbor’s local tax, investment, and financial planning firm. Because of my background, I added securities and insurance licensing to my CPA license, and thus began helping clients with their finances. After starting this transition, I soon discovered that one of the major issues facing parents was the high—and rapidly increasing—cost of college. In addition, I was shocked by the lack of readily available information to help parents with this problem. Based on what I had learned from my own college journey—most importantly how to access free money—I decided to share my knowledge with others in the community. Unfortunately, this lack of knowledge still exists today.
My passion is for the kids. Over the years it has been rewarding to have helped so many get to great schools their families could never have afforded otherwise. I have been frustrated at not being able to help more families because there are only so many people I can reach through public speaking in my community, at local high schools, and through referrals, which is why I’ve decided to launch this new blog website. In addition to much more info, I am going to educate you about what I call my “Ideal Approach”. What you will discover is that most free money comes from the colleges themselves, and to access that money you must find the right schools, solving the matrix for your unique college situation.
I’m here to help you get over those seemingly impenetrable hurdles. No child that wants to go to college should be denied the opportunity because their parents are unaware of funding. Whatever your financial situation, I aim to show each and every one of you how to make college more affordable, opening the door to colleges you never thought your student would be in a position to attend, and so creating future possibilities you didn’t believe were possible.
Let’s learn more…please read on!
