Paying for College

Paying for College

Start Planning Today, To Afford Tomorrow

Now that we know how much will need to be paid in expected family contributions and we know the parent versus student contributions, we help you determine how to pay for college without going broke. There are many ways to pay for college and we’ll help you understand the pros and cons of different approaches to help you determine the right approach for your family.

Determine Strategies

Determine cost-effective payment strategies while keeping an eye on your overall priorities.

Share planning recommendations to reduce Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

Share Financial Aid Award Estimates for an unlimited number of schools and possibly recommend new schools to consider

Share recommendations for the best way to pay for parent contributions as well as student contributions

Share cost effective borrowing strategies to help keep financial goals balanced with cash flow strategies for the college years and post college years

Share different game plans to help you pay for college and let you choose the option that is most appropriate for your family

Common Questions

Many families have questions about how their family should pay for college in the most effective manner:

How does qualifying for financial aid work?

Where will that money come from?

How can I pay for college without spending my retirement money?

Is a 529 plan right for my family?

What are my options for scholarships that aren't a scam?

Are there ways to ethically reduce my out of pocket expenses?

How does paying for college affect my other financial goals?

Advantage of Hiring CFAST

Do you find reviewing the massive amount of information available overwhelming? Is sifting through the conflicting information frustrating to decipher? Is figuring out what's right for your family more of a commitment than originally anticipated?

If you want to save yourself the burden of trying to figure it out on your own, we can guide you through a streamlined the process, share expert insight with you and share recommendations that are right for your family’s unique situation.

Pay the Least

How can you legally and ethically arrange your affairs to pay the least out of pocket? Just as you pay a tax accountant to complete your taxes and maximize your tax return, we work with our clients to help them understand how the college funding process works and how to maximize their efforts to reduce out of pocket expenses.

Align with Big Picture Goals

Ensure college planning goals fit with overall retirement and other life goals. In many cases, parents have a long-term financial plan and don’t yet understand the impact that some of those choices have on their out of pocket college expenses. No matter how much someone wants to help you, it is very difficult for one person to be able to keep up with all the factors that affect your financial situation with respect to paying for college. We are college planning consultants and make it our business to learn how things really work in the real world as well as work to keep up with ongoing changes.

Experience Our Process

Our process was created in 2004 and has been continuously developed, evolved, and improved to provide families with a customized and guided path through the college planning maze.  This process will provide the confidence and peace of mind you are looking for so that you can make sound decisions and enjoy the limited and precious time remaining in your student’s high school years.

Learn About Our Workshops

Don't know where to start? In our workshops, we reveal facts to help you to effectively navigate the college planning process

and provide  strategies on how to pay for college in the most cost effective manner.