Parents & Students
Our Services for Parents
Parents who want to contribute towards their children’s education typically have two conflicting goals: paying for all or a portion of their children’s higher education and saving enough money for their own retirement. Parents who have not saved enough for their child’s education have either a cash flow problem or a retirement problem.
College Planning Associates help parents with children of all ages address the particular issues they face through the entire cycle of college planning.
How we can help parents who have younger children or who are still in the savings mode of college planning:
By educating our clients on the many different resources and options available for college savings, we put them in a position to make educated decisions when designating assets for college accumulation goals. There are many options available, and it is important to balance those options with the specific family circumstances.
We put together a savings strategy that is designed to keep options open, maximize financial aid eligibility and the family budget. With a focus on education planning, we also balance the other financial goals of the family, making sure that a cohesive strategy is implemented.
How we can help parents of high school juniors and seniors
For high school juniors and seniors as well as their parents, college is right around the corner. A student's junior year is probably the most crucial year when it comes to college planning. The year that your student finishes his or her junior year is the tax year that the college financial aid departments will base any need upon. This is where the financial aid strategy takes shape and the criteria are set for the college selection. Good ground work here can pave the way for a smooth college enrollment and admissions process.
Questions we help answer for students and parents of juniors and seniors:
How much is college really going to cost?
How do we set a college budget?
How does financial aid work, and are we viable candidates for aid?
Does college selection affect our ability to qualify for financial aid?
What forms need to be filled out, when do they need to be done, and what assistance or resources are available?
How much debt should we take and who should sign for it?
Our services for Juniors and Seniors:
The process that we put juniors and seniors through is designed to make sure that all parties understand the important venture that lies in the year or years ahead. It is important that you know how the financial aid process works and what factors are considered in determining eligibility for financial aid.
Our services include:
- Free initial consultation
- Education of financial aid process
- Development of a college budget
- Development of a financial aid strategy with a cash flow analysis
- A college admissions and application tracking system
- Financial aid forms filing
- Evaluation and comparison of financial aid offers