Here are some ways we've helped other families send their children to
college -- saving them thousands of dollars.
High Income And Assets: No Financial Aid
The Problem: This family's income after deductions was $130,000 and they held
assets of $150,000, mostly in an inherited stock portfolio. The expected
family contribution was $35,000 a year. Since the child applied only to California
public colleges, the chances of receiving any gift aid were slim.
How We Helped: We explored non-financial-aid alternatives available to pay for
the child's college education costs, including taxes and cash flow.
The Result: The family will save $4,000 a year in taxes. And with another child
in college in 2 years, the benefit will double.
Middle income: No need-based aid
The Problem: In this single-parent household, mom’s income was too
high to qualify the family for any need-based financial aid. The child
wanted to attend a specific private college.
How We Helped: Recognizing that this family had “special circumstances” that
would make it hard to pay college costs, we helped the family draft a letter
to the child's top college choices. We asked the colleges to be sensitive to
this family’s unique circumstances when making aid offers.
The Result: The student received $15,000 in grants and scholarships the first
year, with a minimum of $9,000 each year after.
Overstated Income: Not enough aid
The Problem: Parents were both self-employed. Based on their financial
aid forms, they were assessed $26,000 in Expected Family Contribution (EFC),
the amount the family was expected to pay for the year.
How we helped: We reviewed the family's forms and discovered several errors.
With corrected forms, we re-filed for financial aid.
The Result: This family’s assessment dropped to under $10,000. The
student was offered a financial aid package that included $14,000 in grants and
scholarships.
And there's more: After reviewing the college’s offer, we advised the family
on how to appeal for more aid based on special circumstances. The student
was awarded an additional $4,000 for a total gift aid of $18,000.
I was filled with fear … but you really helped me through all this … you made it simple, answered every question and took a lot of stress out of it.
-- John Simmons
Your advice saved us several thousand dollars.
-- Mariabruna Sirabella
Thanks for your help with the financial aid process and in evaluating the offers we received from my son’s top two colleges.
With your help, we were able to save thousands of dollars in tuition, by clearly presenting the challenges of our financial situation to the financial aid officers. You helped make an intimidating process less so through your patient explanations and clear guidance.
I strongly recommend that any family applying for college financial aid use your services. I know many families don’t bother because it is too complicated, and they don’t expect to get any benefit. I think that they will be surprised at how much they can save, by spending well-focused time on the process.-- Jeanette Cook
the time you spent with me was very worthwhile and I appreciate it. I will recommend your services to my sisters and friends with kids moving toward college age.
-- Piet deVries
I called you about a month ago with a tale of woe regarding college money we saved for our daughter. You provided me with very sound on-the-spot advice about how to view the situation.
I took your advice and was able to straighten the matter out a few days later with my ex-wife and her college planner. It seems her planner is in the business of churning fees from annuities and second mortgages. His promise of significant scholarship awards was unfounded as was his advice that use of my 529 plan funds would jeopardize the current and future grant funding.
I really appreciate your help and would like to meet with you in the future for college and other financial planning issues.
Thanks Again.
-- G.W.
Now, take a look at this Santa Cruz Sentinel Article, The Nightmare of Paying for College, and read how Steve was able to assist these families.
Now that you know what we can accomplish, let's take a moment to find out more About Steve Shapiro.