College is a major expense, especially at top-tier private universities costing over $280,000 for a 4-year degree. Even high-income families can struggle to pay full freight. Strategic planning allows you to minimize college costs and continue growing your family’s wealth. With specialized expertise guiding affluent families, advisors have helped save hundreds of thousands in college costs through personalized strategies. The 3-Step College Funding Process A holistic process helps high net worth families develop customized college funding plans aligned with their financial pictures: Step 1: Ge ..read more

Securing a spot at prestigious universities has become increasingly challenging. To most, it simply feels impossible. And the media fuels that impression by highlighting the low single-digit acceptance rates at top-tier institutions like Stanford, Princeton, and Duke. Though the stories about stiff admission competition dominate the news, I hope you will break free from this narrow mindset. Instead of fixating on getting in, let’s explore more profound questions that will lead you to a college where you can truly thrive. Question 1: Can I Afford It? Beyond the exhilaration of acceptance lies t ..read more

It’s almost as if every year, we embark on a long and exciting road trip, but many of us forget one crucial thing – the map. We’re sometimes too proud or too scared to admit that we’re a little lost and could do with some directions. Some of us convince ourselves that we know the way, but then we just sit there, revving the engine, never really starting the journey. If you’re convinced you know the path but don’t set the wheels in motion, do you really know the route? It’s a bit like deciding to traverse the winding roads and vast landscapes of America, from sea to shining sea, without a map o ..read more

What is scarier than Michael Myers on Halloween Night? Having to fill out the FAFSA alone. Well, I have great news! Peachtree College Planning is here to help you. We want you to use the following information to jump start your work on filling out the FAFSA. This will help you whether you have a student in college or one going to college in the Fall for 2023. With October 1st here, you need to know the next steps to be successful in making college more affordable. If you don't complete this form wisely, you will leave money on the table. Filing financial aid forms is necessary for most famili ..read more

IF NOT… IT COULD COST YOU THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS! Each year, I am amazed at how unwilling parents are to admit that they don’t know what they don’t know.  Some say they know but then never do anything.  Well, if you know and don’t do….do you really know?  It is like driving across the country without a map but saying you know where you are going.  Come on guys, how many times have we said we know where we are going, just hoping we will luck into the right turn before our wife realizes we are full of it. Think of all the wasted time trying to figure something out when we coul ..read more

You see all the inequality in education. High schools are overcrowded… and underfunded. The SAT is biased. Many teachers are feeling burned out. Public School Counselors, on average, have well over 400 students assigned to them. And there’s so much more. How does this inequality relate to you? They pile up to make college admissions unfair, even though many in admissions work hard to create opportunities for everyone. You therefore need to take deliberate steps to level the playing field for your teen. So, here are 5 steps you can take to give your family an edge. 1.    &nb ..read more

College Terminology IMPORTANT: Be sure to store this newsletter somewhere where you can access it easily. The cost for a student to graduate from college today approaches $100,000 on the low end of the scale. With such high tuition costs and resulting student debt, every family sending a child to college MUST understand how the system works and be familiar with the college terminology involved. Here is just a shortlist of the college terminology used today, but it will be invaluable when you begin your college planning process. If you need a college funding gameplan for your family or have que ..read more

Financial Aid Awards Are Confusing for a Reason. Did you read the article that talked about how financial aid award letters can be very confusing to families, and how many colleges are borderline deceptive the way they structure their award letters: Manipulating the Total Cost Of College Not showing the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) on the award letter Giving a grant or scholarship in the first year, and then removing it in subsequent years High-cost college PLUS Loan maneuvering Well, earlier this week I received a request from one of my clients to help him understand four award le ..read more

It’s financial aid time, and everyone should apply for financial aid, regardless of income. One of the biggest myths is that you make too much to achieve financial aid. see most families don't understand they system and miss out on a lot of free money.  Remember, financial aid is for everyone, you just need to understand which bucket of cash you are eligible to receive.   That is where the FAFSA comes into play. Even students from wealthy families can take advantage of a low-cost Unsubsidized Stafford Loan offered by filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The i ..read more

Today, more and more high-income parents are having children later in life. The reason for this decision is often to pursue a career and first become financially sound; however, this decision can come back to haunt these late-bloomers when they eventually face a double-whammy: college and retirement. The decision to delay starting their families has left many couples with only six to twelve years to save for retirement after their youngest child graduates from college. When you consider that today’s college costs can range anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000 per year, per child; it is clearly evi ..read more