“Learn the #1 Secret To Getting Your Child IN to College And Getting You MO.NEY to Help Pay the College Bill on Thursday January 14, 2010 at 8 PM”

From: Jeanmarie Keller, Your College Admissions and Financial Aid Expert
Columbia, MD

Date: Thursday, 9:47 AM

Dear Parents of College-Bound High School Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors,

$ Are you worried about how you’ll pay the college bill when those acceptance letters arrive?

$ Are you thinking that a state college or university is going to be the ONLY affordable option?

$ Would you like your student to have several colleges to choose from — ones you can afford — when it comes time to decide where he or she is going to college?

Join me for a LIVE, content-filled call on January 14th and LEARN the #1 Secret for getting The Most Mo.ney to Help You Pay The College Bill…

In these uncertain economic times, competition for admission and limited financial aid resources is greater than ever before. School financial aid nights simply cannot provide all of the information that you need to get YOUR FAIR SHARE OF MONEY to help pay the college bill! Click here to register:

With the costs of college rising every year and more students than ever applying for both admissions and scholarships — just hoping for the best is not enough!

Following a strategic college plan makes a HUGE difference. My clients know that a plan makes the difference. And getting answers to your questions is the first step in creating YOUR college plan…

CLICK HERE Attend this FREE Seminar on Thursday January 14th or Saturday the 16th, 2010 from the comfort of your own home and start creating your own plan.

You cannot afford to miss this tell-all, secret revealing seminar! Make room on your calendar, cancel what you have to – it will be well worth your time to be on this call. BOTH PARENTS AND STUDENTS will benefit from this seminar! This is your opportunity to ask questions and get answers!

There is no person or agency that manages the process or develops an individualized and comprehensive plan for your family as you prepare for your student’s college plans and potentially exorbitant college costs. It is up to YOU. You will need to do this!

I’m hosting this 90 minute content- filled telephone/web-based seminar to share the key things parents (and students) need to know when it comes to getting in at the right colleges, how to get more money to help you pay the bill, why its so important, and what will happen if you don’t do everything possible to get the money you need.

We’ll be answering your questions LIVE as well as giving away a few prizes to those on the call! Click here to reserve your spot on this call…

There is no charge for this call. It’s my GIFT to you, because I know how important ittelephone.jpg is for you to have as much mon.ey possible to help pay the college bill, especially when you have a family like I do.

This past year my clients were awarded over $6 Million just in scholarship and grant money

- that’s FREE MONEY that doesn’t have to be paid back!

(AND, what’s more impressive is that not one penny of that money came from “private” college scholarships!)

I created this workshop so parents and students can learn simple, PROVEN strategies to get the MOST money possible – no matter how much money you make or have!

What Makes This Different Than Other College Seminars?

* What you need to know NOW to win in TODAY’s college “game” (not the game from 2, 10 or 20 years ago!)
* The three challenges you’ll need to overcome if you want to get IN and get MONEY!
* Why high school “Financial Aid Nights” can be hazardous to your wealth!
* How to double, or even triple, your eligibility for financial aid!
* How to increase your college opportunities in 7 easy steps!

It’s so easy to get this valuable information — CLICK HERE and register for the call I’ll be sure to save you a spot on the next call.
PS: Please be sure to share this with others, won’t you? If you’re already a client of mine, of course you are welcomed to attend, but please, won’t you let others know, too?

Dear Jean,

We attended a college financial aid night at our daughter’s school and the state representative kept using the term EFC but never truly explained it. What is it and why is it important?

Signed,

Confused in Nesconset, NY

Dear Confused,

The “EFC” is financial aid lingo for Expected Family Contribution and is the single most important number you need to know if you’re serious about college planning. It’s important because it is the MINIMUM amount the colleges are going to expect you to pay for your child’s college education.

Your EFC is determined when you file the FAFSA, the CSS PROFILE and/or a college’s own financial aid form. Every family has TWO family contribution numbers: a FEDERAL EFC, which is determined by the FAFSA; and, an INSTITUTIONAL EFC which is determined by the school itself, usually by using the CSS PROFILE or their own financial aid form.

Sometimes the school’s institutional EFC and the FAFSA’s EFC are the same; sometimes they’re not.

What’s important to understand is that the Federal and Institutional EFCs are merely starting points for the schools. That is why it is so critical to get this number as low as possible.

Your EFC determines how much, if any, need-based financial aid you’re eligible to receive. For example, if your EFC is $10,000 and a school costs $25,000, you are eligible for $15,000 in need based financial aid at that school.

Since College Financial Aid Officers have a lot of discretion when it comes to manipulating the family contribution numbers, you want yours as low as possible.

The lower your expected family contribution, the less you’ll ultimately pay.

Both the Federal and Institutional calculations of the Family Contribution work under the following premises:

$ The Expected Family Contribution is an estimate of a family’s financial strength– how they can absorb the cost of paying for college, based on financial resources available. This is key: it looks at financial resources available, NOT how those financial aid resources are being used (i.e. debt, high living expenses, etc.)

$ Income plays the biggest role in the formulas used to calculate the EFC.

$ The Expected Family Contribution is based on ability to pay– not WILLINGNESS to pay.

$ EFC is not an estimate of your “left-over” resources from family finances once otiStock_000003060162Small.jpgher responsibilities are met.

$ The Government and the Schools expect families in similar circumstances to pay similar amounts.

$ Parents AND Students share responsibility for paying for college

$ The EFC is always based on the previous year’s income.

Knowing the premises behind how the EFC is calculated and used allows families to set proper expectations when it comes to financial aid.

Your Get NOTICED, Get IN, Get MONEY Assignment: Learn your EFC — It’s critical to your college plans. Once you know your current situation, you can better plan ahead when it comes to college! You need to make sure that you’re including financial aid considerations in your comprehensive college plan!

Even if your student is already applying to colleges.. it’s not too late.

Don’t be like the countless of families who right now aren’t even thinking about the mo.ney part of the process.

They won’t start thinking about it until February or March when most families file the financial aid paperwork. And then it is way too late! They (and you if you don’t do things differently) will have missed out on CRITICAL opportunties that are available right now to maximize their chances for mo.ney to help pay the college bill.

Fail to plan this properly and you WILL leave money on the table.
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