For overwhelmed and stressed out parents of 11th graders, who have a queasy, pit-in-the-stomach feeling when they lie awake at night, desperately wondering how they'll afford their kids' college tuition

"Secrets" of How to Get Every Last Dime You Deserve for College

Blunt, sarcastic and definitely NOT politically correct "College Planning Guru" reveals how to SLASH college costs by 52.2% or more...even if you think you can't possibly qualify for anything!

This message is especially for parents who don't want to let their kids down, after they worked their tails off to get admitted to their "Dream Colleges"

Dear Fellow Parent:

Unless you've been living in a cave, you know how ridiculously out of hand college costs have gotten, with no end in sight.

And you may feel like throwing your hands up, out of desperation, wondering, "What can I do?  Families like us never get anything!"

But you'd be wrong.

My name is Andy Lockwood.  I'm the bestselling author of How to Pay "Wholesale" for College and four other college planning books, and an expert on college financial aid and admissions, with close to 20 years in the field of college advising.

I've been featured more times than I can count in local, national and international media such as Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, CBS, The Miami Herald, i24 News, to name only a few.

I'm not telling you this to show off, because, seriously, who cares? :)

I'm humble-bragging solely because I really hope you pay attention to this short note -- which is about YOU -- not me.

I urge you to silence your phone, shut down Facebook and Amazon, and go somewhere quiet where you won't be interrupted for the next 10 minutes.

Because what I have to say could -- quite literally -- put thousands of dollars in your pocket.   

I know that sounds too good to be true, but I'll prove it.

It's not your fault

Let's not sugar coat things.  Hundreds of top colleges and universities now get more than $70,000 -- per year -- when you add up tuition, room, board, books and those sneaky, hidden fees.

(Not to mention "incidental necessities" like Ubers that didn't exist back when we went to college!)

That's just for one child. If you have two, three or more kiddos headed to college, brace yourself.

The truth about how much YOU have saved for college... compared to OTHERS

I'll be blunt: 97% of parents haven't saved enough to cover tuition for their children.

And only 19% of families have a 529 College Savings Plan. 

Yep, only a tiny fraction of families can pay for college out of their savings.

So, if you don't live in that elite, 3% neighborhood who can cover tuition and room and board out of pocket, don't worry -- you have plenty of company.

And if you CAN simply write a check, why on earth would you overpay, if you don't have to?

Look, no matter which group you fall in, there's absolutely ZERO reason to feel ashamed or to beat yourself up. It won't help things, anyway, because...

The odds are stacked against you.

"Mass affluent" and upper middle class families are under siege, facing:

• Skyrocketing tuition costs
• Exorbitant property and income taxes
• An assault by way of decreasing "real" wages and spending power (by both political parties, fyi)
• The Big Business Colleges, who want as much of your cash as they can grab to pay for their administrative bloat and luxury amenities (dorms with flat panel TVs and granite countertops, rock climbing walls, lazy rivers) designed to lure today's teens like moths to a flame

Good news:  there's a way out

Thankfully, there's light at the end of the tunnel, and it's NOT an oncoming train.  :)

Here are a few, strange, counter-intuitive and little-known facts about college aid that should give you hope:

• The average tuition discount at a private college is now up to 52.2%, according to the National Association of Collegiate Business Officers.
• At most colleges, only 25% of families pay "Full Boat" -- the vast majority receive some type of subsidy from the college by way of merit or need-based aid, and the from the government
• Most aid goes to families in the top 25% of earnings, meaning, six-figure and seven-figure income families
• Colleges negotiate now, more than ever

BOTTOM LINE:  Paying full price is a CHOICE, not an obligation.

That may be all well and good, but I bet I know what you're thinking...

Yeah, great.  So how do WE get our hands on the aid we need...and deserve?

Unfortunately, it's not so easy.  Colleges are businesses, and they want as much of your money as they can get.

The federal government won't help you -- they're busy collecting $53 Billion plus of student loan interest.

Don't bother asking your accountant for financial aid advice, either -- they're struggling to keep up with changes to the IRS tax code, let alone learn a completely NEW set of Department of Education regulations. 

99% of CPAs don't know the intricacies, "loopholes" and "landmines" buried in the financial aid regulations.

Can you blame them?

Look at the above chart,  the "Simplified" view of the rules and regs behind the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), hands down the less complicated of the two most commonly used financial aid applications.

That's why it's INCREDIBLY EASY to screw up your financial aid forms...

...and your chances of getting the money you need -- and deserve -- do send your child to the college she worked so hard to get into!

How to Self-Sabotage

Last year, USA today reported that students missed out on a staggering $2.6 Billion in free money for college.

I disagree heartily with that number:

It's LOW!

That annual study pertains only to the FAFSA, the federal form.  It doesn't contemplate mistakes on the CSS Profile -- an application more than twice as long as the FAFSA -- and about 10 times as complicated!

The CSS Profile is used by approximately 400 colleges to dole out their OWN, endowment funds, separate and apart from FAFSA money.

So the true amount of unclaimed funds could be a multiple of 2.6 Billion, logically speaking.

Here's what this means for you 

I hate to break it to you: it's awfully, incredibly easy to shoot yourself in the foot by committing any number of deadly, critical, money-losing mistakes that result in thousands of dollars -- otherwise EARMARKED for your family -- being left on the table, unclaimed.

Here's an abbreviated "laundry list" of some of the most common self-inflicted errors that do-it-yourselfers make:

• Blowing priority deadlines
• Not filing the correct forms
• Dates of birth on the FAFSA not matching the tax return
• Social security numbers on the FAFSA not matching the tax return or Common Application
• Mistakenly "oversharing" information that's none of your financial aid officer's business, and SABOTAGING your chances of aid
• Confusing parent information with student information on the FAFSA
• Failure to understand the key "loopholes" or legal exemptions that can improve your eligibility for more aid
• Not filing because you think you can't qualify
• Not filing, which hurts your ability to get MERIT aid at many colleges
• Business owners:  messing up the questions pertaining to valuation of their business
• Business owners: not availing themselves of key "business scholarships" lurking, trapped in their business
• Divorced families:  having the "wrong" parent complete the FAFSA
• Negotiation:  Failure to proffer the most persuasive arguments to receive an improved offer
• Verification:  when a college "audits" your applications after your file, failure to respond to their inquiries in a strategic and effective manner

These were just off the top of my head. I could list another couple dozen without breaking a sweat.

Anyway, you get the point:

Even one, simple mistake you could cost you thousands

Or, quite literally, tens of thousands. That's not hype or exaggeration...

...Because if you fill out your FAFSA, CSS Profile, Business Supplement or other forms required by your colleges INCORRECTLY -- or without knowing the proper, legal and ethical STRATEGIES to improve your eligibility  at your disposal -- you could MISS OUT on thousands of dollars you otherwise deserved.

We see it each and every year.  But you know what's most sad?

These mistakes are easily avoidable.  

And, to boot, the stakes are super-high.  Your children's future - and YOUR financial future -- are too important to sport a careless, cavalier attitude about financial aid.  Because if you "wing it:"

• You could end up saddling your child with six figures of high rate, high fee, CRUSHING debt. (I went through this myself, trust me, it SUCKS rotten eggs)
• You could end up mortgaging your home - or retirement savings - up to your eyeballs.
• Or, perhaps worst of all, you might have to confess, quietly, to your child who "did her part" to get in where she deserves,

"Sorry, I can't swing it.  I didn't do MY part."

Here's how to prevent this heartbreak...

Get EVERYTHING you deserve

Proper, strategic completion of your financial aid application can be worth thousands (or more).

Our "Financial Aid Warrior" gets you every last dollar you should get, and in some cases, more than you thought you deserved.

It's fast and easy, but more importantly:

You'll never have to worry about making a costly mistake or missing a deadline, forgetting to do something -- or anything that could cost you a small fortune.

Here's what you get when you say "Yes!" to our Financial Aid Warrior forms prep and consulting service:

A word about guarantees

If we learned nothing from the Felicity, Lori et al scandal, if anyone promises you a "guaranteed" result, you should run, not walk, away.

Because barring any bribing, photoshopping or other shenanigans, there's absolutely NO WAY anyone, present company included, could guarantee results.

I can't control your child's grades.

Nor can I control his standardized test scores.

I have no control over any of your colleges' budgets.

I have no idea who ELSE is applying to your child's colleges this year.

That's why every reputable trade group of college advisors and colleges considers guarantees to be completely UNETHICAL.

I realize that we're both adults, and you must know this, but I felt the need to put it in writing, because I always err on the side of full disclosure, whenever in doubt.

Who Should Enroll in Our Program?

There are several reasons to file the FAFSA and CSS Profile.  Here are some of the most common:

• To qualify for need-based grants
• To qualify for loans
• To qualify for MERIT aid at many colleges
• High Income Families:  to demonstrate financial strength and potentially give your child an edge in admissions
• If you think you won't qualify:  You might be wrong! (If you don't ask, the answer is always "NO!")

Final Thoughts 

So now your kiddo is graduating high school in a matter of months, and about to end one phase of his or her life and launch into another, new adventure.

If you're like me, Pearl and most parents, you've spend thousands of hours driving them to and from school, practices, rehearsals, games, performances, camp, tutoring, extra help, you name it.  The list is endless, and the costs felt bottomless.

NOW, you're on third base, heading for home.  This isn't the time to abandon them and leave them to their own devices. 

Even if they don't realize it, they need you now, more than ever.

THIS is the time to finish what you started, to make sure that they get every advantage and opportunity to go to the BEST college for them, at a price that's right for the WHOLE FAMILY.

We're here to help you make that happen.

When you enroll, you'll feel great, immediately, because you'll have gotten your children the best help you're capable of.

You'll put true experts in your corner, who will be right there by your side, taking you by the hand and leading you from a dark cave, fraught with peril, into the light. 

Questions?

If you have any questions about our process, which program you need or anything else, email "[email protected]" or call 516-882-5464 and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.