We would have never thought we could even remotely afford to have Troy attend USF had our paths not crossed with yours at that library in Clayton back in November. Destiny!
-Lesli Vander Groen., Concord, CA view Troy's testimonial
The Free Community workshop destroyed a lot of the common myths and
beliefs about college costs and qualifications, leaving us with hope and
a better understanding.
- Mary H., Walnut Creek, CA
Greetings Sean & Alexis,
My hubby & I met with you Nov. 7th and you gave us good advice about our 2 girls who are already in college.
Our daughter is a sophomore at Cal and doing very well. We took your advise and our daughter’s financial aid was increased by $2,000/semester!!! Our EFC was lowered from about $2,700 to zero, thanks to you two!
We’re in the process of working on our second child’s (our niece) free money. She’s a freshman at Davis right now and they have no more work-study available to give out, but we are in process of application for her to become independent – and hopefully that will help reduce her loans and increase free aid. Again, thank you – you truly do give good information for a great cause. Keep up the great work.
God bless,
Sibyl & Dwayne Bal ~ Pinole, CA
Dear Sean & Alexis,
We wanted to take the time to say “Thank You” for helping our daughter, Adrianna to not only select the right school that seems to be a perfect match for her, but also positioning us to get a good financial aid package from Cal Poly-Pomona.
I remember that we were considering sending her to a community college because we did not think that we would be able to afford the tuition costs of a 4-year college. After being “nicely talked to” by you, we took your advice and followed through with your guidance and now she is getting A’s and B’s, majoring in Architecture, and receiving just over $18,000.00 per year in free money that we will never have to pay back. We definitely could not have done this without you.
Again, thank you so much for your assistance in not only helping us with financial aid, choosing the school, helping us renew her financial aid package this year, but also for keeping us calm throughout the process during her senior year and walking us through it all. You truly are an angel and we are blessed to have you in our lives.
Sincerely,
Daniel, Nancy and Adrianna Ericson ~ Walnut Creek, CA
Hi Lex and Sean and Karrie,
Just received the packet of info and the photos. I know you are sooo happy to be through this part of the year. I appreciate all the hard work you do for us filling out endless forms, reviewing our finances, catching errors and omissions, and keeping us in the loop. I felt so sorry for Sean with his head on his desk (but I had to laugh, too) and Lex with his desk covered. And Karrie surrounded by files and paperwork; hope you kept Karrie serving endless cups of coffee!
You guys are awesome! I’ll keep singing your praises to anyone with high schoolers, and if they don’t at least talk to you, it’s their tremendous loss.
Thanks again, we love working with you,
Marlene Baker ~ San Ramon, CA
We came to College Funding Specialists after attending a class they had taught at the Walnut Creek community library back in 2006. Everyone told us that it would be a waist of time because we ‘make too much money’. But, our son really wanted to attend a fancy, private school, which was going to cost over $40,000 per year, and we were scared enough to figure ‘what the heck’.
Well, after working with Sean and Alexis and the College funding Specialists team, here’s the end result: Before we met them, the colleges would have expected us to pay every single dime of our son’s education. But after following a few painless suggestions, it will cost us less than if he stayed at home and went to a community college!
For instance, Alexis showed us one thing that we had been doing to plan for college (that all the traditional planners said was a great idea) that would have actually cost us $5,859 per year in aid! And, he noticed that the school forgot to include a grant worth $7,449 and helped us to get it back from them.
Here’s the bottom line: St. Mary’s should have cost us $45,499 per year, if you include everything like room and board and books. But instead, it will only cost $6,010 per year.
We’re getting $140,836 over four years of financial aid!
Thank you, Alexis and Sean. We really appreciate all your help!
Rick and Patty Wong ~ Concord, CA
Dear Alexis,
It was a pleasure to speak with you earlier this afternoon. Thank you for taking the time to touch base briefly, in order to update you on my academic progress and experience. I hope you enjoyed a relaxing holiday weekend with family and friends…
I am thoroughly enjoying my transition to Boston, its people, and the academia. Boston University is providing a rigorous but worthwhile curriculum, which will adequately prepare me for a career in the future. Thank you for all of your assistance in providing advise during my college search process; your advise was extremely beneficial.
Per our discussion, I have been aggressively pursuing opportunities within private equity, hedge funds, and boutique money management firms in New York. I look forward to reading your recommended investment literature selections, and continuing to explore opportunities on Wall Street. Please keep me in mind for any exciting opportunities, or influential individuals with whom you feel I should speak with for informational purposes.
I anticipate our next meeting in 2008 and will most surely keep you updated on my progress. Wish my best to the family for a safe and joyous New Year’s celebration.
Thank you for your time, consideration and support.
Sincerely,
Jennifer C. O’Bryan~ Concord, CA
