Going over the school financial assistance available
This includes what dollar amount of financial need each college meets for your child. Each school has a different calculation on what they consider financial need and it will vary based on income, from no help to 100% of financial need met. This includes the over 100+ schools that will meet full financial need. Some are need aware and some are need blind. Once you decide to move forward everything will be laid out and easy to understand.
Enter the FASA information
**and this is critical
When you apply to schools you must enter all your financial information into FASA. This is the Government website that all institutions use to receive documents where they consider financial aid. This is very challenging and can be frustrating for many many parents. My financial background with the understanding of income and assets becomes a real value add. I will enter the information required which will include tax returns, W2's, business returns and bank statements. You will then need to fill out my form truthfully and correctly so I can enter the information into the FASA system. This form will include your income, social security numbers, owned properties, assets, and names of corporations. I will then gather your documents and put them into the FASA system. After I would return them to you or dispose of them.
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Each school might have different questions or requirements, and might come back to you a second and third time to get answers. I will be able to handle all of those questions, as my financial background is a great benefit for understanding this part. You will need to sign a third party disclosure giving me the authority to discuss what I have sent and to go over the documents if ever needed to whichever schools you decide to send the FASA information. (this means most likely you have intention to apply). The cost is approximately $20 per school. For certain incomes this fee is waived by the schools.
Enter net calculations
Each school has a net calculator for financial need. What this net calculator does, it gives you a pretty close snapshot to the amount of financial assistance the school will give you. Based on the information you have given me and I have entered(income, assets). You will receive an email with those calculations. If the numbers are accurate you will have a clear picture of what financial assistance the school will give you. This includes the time to put the information into the 10 school net calculators.
Help with the financial aid office
Once your child has chosen a school, the school will pull all the financial and assets information from FASA. At times, the school will have questions, or actually question certain things on the income or assets. My job is to be the point person and to get that information to the school. They might ask for clarification from an accountant, why something was left off a document or question information about assets. I will be to get that information from you to them. Sometimes more clarification is necessary and more time is needed to address the issues with the aid office.
For example: I was a day trader who only used $25,000 to accumulate over $3,000,000 in trades over a 12 month period. The aid office had a hard time understanding how I used that $25,000 to accumulate $3,000,000 in trades and how the value of my stocks weren't higher than the -$25,000 I lost. It took several emails, explanations, a letter from my accountant and from Etrade to get things sorted out.