College Financial Aid: How To Get Your Fair Share  (8th edition, released October, 2010)
by CFP Peter V. Laurenzo (Author)


Introduction:
Most families lack the knowledge that will ensure that their children will qualify for as much financial aid as they are legally entitled to. This lack of understanding is not only costly, but it often prohibits a student from attending the school of choice. Financial aid is not a gimmick, it is a system of rules, formulas, strategies and compromises. If you don't understand the system, you will inevitably pay more than the person who does.

It is evident that families lose thousands of dollars of financial aid each year because they are uninformed or misinformed about the financial aid process. Many families who didn't qualify for any aid would have received aid with proper planning. Do all families qualify for financial aid? Of course not. There are many factors that determine how much a family is entitled to receive. Do not assume ineligibility without first investigating the facts!

Most families do not have adequate funds accumulated to pay for a four year college education. There is an abundance of statistical information illustrating how much you should be saving on a monthly basis to accumulate the amount of money you will need by the time your children reach college age. The reality is that most people don't have the disposable income available to accomplish this goal.

EFC Calculation Software (Calculate Expected Family Contribution Quickly And Easily!)

Projecting the minimum out of pocket costs that your clients may pay for their child's education gives them the benefit of preparing for this expense, as well as a direction to what price range of schools may be affordable to them.

This dynamic software is designed to calculate an estimated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) with minimum data entry. A user-friendly screen allows quick and easy data entry then, with a click you can immediately view the EFC. Non-formula data entry is not needed, thus EFC results are achieved in minutes. Changes in income and assets are easily made to illustrate the impact on EFC. To view the need analysis report, simply click report for detail and a print option (Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP & NT Compatible).