Content Level: Foundational
NAPFA Subject Area: A-Financial Planning Process

This program has three modules:
1. Welcome and Introduction
2. How to Create a College Funding Plan (for 1.5 CFP CEs and 1.5 NAPFA CEs)
3. A Tutorial for College Aid Pro™ (for 1.5 NAPFA CEs)

Many American families are frightened by the rising costs of college. The NAPFA Foundation’s partnership with College Aid Pro allows families to learn more about the costs of college and make plans to address them. Financial planners have unique qualifications to help teach families about planning, budgeting, and saving for college. By utilizing the College Aid Pro tools, financial planners can be better equipped to guide families through the caverns of student loans, Pell grants, EFCs, and so much more. This 4-part series will guide you through the features of advising with College Aid Pro, how to read a college money report, and how to advise families to make better plans for college.

1. Determine how to help your clients find schools that will give students merit scholarships even if they are high net worth
2. Project a family’s financial aid and out of pocket cost at individual institutions
3. Understand the key differences in the federal and institutional formulas used to determine a family’s needs based on financial aid eligibility
4. Learn insights from what’s happening inside financial aid offices across the country

Joe Messinger, CFP®, ChFC, CLU, CCFC

Joe Messinger, CFP®, ChFC, CLU, CCFC is on a mission to end the student loan crisis one family at a time. He created the innovative College Pre-Approval™ system and has trained thousands of advisors across the country on how to seamlessly guide families through the college-funding maze with confidence and ease. Messinger is a Co-Founder of College Aid Pro™, the award winning FinTech solution that takes the hassle out of late-stage college planning. A proud graduate of Penn State University, he is also Partner and Director of College Planning at Capstone Wealth Partners, a fee-only RIA.