Do-It-Yourself College Planning

DIY Details

For those Do-It-Yourself (DIY) fans, we offer the DIY college planning package.
This gives students and families the opportunity to do it themselves with helpful resources, tips, and tools created by experts who want you and your student to be successful.

The DIY package allows families to take charge of their own College Planning roadmap to help navigate the process. Resources and helpful advice are organized by year on our website, giving families strategic resources right at their fingertips with quick, virtual access.

Examples of what is included in the DIY package:

• Pointers on best academic plan to get into college
• Recommended “to do” actions for each student year
• Career assessment app and directions for using it
• Guidance on career and college selections
• Guidance on best SAT/ACT test preparation tools and test-taking strategies
• Access to helpful templates and resources
• Pointers on writing college application essays
• Guidance on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion
• Guidance on financial and merit-award analysis
• Links to the best scholarship searches
• Guidance on college acceptance and how to complete award appeals
• Regular updates on changes and helpful hints
• Complimentary college funding strategy session with a preferred fiduciary financial planning advisor

Considerations

Is This Package Right for You?

The DIY package works best for parents who have the time and dedication to work with their students and oversee all the critical steps.

Parents and students should also have a good working relationship with each other. “Working” is the relative term here—because it is work, and as a parent, you will be giving your student advice and assigning tasks.

Our advisors spend on average 40 – 60 hours with each student through the full college planning process.

Consider:

• How much time do you have to dedicate to this project?
• How effective are you at scheduling and keeping track of given assignments?
• How well does your student take constructive feedback from you?
• Are you good at reading directions and steering your student through the recommended processes and steps?
• How good are you at tracking college trends and changes?

If you have the time and dedication, this is a great package for you and your student at a great value.

Benefits

Benefits of the DIY Package

For the DIY family, there are a lot of positive outcomes and satisfaction with this package:

• You have a well-thought-out and strategic plan to follow for college!
• You are saving money!
• You and your student will have a sense of accomplishment for achieving each milestone together.
• You have direct control over the process—the recommended steps are mapped out for you, but you can customize the process to fit your student’s needs, as well as your family’s.
• You will have a greater sense of enjoyment—this is your baby! You get to have planned, purposeful, one-on-one meetings with your student, helping him or her make successful plans for the future.

For the DIY family, if you have the time, the dedication, and the desire for more quality interaction with your student, this is a great package for you!

Here’s the best part—you can always upgrade!

If you need critical advice at key points, the Hybrid package is always available. Or if you decide you need our full-service package, you can upgrade at any time.

Price

A single payment of $495 per student provides you with an exclusive membership to our college planning website, which provides resources and updates until your student graduates college.

A complimentary college funding strategy session with a preferred fiduciary financial planning advisor is also included.