Start with Where You Are

• Tell me briefly about your student and where they are in the college process Options: 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade, Accepted and choosing, Gap year
• How long have you been monitoring college costs and saving Options: Less than 1 year, 1-3 years, 3-5 years, 5+ years, We just started
• When you picture an acceptable college bill at enrollment, what annual family contribution feels manageable Options: $0 - $5,000 per year, $5,001 - $15,000 per year, $15,001 - $30,000 per year, $30,001+ per year, Prefer to answer in monthly amounts
• Which of these best describes your savings to date for this student Options: No dedicated savings, Under $10,000, $10,000 - $35,000, $35,001 - $75,000, $75,001+
• Walk me through any existing education accounts you hold for the student, including who owns them and whether you can share statements
• If there were one number that would make you sleep easier about college costs, what would it be

What Are You Assuming About Aid?

• Who do you assume will be responsible for any student loans, and has that been discussed with your child Options: Parent(s) only, Student mostly, Shared responsibility, Undecided, Other
• How do you expect need based aid or merit scholarships to change the schools on your list Options: They will make top colleges affordable, They will narrow the list, No change expected, I am unsure
• When you file taxes each year, have there been life events that changed your adjusted gross income significantly Options: Yes, major change in last 2 years, Yes, but more than 2 years ago, No major changes, Unsure
• Give an example of a school on your list where sticker price seems out of reach and why you still consider it
• Which family assets worry you most as a factor that could reduce eligibility for aid Options: 529 accounts, Brokerage accounts, Retirement accounts, Home equity, Business ownership, Cash savings, Other
• If a realistic net price at your top school exceeds your target by $20,000 per year, what would you do next Options: Reconsider that school, Ask for more scholarships or appeals, Increase borrowing, Delay enrollment or gap year, Seek advisor help, Other

Where Plans Tend to Break

• Describe the last time an application or financial form caught you by surprise, and what broke because of it
• To what extent have deadlines or paperwork timing forced you to make rushed decisions Options: Almost always, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, Never
• Who in your household usually owns college paperwork, and how confident are they handling logins and tax requests Options: I do, confident, I do, not confident, Spouse or partner does, confident, Shared responsibility, confident, Shared responsibility, not confident, Other
• Do you currently have tax returns and asset documentation ready for the last two years Options: Yes, ready and organized, Yes, but not organized, Some documents missing, No, not started
• On a scale from 1 to 5, how stressful does the financial aid process feel right now Options: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
• Name the single missing document or step that would stop us from completing an aid application in time

Who Else Is Trying to Solve This? (The Options You're Weighing)

• List the other options you are weighing for funding and advice Options: Do it myself, School financial aid office, Independent college planning advisor, Financial planner at a bank or firm, CPA or tax advisor, Other
• Select which of these options you have already tried or are actively considering Options: Do it myself, School financial aid office, Independent advisor, Financial planner, CPA or tax advisor, Other
• What would have to be true about your current approach for you to feel confident sticking with it instead of changing
• Have any family members or internal advisors proposed handling this without an outside partner Options: Yes, a family member would handle it, Yes, an internal financial planner offered to help, No one has proposed it, Unsure
• Rate the responsiveness or quality of the financial aid office at your top choice schools so far Options: Excellent, Good, Mixed, Poor, Not contacted
• Would you accept an option that costs nothing but does not include a comparative award analysis Options: Yes, Maybe, No

What Would Success Actually Feel Like?

• Imagine you open the first award letter and feel genuinely relieved, what about that letter caused that relief
• Estimate the total student borrowing across four years that would be acceptable to your family Options: $0, Up to $10,000, $10,001 - $30,000, $30,001 - $60,000, $60,001+
• Tell me the net price difference per year between two comparable schools that would change your decision Options: $0 - $5,000, $5,001 - $10,000, $10,001 - $20,000, $20,001+
• Name who needs to sign off on the final funding plan for it to be considered done Options: Primary earning parent, Other parent or partner, Both parents, Student, Family decision group
• Would you prioritize minimizing monthly payment, minimizing total interest paid, or keeping your child's options open even if it costs more Options: Minimize monthly payment, Minimize total interest, Keep options open, Balance of the three, Undecided
• Identify the single success metric that, if achieved, would make you stop shopping for more advisors

Can We Access What We Need to Move Fast?

• Are your most recent tax returns and 529 account statements available and in a downloadable format Options: All ready and downloadable, Some ready, some not, Not available, Unsure
• Designate the family member who will be the primary contact for tax documents, account access, and consents Options: Primary parent, Partner or spouse, Student, Executor or trustee, Other
• Do you have account login constraints or privacy rules that would prevent us from preparing forms with your permission Options: No constraints, Yes, account sharing is restricted, Yes, legal or custodial restriction, Unsure
• Count the number of separate accounts or advisors that currently hold education funds for this child Options: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or more
• Is there any legal or custodial arrangement that changes who controls the funds or who can sign financial profiles Options: No, Yes, custodial account, Yes, trust or legal guardian, Unsure
• Could your family provide a contingency plan within 48 hours if a documentation gap threatens FAFSA or application deadlines Options: Yes, Possibly with help, No

How Do Family Values and Pressure Shape Choices

• Consider who in your family will feel the positive or negative impact first if college costs require more borrowing
• Share the student's view on attending a less expensive school to avoid loans Options: Very open to it, Somewhat open, Resistant, Undecided
• Describe how disagreements about affordability are normally resolved in your household
• List trade offs you are unwilling to accept when it comes to your child's education Options: Relocating far from family support, Large increase in total family debt, Forcing a major change of intended major, Signing up for high interest loans, Other
• Could naming a maximum total family contribution across four years help focus school choices Options: Yes, Maybe, No
• State your likely response if the student insists on a school that exceeds your budget by more than 25 percent Options: We would pursue more aid or appeals, We would increase borrowing, We would say no, We would consider a gap year, Other

Commitment, Timing, and Next Steps

• What would need to happen in the next two weeks for you to commit to a scoped advisory engagement
• Pick the payment arrangement that would feel fair for a scoped plan that includes FAFSA prep and award comparison Options: Flat project fee, Monthly retainer, Success fee tied to demonstrated savings, Hourly, Other
• By when do you need a completed comparison of likely net prices across your top three schools Options: Within 1 week, Within 2 weeks, Within 1 month, Before deposit deadlines, No firm deadline
• Estimate whether you have a budget for advisory fees and if so what range you have set aside Options: No budget, Under $1,500, $1,500 - $3,500, $3,501 - $6,000, $6,001+
• Are there any legal or school imposed deadlines that would block our work in the coming weeks Options: Yes, imminent deadlines, Deadlines in the next month, No critical deadlines, Unsure
• Identify the one barrier that, if not addressed now, will prevent us from delivering results by your enrollment deadlines

• Funding Strategy Walkthrough Session

• Orientation: how this process works
• You confirm a single preferred funding scenario that meets your affordability and borrowing limits.
• Deliver a prioritized funding plan PDF with scenario comparisons, net costs, recommended contributions, and loan projections within 5 business days.
• Confirm the current state and its cost
• You agree that the modeled trade-offs reveal at least one path that materially reduces expected borrowing or avoids forgoing top-choice schools.
• Provide the most recent two years of tax returns, current 529 account statements, and recent scholarship estimates within 7 days to update scenarios.
• Walk through personalized funding scenarios
• Prepare a FAFSA and CSS completion timeline with owner assignments and milestone dates before the next session.
• You commit to the evidence and documents required to finalize the recommended plan and proceed to application support.
• Schedule the award letter comparison session to occur after initial admissions offers are received.
• Compare trade-offs across scenarios
• Validate the recommended plan
• Agree next steps, deliverables, and owners

• Funding Strategy Walkthrough Session
• Funding Strategy Walkthrough Deck
• Funding Strategy Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Optimize 529 contributions and distributions
• Prepare and submit FAFSA
• Prepare and submit CSS Profile
• Model college costs and funding scenarios
• Compare financial aid award letters
• Prepare award appeal and negotiation support
• Recommend student loans and repayment plan
• Identify scholarships and assemble applications
• Provide expected family contribution analysis
• Analyze tax impacts on aid eligibility
• Guide enrollment deposit and billing choices
• Annual plan update and reforecast

Optimize 529 contributions and distributions

• Which 529 account(s) do you currently own (plan name, account owner, and beneficiary)?
• How many years before the student's expected enrollment will you begin withdrawals from the 529? Options: Less than 1 year, 1-2 years, 3-4 years, 5+ years
• Do you have beneficiaries in custodial accounts (UTMA/UGMA) or accounts owned by someone other than a parent that may affect FAFSA/CSS reporting? Options: Yes, No
• Provide the most recent 529 plan statement or current account balance to use in distribution planning.
• Indicate whether you want to prioritize tax-advantaged distributions or minimizing Expected Family Contribution (EFC) impact when scheduling withdrawals. Options: Prioritize tax efficiency, Prioritize minimizing EFC, Balance both
• Who will be responsible for executing contribution schedule changes, rollovers, or beneficiary adjustments for the 529 accounts? Options: You (family), We handle execution with your consent, Shared responsibility

Prepare and submit FAFSA

• Which student will be listed as the FAFSA applicant (full name and date of birth)?
• Do you have access to parent and student FSA IDs required to sign the FAFSA electronically? Options: Yes, both, Only student FSA ID, Only parent FSA ID, No, need assistance
• Which prior-prior year tax documents (Form 1040, W-2s) will you provide for FAFSA data matching?
• When do you want the FAFSA submitted relative to your earliest institution priority deadline? Options: As soon as FAFSA opens, 2 weeks before earliest priority deadline, On each school, s, deadline, ], "isMulti": False}, {"section": False, "content": "Who will be the primary owner for uploading verificatio..., You, (family), ,, We, assist, with

• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Fee Schedule & Payment Terms
• Authorization to Prepare and File Financial Aid Applications and Profiles
• Data Processing & Privacy Addendum
• Third-Party Authorization & Document Release
• Change Order Agreement
• Cancellation & Refund Policy

• Go-live Health Check
• First Measurement Review
• Acceptance Gate Review (approx. day 90)
• Quarterly Ongoing Review

• Document any agreed changes to scholarship priorities and list the next application deadlines to be tracked.
• All conditional or failed items have a documented remediation plan with target dates.
• The buying owner records the formal acceptance decision or documents the remaining conditions required for final acceptance.
• Publish the acceptance outcome summary documenting pass/fail status and remediation tasks within 48 hours.
• Create a remediation tracker for any conditional items with target dates and progress update checkpoints.
• If remediation is required, schedule the follow-up verification check and define the evidence required for closure.
• Metrics review
• Confirm whether the funding plan remains on track based on net cost variance and scholarship dollars secured, and identify any corrective steps.
• Agree the specific updates to FAFSA/CSS, scholarship targeting, or loan selections for the next cycle with deadlines.
• Close resolved remediation items and reassign or extend any remaining tasks with new target dates.
• Update the financial model with the latest tax, 529, and award information and share the revised projection before the next quarterly review.
• Prepare and schedule any required FAFSA/CSS filings or verifications for the coming academic year.
• Re-confirm deliverables, owners, and timelines
• All required submissions and operational artifacts for Plan Implementation & Applications are verified as completed or a remediation plan is documented.
• Open blockers are itemized with remediation tasks and target resolution dates.
• A single shared communication channel for ongoing support and issue tracking is confirmed and accessible.
• Document and circulate the remediation plan for any incomplete submissions or access issues with resolution dates.
• Populate the shared award-letter folder and confirm read/write access for the buyer and seller.
• Log any FAFSA/CSS submission errors with required correction steps and target refile dates.
• Present first outcome data
• Clear understanding of current values for FAFSA/CSS on-time completion rate and projected net cost variance, and whether they meet Financing Plan Scope targets.
• A prioritized remediation list with target dates to correct any gaps before the acceptance gate.
• A confirmed timeline to the acceptance gate with required pre-reading and data deliverables specified.
• Correct any FAFSA/CSS data errors and refile or document changes by the agreed date.
• Collect and upload all award letters received to the shared comparison folder and flag missing letters.
• Update the projected net cost model with the latest award information and circulate the revised projection.
• Restate acceptance criteria and numeric targets
• Each Financing Plan Scope acceptance criterion is marked passed, conditional, or failed with evidence recorded.
• Implementation verification
• Present outcome data against each criterion
• Gap diagnosis
• Changes in finances or school list
• Agree corrective actions and timeline
• Early adoption and access checks
• Plan adjustments and next-year tasks
• Document pass/fail per criterion and remediation plan
• Open issues burn-down
• Record acceptance decision
• Confirm readiness for acceptance gate
• Blockers and remediation planning