Here’s just a partial list of what parents had to say about working with the College Planning Advisory Group (CPAG).
I was very please with all of John Nguyen’s services and financially he saved us a substantial amount of money. Thanks to CPAG, all three of my children are now in college.
~ The Luu Family
I am delighted to share my experience with CPAG and hope that my comments will lead others to seriously consider the many features and benefits associated with the value proposition that defines their mission and strategy.
Beyond the quality and practicality of the financial plan they recommended, they provided a lot of help with all the associated administrative issues. That included FASFA forms, helping with supporting documentation, etc. They also provided detailed college profiles that were very informative and effective in terms of screening our long list of options. They helped critique the college essays and most importantly were always available for questions, advice, or just to listen to our concerns. Their frequent college tips and general information about “what to do when” during the process were also a great help.
Of all the many services provided, the most impactful was the financial plan recommendation and execution as mentioned above. I would add that the interactions were all very professional and the folks we worked with were always extremely attentive to our needs. The experience we have had to date makes it a “no brainer” for us to continue to work with them through my other son’s experience which is coming soon. It is without any hesitation whatsoever that I recommend their services to anyone facing similar challenges.
~ The Littell Family
This past Spring we received a financial aid award letter from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida where my son Timothy wished to enroll as a member of the class of 2013. He was also considering several other schools from whom he had gained both acceptance and offers for financial assistance. Although I thought the Rollins award was generous and possibly as substantial as we could hope for, I decided to vet it with CPAG, with whom we have been clients for several years with older children, as a matter of good financial management. Not only did they respond quickly and decisively, but the staff suggested a strategy for increasing the “grant” part of the award and composed a letter to the financial aid office at Rollins to that purpose. I subsequently received a new award letter from Rollins with a significant increase in the “grant” portion of the award. Their analysis of the initial award and management of the request for an increase was timely, professional and ultimately successful. In these challenging economic times, it is essential that every family marshal their resources prudently; CPAG allowed us the opportunity to have our son attend the college of his choice without the entire anticipated financial burden.
We are very busy small business owners, and after hearing how time consuming the college process is, we were interested in some help.
What began as a time crunch issue evolved into the realization of how little we really knew about finding the right college for our daughters at a price that we could afford.
We had graduated from college 20 years ago and were struck at how much the process had changed, especially in terms of financial aid and the skyrocketing costs.
The resources available through CPAG are unsurpassed. From use of the Spring Board website to research colleges according to various criteria, to the Student Interview, our children were given opportunities to easily gauge their interest in different schools and majors.
The Spring Board program is so easy to use and the information you can save to reflect each child’s personal interests in schools, majors, and careers are phenomenal. Prior to using this resource we were making our own lists that would always get lost or compiled haphazardly. With the Spring Board program, all of your child’s information is at your fingertips. You can log in any time of the day or night to work on it or update.
The counselors are fantastic at getting specific schools’ financial aid information to us and answering any additional questions. We saw a big difference between how well versed we became in the process compared to our friends that didn’t use CPAG.
When it came time for our oldest daughter’s award package review we would never have known if it was a “fair” award or not without the guidance of the CPAG counselors. They were awesome at working with us, reviewing each award and advising us on appeals.
Because of their advice, our daughter ended up with a phenomenal award package to her top college choice. She told us she would have been “okay” attending one of the other schools on her list but now she is “extremely excited” to start college this fall! We are so happy for her! Thank you CPAG – it works!!!
~ The Grieshammer Family
WOW…..where do I begin??? How about at the beginning!!!
From day one at the seminar at the Solon Civic Center, I knew that this was NOT a ‘snake oil’ salesman. He knew what he was talking about, and was very factual and frank with his statements. I realized that if I were a financial genius, I wouldn’t have even been at this seminar; rather on my own private island in the Caribbean. Lest I digress, as I was in Solon in the middle of winter, listening to a man that would help my wife and I provide for our intention of affording to put our 2 sons through college without going broke in the process.
Things are immensely different today than when my wife and I attended college and put ourselves through on our own without college loans and with whatever assistance our parents could contribute. That is when we realized CPAG could steer us in the right direction.
Many misconceptions that I had regarding MY financial plans were discussed and re-defined in our initial private meeting with John. Boy, what an eye-opener!!!! But my wife and I walked away from that first meeting with a sense of direction and an ease of mind that we were doing the right thing for our family as a whole.
The Tip-of-the-Week is by far one of the most useful correspondences that CPAG provides. It is enlightening, informative, sometimes amusing, but always with some lesson to be learned – even if it not immediately applicable to you today, at some point in time it will. Case in point: A recent Tip was in regards to an upcoming tax credit for higher education but not applicable until 2009 and 2010 taxes are filed. ANYTHING to save some money is greatly appreciated.
The outlines for Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors are a constant reminder of where the student should be in their collegiate time-line and what they should be preparing to do next. These guidelines are invaluable.
We also utilized CPAG’s wide array of services such as the Letter of Intent review, resume review and the entrance interview coaching (by ex-college admissions professionals) and they were very instrumental in being accepted to 5 private colleges in Ohio by our Michael, to which he selected Mount Union College last year.
But by far, the BEST service has to be the assistance and filing of the dreaded FAFSA forms. Left to their own, I would be surprised if ANYONE would ever receive anything from the government without the guidance and advice offered by CPAG. I know we are better off with even just this service alone.
But we were not satisfied with just that. The whole package that CPAG offers far outweighs any of the cost associated with their service. It will (and has) paid for itself many times over.
Satisfied??? Well, we wouldn’t be on the eight year plan (we have another in 10th grade following soon) if we didn’t think this was the right thing to do.
I highly recommend CPAG to anyone, and would be glad to personally discuss my experiences with them.
Please continue with outstanding business practices as your company grows.
~ The Fiorucci Family