3 Minutes on a Park Bench with Craig Andreotta from the College Roadmap Group

Craig Andreotta, CCPS, ELA from the College Roadmap Group tells the Patch why enjoys working in the North Jersey area and talks about the one thing he wish he knew when he was planning for college.

Patch: Can you tell us a little bit about the various services the College Roadmap Group offers?

Craig: At College Roadmap Group we do not sell any products. Our focus is maximizing our clients Return on Investment and selecting the right college for their student. Employing the Birkman methodology, we go beyond your high schools Naviance profile to match your child's personality profile with a career direction that maximizes their inner potential. We help your child with everything, from narrowing down the number of colleges they are considering, to meeting all application deadlines required by those schools. We provide you with a side-by-side college comparison and the Cost of Attendance for schools that we short list. We guide you personally through the FAFSA or can provide you with your personal FAFSA answer key. Based on your personal data we produce your Expected Family Contribution report with your preliminary financial snapshot. A personal Aid-Eligibility report will help us identify strategies to reduce your out of pocket expenses and allows us to do "What If Reporting" demonstrating how we can improve your aid eligibility.

Already identified your college choices, filed your FAFSA and are receiving Award Letters? We can help you navigate the tricky process of appealing those award letters and often increasing your aid package.

Families where there is a business owner are offered the unique opportunity that can have the Federal Government offset much of the cost of college.

As Education Loan Analyst (ELA) our ability to assess the best match of Federal, private and personal loan packages presented to our clients is assured. We offer Award Letter review for college candidates as well as loan consolidation, postponement and discharge for post college individuals.

As members of the National Institute of Certified College Planners (NICCP), we earned the Certified College Planning Specialist (CCPS) designation. The only designation recognized by both the CPA and CFP boards.

Patch: When should parent's start planning for their child's college education?

Craig: From the time your child is born, parents are generally presented with monetary gifts that should kick off a parent's college funding. Meeting with new parents, we are able to provide guidance on the right types of long term investment strategies that will help maximize their educational goals. Yes, how that college savings vehicle is titled and funded can either maximize or penalize those financial opportunities. Tax planning and college planning often collide. Parents with ambitions of private, pre-college schooling, should consider Education Savings Accounts (ESA) while those with only college ambitions can focus on 529 Savings Accounts. Late stage planners can benefit from our focus on asset titling, FAFSA and Award Letter appeal.

Patch: What is your favorite part about working in the North Jersey area?

Craig: There is a strong focus on both sport and academic achievement that propels our clients. Generally, the students aren't seeking sports as the only means to a higher socio-economic platform, and so, academics remain paramount. We enjoy working with both coaches and school guidance counselors when taking on a client.

Patch: How did you get involved with college planning?

Craig: Outside of planning for retirement and buying your home, college is the next most expensive endeavor families face. For over 25 years, I have worked on Wall Street for some of the most prestigious firms. I've worked alongside some of the best wealth and money managers in the area and I embraced their desire to guide and propel families toward their goals. With the high cost of college today, I've seen wealth and retirement plans purged of their dollars. That's what makes College Roadmap Group unique? We understand and embrace the "inside baseball" of wealth management and can supplement that knowledge with our expertise on how colleges perceive your financial position. College Roadmap Group was created to bridge that gap..

Patch: What is the one thing you know now, that you wish knew when planning for college?

Craig: Just because it's "Free" doesn't mean you should go at it alone! Everyone knows that FAFSA stands for "Free Application for Federal Student Aid," however what people don't recognize is that there is over 1,100 pages of Federal verbiage behind that "Free" application. Parents and students miss opportunities for Federal aid just because they think Free means "were going to give you the maximum amount of dollars just for filling out our form." It's a 4+ year mistake that parents and students have to live with after college!

Patch: What are the top three tips you would give parents to help relieve some of the college planning process anxiety?

Craig: 1) Start saving early and save in the right places. 2) When your student is entering High School, it's time to seek professional guidance to confirm your heading in the right direction. If you have an athletic student, you have more work to do that can generate tremendous exposure and give your athlete the advantage. 3) If you have a late stage student and find yourself a little behind, professional guidance may be able to uncover opportunities you didn't know existed.

Patch: How can readers contact you or find out more about the College Roadmap Group?

Craig: Our phone number for immediate contact is: 201-984-3830 or you can visit our website http://www.CollegeRoadmapGroup.com and complete the "Contact Us" tab. We are happy to meet with clients for a complementary, initial consultation. We don't package our services as each family can benefit from unique guidance. Hourly consulting services are accommodated.