FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should we consider paying for college funding planning?

Working with a college funding specialist can make you aware of planning tips and strategies most people are not aware of that can result in you saving thousands of dollars in college expenses. We believe it is very valuable to have an objective advocate working on your behalf to bring up ideas and perspectives you may not have thought of. Also, the services that Fox College Funding provide, is set up to save you time and relieve you of the stress and anxiety that is typically associated with college funding decisions and deadlines.

College has typically become the second highest expenditure for many families, second only to the purchase of a home. Would you pursue a real estate purchase without being fully informed about the information necessary to make the most beneficial decisions regarding your investment? The process of how you handle paying for college should be no different. There is crucial information you need to know about the college funding process in order to make wise decisions. Utilizing a combination of little-known strategies can potentially provide a tremendous benefit to your family. Professional advice has the potential to save you a small fortune and a lot of time.

The bottom line is would you be willing to engage a service to have the college funding process taken off your shoulders so you can breathe a little easier and potentially save an average of $20,000 to $40,000 over four years on one child’s college expenses? *If your answer is yes, a Fox College Funding custom plan may be for you!

Contact us to have a brief discussion to determine if we would be a good fit.

What type of family would most benefit from this type of planning?

If you are a middle to high income or high net worth family with a college-bound high school student, you would most benefit from the planning that Fox College Funding provides. We cater to families who typically would not qualify for much or any “need-based” financial aid (aid awarded according to the family’s income and assets). If you are a family who desires to be proactive with the college funding process, be kept up to date on cutting-edge information and have a professional team assist you in creating a customized plan that can reduce your family’s college expenses by thousands of dollars, then Fox College Funding may be for you.

Contact us to have a brief discussion to determine if we would be a good fit.

I already work with a financial advisor (or CPA). Can’t my advisor do this type of planning for me?

Typically the answer is no. There is a very small percentage of financial advisors or CPAs that are trained in the late stage college funding niche. For instance, a physician who is a general practitioner would not think of trying to perform heart surgery on a patient. That procedure would be referred to a specialist. It is similar in our specialty. Most financial advisors and CPAs are unfamiliar with this type of planning. We receive regular referrals from other financial advisors and CPAs who appreciate our specialization and client services in late stage college funding planning. They believe our services add a lot of value to the services they provide to their clients.

Contact us to have a brief discussion to determine if we would be a good fit.

Our family is already working with a college admissions counselor or professional. Am I able to get college funding advice from this type of professional?

The answer could be “yes” or “no”. Most college admissions professionals specialize in assisting students with the college admissions process and typically do not provide in depth college funding planning as part of their services. Some college admissions professionals do provide some advice around applying for financial aid. However, financial aid makes up just a small portion of a comprehensive college funding plan. Much of the advice we provide to our clients, such as our tax and investment strategies, require being a licensed financial advisor to be able to discuss with clients.

The college funding process and the college admissions process are very different from each other and require distinct professional skill sets. We do, however, regularly work together with college admissions professionals that have been retained by our clients. We believe getting good professional advice on both college admissions AND funding oftentimes positions a family to get the best possible outcomes.

We make too much money and won’t qualify for financial aid. What type of planning can you do for us?

We specialize in helping families who normally would not qualify for “need-based” financial aid. Our planning involves creating a personalized plan for your family utilizing a combination of academic, financial aid, cash flow and tax planning strategies that may lower your college expenses by thousands of dollars. We may also be able to show you how to pay for college with PRE-TAX dollars. It is not unusual for us to save a family an average of $20,000 to $40,000 over four years for one child.*

For the higher income family, we are known for our signature college funding tax strategies that create “tax scholarships” to pay for college. A tax scholarship is any newfound tax deduction that creates money you can use to reduce the cost of college. Unlike financial aid, the higher your income and tax bracket, the greater the benefit of any tax strategy or tuition discount because it’s GROSS income you don’t have to earn to fund college. In essence, the IRS can pay a big piece of your college expenses! This type of planning is not known by most tax professionals.

* Planning results for any particular family will depend on each family’s individual circumstances.

Contact us to have a brief discussion to determine if we would be a good fit.

Do you help find grants and scholarships for our child?

Yes, we do help your student find grants and scholarships. First you should know there are three types of grants or scholarships. There are those awarded by the federal and state government (which are mostly need-based), those that are offered by the colleges and universities, and finally private scholarships that are offered by clubs, foundations, corporations, etc. We attempt to help a student qualify for as many of these types of scholarships as possible. This involves employing a combination of academic and financial aid strategies. We would also coach your student on how to find and apply to private scholarship opportunities and provide detailed advice on how to significantly improve the chances of winning these awards.

Contact us to have a brief discussion to determine if we would be a good fit.

What is your planning fee?

Our fee is based on the complexity of your financial situation and how many children you have. We charge a flat fee that will cover you until your child goes off to college. We provide a discount for planning for multiple children.

The fee includes a custom written college funding plan, support by phone, email and either in-person (for local clients) or live video (for out-of-town clients) meetings. You also receive access to our Member Resource Center and periodic group online live educational webinars presented by Deborah Fox for parents and students.

We will not engage you as a client unless we are confident we can provide you with services and an outcome that will exceed the fee we charge for our services by multiple times.

Our objective is to make you self-sufficient by providing you with a complete roadmap for the four years of college within your personalized college-funding plan so you will not require our services beyond our initial engagement. However, if you have a change or find that you need ongoing support and updates in subsequent years, we would charge an additional flat fee based on the scope of the work we provide.

Contact us to have a brief discussion to determine if we would be a good fit.

What benefits do we receive for your fee?
Please go to Our Process for a partial list of the benefits you will receive when working with us. For more complete information, please contact us to have a brief discussion so we may discuss your individual situation.

About Us

Fox College Funding is one of the only national companies providing late stage college funding planning for higher income families.

Our Process

We have developed a proprietary planning process that many times can knock off a whole year of college costs for a family.

Blog

Follow our blog for great tips on saving and paying for college. The more you know, the less you may pay!