College Hackers: Recent Episodes
Kelly O'Connor
So the big question is this: how are parents like us who didn’t cheat on the FAFSA and who most of us have kids that finished high school as an average student, how are we packaging our kids, researching and selecting schools, and negotiating with colleges to get 50 to 80% off the listed cost of attendance? That was the question and this podcast will give you the answers.
My name is Kelly O'Connor and welcome to #collegehackers.
I was at breakfast with my wife earlier this week when I got stopped by a guy on the way out. I knew who he was because he attended a presentation I did last year at his daughter's high school and then he asked if we could meet for coffee. We spent about 30 minutes together then I never heard from the guy again...until this breakfast.
He was sitting down with a couple other guys and he stopped me as I walked by. He said, "Kelly! Hey, take a guess how much I reduced the cost of college for [his daughter's name]?
"Tell me!"
"Over $20,000 per year! Your program will save me over $80,000! Thank you!" He then introduced me to other two men at his table.
I'm Kelly O'Connor, founder of College Money Academy. I'm part of a group of underground parents you've probably never heard of.
Many of us have very little to nothing saved for college and we don't believe that our only option to send our kid to college is through the use of parent and student loan debt provided by our government.
Many of us have plenty of money saved and we don't believe that our only option is to deplete those savings and pay full price just because we have the money to do so.
All of us believe that the price for college is artificially inflated and that with the right knowledge and strategy we won't pay the sticker price...not even close (which drastically limits any debt used and drastically increases how much capital we get to keep).
But because we're fighting against the partnership between the government, the universities and the financial institutions, we have to do things differently. We have to do things smarter. So how do we do it? How is it even possible to get an 86% reduction in cost like I got with my daughter?
If you pay attention to the banks advertisements they're going to tell you to "take out a home equity loan to pay for school." (Seriously, Wells Fargo advertises this every year.) Financial advisors will analyze how much you need to be saving every month into their investment account based upon the listed Cost Of Attendance (COA) but we know we will not pay that price (Secret #1).
All of them will tell you what we're doing isn't real. Yet it's happening every single enrollment cycle. It's happening through the art and the science that we call "College Hacking."
We are College Hackers and these are our stories!
—► http://collegemoneyacademy.com
$3,800 is what I paid last year to send my academically average daughter to a Division 1 university that shows a cost of attendance of $27,000 per year. An 86% discount.
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I’ve worked with families for years on strategies to maximize financial aid by tapping into the university’s resources and teaching them how to properly negotiate with the school. But what could I do with this information? How could I synthesize it into something that’s valuable to you, someone I’ll probably never meet? I finally figured it out…so I created College Money Academy…truly the only online program that walks you step by step through this process.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/collegemoneyacademy/message
Divorced couples often make one big mistake on their financial aid applications (FAFSA) when it comes time to send their kiddo to college.
Fortunately, this mom reached out to me and we had just enough time to fix the issue. The result? Well, it was the difference of over $40,000!
—► http://collegemoneyacademy.com
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$3,800 is what I paid last year to send my academically average daughter to a Division 1 university that shows a cost of attendance of $27,000 per year. An 86% discount.
--
I’ve worked with families for years on strategies to maximize financial aid by tapping into the university’s resources and teaching them how to properly negotiate with the school. But what could I do with this information? How could I synthesize it into something that’s valuable to you, someone I’ll probably never meet? I finally figured it out…so I created College Money Academy…truly the only online program that walks you step by step through this process.
--
The 86% discount was great for me and I’m dedicated to teaching you exactly how to do it for yourself. But first, you must understand that all colleges and universities are businesses that try to attract customers (enrolled students) to their product (an education). Most parents mistakenly don’t think of it this way. Are you ever blown away and amazed that the car dealer tries to negotiate and haggle a price? What about at a garage sale? Are you surprised when the owner tries to negotiate? Of course not, because you expect it. Colleges are no different…remember this as we go through these Three Secrets:
—►Secret #1: The Cost of Attendance is NOT What It Will It Cost You.
—►Secret #2: Schools Virtually Always Give You A "Lowball" Financial Aid Offer First.
—►Secret #3: You Can APPEAL The Financial Aid Offer.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/collegemoneyacademy/message
So the big question is this: how are parents like us who didn’t cheat on the FAFSA and who most of us have kids who finished high school as an average student, how are we packaging our kids, researching and selecting schools, and negotiating with colleges to get 50 to 80% off the listed cost of attendance? That was the question and this podcast will give you the answers. My name is Kelly O'Connor and welcome to #collegehackers.
—► http://collegemoneyacademy.com to join the One Step Away Challenge
—► http://wwwcollegemoneyacademy.com/ebook to get your copy of our free eBook!
-- $3,800 is what I paid last year to send my academically average daughter to a Division 1 university that shows a cost of attendance of $27,000 per year. An 86% discount. -- I’ve worked with families for years on strategies to maximize financial aid by tapping into the university’s resources and teaching them how to properly negotiate with the school. But what could I do with this information? How could I synthesize it into something that’s valuable to you, someone I’ll probably never meet? I finally figured it out…so I created College Money Academy…truly the only online program that walks you step by step through this process. -- The 86% discount was great for me and I’m dedicated to teaching you exactly how to do it for yourself. But first, you must understand that all colleges and universities are businesses that try to attract customers (enrolled students) to their product (an education). Most parents mistakenly don’t think of it this way. Are you ever blown away and amazed that the car dealer tries to negotiate and haggle a price? What about at a garage sale? Are you surprised when the owner tries to negotiate? Of course not, because you expect it. Colleges are no different…remember this as we go through these Three Secrets:
—►Secret #1: The Cost of Attendance is NOT What It Will It Cost You.
—►Secret #2: Schools Virtually Always Give You A "Lowball" Financial Aid Offer First.
—►Secret #3: You Can APPEAL The Financial Aid Offer.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/collegemoneyacademy/message
I discovered the second secret about how to reduce the cost of college while having coffee with a client. The dad I was meeting with was struggling on the inside: he was wondering how in the world he and his wife were going to afford college. He was putting on a strong face though on the outside for his son...but then it all changed and his concerned were set aside!
—► http://collegemoneyacademy.com -- $3,800 is what I paid last year to send my academically average daughter to a Division 1 university that shows a cost of attendance of $27,000 per year. An 86% discount. -- I’ve worked with families for years on strategies to maximize financial aid by tapping into the university’s resources and teaching them how to properly negotiate with the school. But what could I do with this information? How could I synthesize it into something that’s valuable to you, someone I’ll probably never meet? I finally figured it out…so I created College Money Academy…truly the only online program that walks you step by step through this process.
The 86% discount was great for me and I’m dedicated to teaching you exactly how to do it for yourself. But first, you must understand that all colleges and universities are businesses that try to attract customers (enrolled students) to their product (an education). Most parents mistakenly don’t think of it this way. Are you ever blown away and amazed that the car dealer tries to negotiate and haggle a price? What about at a garage sale? Are you surprised when the owner tries to negotiate? Of course not, because you expect it. Colleges are no different…remember this as we go through these Three Secrets:
—►Secret #1: The Cost of Attendance is NOT What It Will It Cost You.
—►Secret #2: Schools Virtually Always Give You A "Lowball" Financial Aid Offer First.
—►Secret #3: You Can APPEAL The Financial Aid Offer.
Kelly O’Connor founded College Money Academy (http://collegemoneyacademy.com) three years ago after being a highly sought after speaker in the charter school system in the state of Colorado. College Money Academy is the only online, video-based program that teaches parents how the leverage their kid and negotiate with any university in order to reduce the price for college. Following his program when it was time for his first-born child to go to school, Kelly negotiated a price of $3,400 per year for a $27,000 university. He regularly coaches parents how to accomplish similar results…he’s literally kept millions of dollars in family bank accounts through this service.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/collegemoneyacademy/message
I was way behind on my college savings...so behind I have $0 set aside! Four young kids and my oldest was nine years old. My family friend told me that basically I'll need "luck" on my side to make college happen.
I was struggling on the inside. Will I be able to do it? Will I only have enough for one kid and then have to neglect the other three? I'll need a ton of money or my family friend was right, I'd need luck. The pressure was strong. My frustration was strong because after all, I WAS THE DAD!
But, on the outside I was showing to everyone, even my wife, that "I got this." It wont' be a problem...let's keep focused on the present and everything will work out. But inside I was battling.
When a financial planner friend of mine told me I needed to be saving $1,200 per month beginning NOW my heart fell; however, I knew there had to be other options!
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Her son was on track to be valedictorian. He was class president. A four year, two sport varsity athlete. He also had gone through major health issues during high school. This kid was a superstar...but mom and dad were down. They were not in a financial position to get their son to the school's he worked so hard to attain. They struggled with how to support their son in his desire for continued education and therefore his future career. Externally they stayed strong for him but internally it was tearing this mom apart because she felt like she failed her son.
She came across our webinar and knew she needed access to our online academy in order to help make college happen; however, this meant she had to reach out to a stranger (me) and ask for an exception. She had to swallow her pride a little bit in order to fight for her boy. Her actions and her family's story moved me so much that I gave her access to every resource I had with my company. The results...she changed the future of my company and also her son's future.
Some day, I'll raise the glass and give a toast in honor of this mom.
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My outlook for sending my kids to college was bleak. I was a financial planner who was living week to week. I wanted nothing more than to provide for my family. Thanks to a conference breakout session, I had an epiphany that changed everything for me and ended up changing the lives of so many others as well. Today I detail the Origin Story of College Money Academy...hopefully you'll join my cause and "flick the college system."
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It's not broken. It actually works perfectly as by design. Our government will NEVER seek to fix the problems...they can't because there's far too much money in it for them; however, there is something we can do about it as families. I'm on a mission to "flick to the college system" and force changes. You see, we don't need the colleges but the colleges need us and once you learn how to leverage your kid to get access to the school's money...then you end up paying a fraction of the cost. If you're a parent of middle school or high school aged kids then join me in this cause as I teach you to drastically reduce the cost you pay to send your kiddo to college.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/collegemoneyacademy/message
Is it possible that a four year degree in Left Handed Puppetry could be worth the expense of college? I think so but there are two questions to answer first in order to discover the answer.
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