Financial Aid Consultants Have Quickly Become A Family's New Best Friend

College financial aid advisors, also known as college financial aid consultants have quickly become an integral part of helping families more easily afford to send their children to college.

There are many advantages associated with financial aid services provided by college financial aid consultants.

• A financial aid advisor can you save the time, hassle and aggravation of researching student loans, free college scholarships and the entire mind bending financial aid process.
• A financial aid consultant can save you time and money by helping you receive financial aid .
• A college financial aid advisor can save you from having to complete the countless financial aid forms, student loan forms and free college scholarships applications.
• A financial aid advisor protects you from missing a deadline and making other costly mistakes.
• A financial aid advisor guides you through the entire financial aid process.
• A college funding consultant may put a plan together for you to possibly reduce your student loans while increasing the amount of college scholarships you may receive.
• A financial aid advisor provides peace of mind knowing you've received the financial aid you're entitled, while minimizing your time effort and energy.
• A financial aid advisor can tell you if you are receiving a fair financial aid offer or that it should be appealed.

Why A Financial Aid Service Is A Necessity And Not Just A Luxury

Financial aid consultants know how to properly complete your forms to maximize your financial aid eligibility. Remember 1 in 7 FAFSA don't get processed correctly. A large % of the FAFSA forms that do get processed have errors or inconsistencies that can cause you to lose some or all you're financial aid.

If a consultant does not complete your financial aid forms for you, you may want to think twice before doing business with that financial aid consultant for two specific reasons.

• A mistake on your FAFSA or CSS Profile can cost you thousands of dollars in lost financial aid. A conscientious financial aid advisor would make sure you're not a victim of the system and complete your financial aid applications for you.
• If the financial aid consultant is unwilling to sign your financial aid forms as the preparer, you should be concerned about the credibility of the financial aid consultant's advice.

What You Should Look For In A College Financial Aid Advisor

• Make sure the financial aid advisor has at least five years of experience and has helped at least 1000 families like yours. The more families a financial aid advisor works with the more experience they are and more likely equipped to help you.
• No gimmicky come on's. Your child does not have to be "interviewed" to see if he/she qualifies for a financial aid service. You need to be aware that there are many less then ethical financial aid consultants who may do more harm then good.
• Make sure the fee charged is not excessive. Charging $2,900.00 or more is excessive. The only college funding consultants who can justify this large a fee are the ones who create a complete financial aid and retirement plan.

Protect Yourself From College Funding Consultants Who Make These Claims:
Beware of any college consultants that contact you regarding financial aid services using pre-approach language that sounds to good too be true.

Phony Guarantees.

If you encounter a college financial consultant offering either one of the two guarantees listed below do not do business with them. Read the guarantees, they sound great but as you'll see they are grossly misleading. These guarantees are usually offered by companies that bounce from town to town conducting seminars to market their service.

• The first common guarantee is: they promise a minimum of $2500 in financial aid, or they will refund the fee you paid them. The first guarantee is actually a federal entitlement that the college consultant is passing off as his or her own guarantee. All you have to do to be guaranteed $2500 in the form of a student loan is complete the FAFSA and have your EFC $2500 less than the total cost of attendance. We think it's dishonest to pass off a federal entitlement as your personal guarantee and it leave us wondering what else are they lying to us about.
• The second common guarantee is: they promise you 100% of the money you need to send your child to school, or they will refund the fee you paid. This second common guarantee is also a federal entitlement. All you have to do is complete the FAFSA form and be credit worthy, and you qualify for 100% of the difference between the aid you receive and the total cost of attendance in the form of the PLUS loan. How's that for another grossly misleading guarantee? No one can guarantee you need based financial aid

The Financial Aid FastTrack Program was designed for all U.S Citizens and eligible aliens who are too busy or just don't want to fill out all the forms themselves. Parents who feel overwhelmed by the financial aid process or those of you who just want to maximize your financial aid eligibility can also participate in and benefit from the Financial Aid FastTrack Program.