Each year, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application period opens on October 1. It’s important that you file this paperwork as close to October 1 as possible. Why? The FAFSA is used to apply for federal, state, and college-based financial aid. This paperwork is critical, but many parents put it off since it can be time-consuming, confusing, complicated, and intimidating. We, at Envision Wealth Planning, can make FAFSA simple so you can worry less and fill it out early.

Don’t pay more for college because of FAFSA paperwork gotchas

Introducing FAFSAssist through our college cost savings partner, Collegiate Funding Solutions. This financial aid service acts as a personal financial aid coach or administrator and guides you through the process. Here’s what FAFSAssist can do for you:

  • Complete the FAFSA. This form causes anxiety for parents and no wonder. Mistakes can be costly and in some cases cannot be fixed. FAFSAssist can accurately complete and file the FAFSA before deadlines, saving you 10 hours of work or more. Additional colleges can be added as applicable.
  • Review your personal and financial information. This helps prevent the misreporting of critical information, avoiding costly mistakes.
  • CSS/profile form (if required). The purpose of the CSS/Profile is to disqualify your student for aid. This is because of the hundreds of questions that look at your past, present, and future financial circumstances. The profile can be over 30 pages long. Questions about your retirement assets, home equity, the types and number of cars you drive, and much, much more are often included. Positioning your student in the most favorable light and matching it with the FAFSA is critical to receiving institutional funds. Just like the FAFSA, we will file the CSS form for you if required.
  • Complete verification/institutional forms. Depending on a number of factors, additional forms may need to be completed. Parents are provided a completed master verification form to be used to copy to additional forms, both online and paper.
  • Obtain Federal Student Aid IDs. These IDs are required to qualify for the many federal financial programs. Applying is now more complicated due to security breaches at the IRS. FAFSAssist can save you a great deal of time and trouble by obtaining these IDs on your behalf.
  • Evaluate your financial aid award evaluation. We’ll determine if your student was awarded fairly by the college.
  • Appeal service (if applicable). If your student was under-awarded, we can guide parents through the appeal process to try and win a more lucrative award. This is especially helpful if your family’s financial circumstances change between your previous tax return and the time the aid is awarded.

Reach out to see if this service is your answer to a time-consuming and frustrating financial aid process.

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