The Real Cost of College: How to Finance
Your Kids' College Education Without
Bankrupting Your Retirement.®

by C. Gary Hoffman, MBA
 College Planning Specialist
Links:National Institute of Certified College Planners
Certified Financial Planning Board- What is a CFP
National Institute of Certified College Planners- What is a CCPS

Contact us at
434-979-0876 in Charlottesville, VA
College Financial Planning is an area of expertise that has become more crucial than ever as our baby-boomer
generation approaches retirement age. Many parents, while trying to save for retirement, are faced with the
conflicting dilemma of paying for their children's education.

C. Gary Hoffman, MBA has been in the financial planning industry for over 24 years. As the father of five college
bound students, Hoffman has developed tools to help families finance college without bankrupting retirement
savings. Mr. Hoffman's  RealCostOfCollege™ Calculator is unlike any other college planning calculator. The
calculator not only guides students to schools where they would excel, but also indicates what kind of financial
aid the family would expect to receive.

Mr. Hoffman was a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner and trained under Rick Darvis, founder of the
National Institute of Certified College Planning Specialists (NICCP). Rick Darvis is the nation's leading college
planning specialist and has developed the College Dr. program to assist Certified College Planning Specialists in
developing college financial plans for families. C. Gary Hoffman has been consulted by local and national
publications such as, Kiplinger Magazine and www.Financial-Planning.com.

The Real Cost of College:
How to Finance Your Kids’ College Education Without
Bankrupting Your Retirement®

By   C. Gary Hoffman, MBA
College Planning Specialist

Learn the financial planning secrets of the
pros and  
develop your custom College and
Retirement Plan.

Featuring

The RealCost Of College™ Calculator
and suite of internet based tools.



  • How and why the quality of the
    student can save tens of thousands
    of dollars.

  • What  you and your students can do
    today to preserve your retirement
    future.

  • How attending a less competitive
    College could make your student a
    millionaire!

  • How to determine the best college
    and retirement savings vehicles for
    you.

  • How to get FreeMoney™ for college.

  • Getting in & getting out of college;
    how to shape college experiences for
    a career.

  • How to find the college with the best
    financial package, then get more.

  • How small changes in  GPA affect
    college cost in a big way.

  • Sample “parent-student agreements”

  • The best ways for grandparents to
    help.
                             If Students don’t have a proper College Plan,
                              then Parents will have a Retirement Problem.

    A college planning book like no other, for families with children of all  ages and stages bound for
    college: Inside you will learn to find college financial help without being at the mercy of the financial
    aid slot machine™. The author provides inspiring real life stories of how these college planning
    solutions put parents and their students on the right track to successful academic careers and more
    comfortable retirement.

    With the world economy in a severe contraction, the real estate and credit bubbles have burst but
    the college bubble has not. Families need to increase savings and reduce debt yet our culture
    encourages us to spend and borrow to finance our children’s college while attendance costs are still
    increasing on average 8% each year. Parents and students should minimize the high costs that are
    putting a strain on our children’s future earnings and the parent’s future retirement income.

    Discover innovative financial incentives to empower students to collaborate with their parents in
    preparing for college, selecting the right college, negotiating the best financial package. Advice on
    how to make the big investment pay off!

    Read about innovative, motivating, and field-tested ideas for families during the savings
    years, college selection process, college years and beyond.
  • Financial incentives for students to select quality colleges with the best financial package.
    These ideas can benefit the student’s financial future in surprising ways and lessen the strain
    on parents’ retirement funds.
  • The philosophy of student financial and academic responsibility during college years including
    the process of launching a successful career search.
  • Sample contracts between parents and students to clarify expectations, performance  and
    financial responsibility.
  • Ten steps to successful College & Retirement Planning. The earlier the better.

    This book also covers essential college financial planning topics:
  • Why you should not rule out any college as being too expensive.
  • The importance of college selection in relation to your ultimate college cost.
  • Common FAFSA mistakes to avoid relating to asset ownership, income, etc.
  • Maximizing, then negotiating your best cost package with Colleges.
  • Pros & cons of 529 savings and prepaid plans.
  • Tax efficient strategies to fund retirement and college at the same time.
  • What High School Guidance Counselors may not know and College Financial Aid Officers
            may not tell you.


    ABOUT THE AUTHOR: C. Gary Hoffman, MBA

    The father of five, Mr. Hoffman has personally faced the retirement
    challenges of most baby boom generation parents. He was
    a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner for over 20 years
    and became one of  the first Certified College Planning
    Specialists in the US. Since 2001 Mr. Hoffman has been
    a guest speaker to many hundreds of  parents educating
    them about The RealCost Of College™ through
    central Virginia. He is a frequent contributor to local and
    national publications including Kiplinger Magazine
    and other print and online news articles.
Back Cover Text
Kiplinger.com: Early Birds Grab the Financial Aid by Jane Bennet Clark
Albemarle Family Magazine: Solving the College Funding Equation: The Ins and Outs of Financial Aid by Melanie Snyder