<p>Has anybody ever used a private Financial Aid Counselor who looks at your financial situationand how everything would be repoted on the CSS Profile. Then helps you structure your finances to maximize finacial aid. Or heard of a firm called: College Funding Advisors.</p>
<p>Any information would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Their web site describes them as</p>
<p>"At CFA, our goal is to make the financial aid process simple and effective so that you can make important financial decisions regarding your family's education. </p>
<p>We will be happy to calculate your Family Contribution (FC) based on confidential financial information you provide us. Then we take an objective look at your situation and suggest a variety of ways to maximize your eligibility for financial aid. </p>
<p>Once you have received the results of the FC calculation and you decide it is worth your while, a meeting can be set up. This meeting will cover the specific strategies you can use to achieve maximum financial aid. Of course, the ultimate decision about financial aid awards are made by the financial aid directors of the individual colleges your child decides to apply to."</p>
<p>There was a recent article
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/business/yourmoney/12college.html?pagewanted=print%5B/url%5D">http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/business/yourmoney/12college.html?pagewanted=print</a></p>
<p>As a former financial aid director, I can't imagine why anyone would need to pay someone to do this. There are plenty of on-line calculators to use to figure out your EFC (even for CSS). If you have so much money that you need to figure out how to "hide" it to have greater "need," then you DON'T have need. Sorry to be so blunt, but that's the way it is. I am in the upper middle class crunch, so I feel your pain. I cannot possibly afford what they say I can afford & still have money left to feed the rest of the family. However, I have seen so many people who have much less than I have take out loans, cash in retirement policies, etc. to put their kids through an expensive school --- and I have seen more people who can afford the expensive school get upset because all they qualify for is PLUS loans. Yes, some colleges are very generous in giving grants to meet need, but they are equally good at spotting people who might be moving money around to maximize their chances for grants.</p>