The financial marketing organization that knows how college funding really works.
We give financial professionals and advisors the platform, the carriers, the financial products and the support to serve a family, from the first tuition bill to retirement income.
Most of the industry was never taught how college funding works.
One family. Three professionals. Each sees only part of the picture.
A tax professional knows taxes, but not how income and assets are counted for financial aid.
A financial advisor knows investments, but not how aid formulas treat the accounts that hold them.
An insurance professional knows products, but not how they fit a strategy that funds college and keeps retirement intact.
FSG knows how it all fits together.
The financial aid rules, the tax side and the right products, so a family can pay for college and still keep retirement intact.
- Income
- Tax return
- College savings
- Retirement accounts
- Life insurance
- Annuities
- How financial aid counts all of it
Financial Strategies Group
One example family, for illustration.
The system behind FSG has helped more than 425,000 families.
No other college planning program in the country has helped as many families.
Assessment
When will your student start college?
That leaves 1 year to position the family before the first aid forms count.
Generosity Scale
Less generous: the family is likely to pay closer to the full price.
Cost overview
- Four-year cost
- $248,000
- What aid is likely to cover
- $39,700
- What the family is expected to pay
- $208,300
Strategies
- Tax positioning
- Asset repositioning
- Cash-flow strategy
- Award appeal
+ 170 more, ranked for the family’s situation
Everything in SMARTTRACK℠
- Free college funding assessmentAbout five minutes, no Social Security number. Shows where a family stands and whether savings are likely.
- Generosity ScaleRates every college on how much aid it really awards families like this one, and flags the tuition traps.
- Household cost overviewThe true four-year cost, what aid is likely to cover, and the gap the family is expected to pay.
- 174 funding strategiesRanked for the family's situation: tax positioning, asset repositioning, cash flow and award appeals.
- SMART Steps library65+ click-by-click guides through the FAFSA, the CSS Profile and every form that trips families up.
- Scholarship EngineMerit awards searched school by school, with the grades and test scores each one requires.
- Aid calculatorsEstimate the Student Aid Index, compare net prices and turn each award letter into a real total.
- Certified College Funding Specialist® guidanceHands-on help for families who want it, with a custom plan that covers every child in the household.
Everything a practice needs, around one specialty.
Products only FSG offers
Alongside access to the major carriers, FSG offers specialty products built around college funding that are available only through FSG.
College funding planning
SMARTTRACK℠, the process behind it, and the workshops that bring families in.
Tax planning and investment support
Wealth, tax and investment support through an independent registered investment advisor.
Life insurance
Case design, field underwriting support and access to leading carriers.
Long-term care
Traditional and asset‑based solutions for care a family may need later.
Annuities and retirement income
Product research, case design and in‑good‑order processing.
Marketing and training
ACCFS college funding training, workshops and marketing support.
Contracting and back office
Online contracting, case management and licensing help.
Every FSG partner trains with the ACCFS.
When you contract with FSG, you get powerful training from the Association of Certified College Funding Specialists (ACCFS) and its certification program built for financial advisors. It is the closest thing to a master's degree in this field, and FSG's special relationship with the ACCFS brings it to every partner.
FSG's leadership hold the ACCFS Master Trainer credential and lead the training FSG partners receive.
Selective by design.
FSG does not contract with everyone. We take the time to make sure each partnership is a good fit, because we invest in every professional we bring on.
- Talk with us about your practice.
- If it is a fit, sign and complete carrier contracting online.
- Launch on SMARTTRACK℠, start your ACCFS training, and work with us case by case.