Success Stories



     John McCarthy asked if I would be willing to write a short testimonial concerning the work he has done for us in the past five years. I warned him that first, I am not known for being a person of few words! Also, because John has helped us and our sons in so many ways, it might be difficult to give him his due credits with only a few words.

     When our older son was a junior in high school, we attended a brief, one hour introduction to "National College Funding" at our local high school. Although we are both college graduates, we knew that the career choices available for this next generation was much more expansive than when we made our career and college decisions. As we listened to the information presented at the meeting we also realized that was much more required documentation for college applicants. We had saved for college costs, but those costs were also rapidly increasing. We knew that we needed help from a professional "in the business", and the presentation convinced us that "National College Funding" was well equipped to help us to prepare to send both of our sons to college.

     We talked with John McCarthy after the meeting and felt he would definitely meet our needs. He exceeded our expectations in all areas. During our first meeting John began by laying out the plan of the various areas in which he could assist us, and prioritizing the tasks based on timing. These included forms that needed to be filled out, career and school choices, financial aid opportunities, investment strategies to maximize our investments while maximizing tax advantages, and at the same time remembering that we had retirement goals and planning. Yes, we had saved for college expenses, but without some direction we would either be in the situation of reducing our retirement fund or requiring our sons to take out loans because we would be requiring them to pay even more than originally planned (they were expected to pay some expenses as we were not planning on paying all costs for them). He strategized with us and presented options for us, allowing us to express our personal feelings as to how much risk or stability we wanted to incur. He had the facts, but treated our opinions with respect and always listened to our feelings so that we would be comfortable with every decision WE made with his professional direction and guidance. At the same time he met with our son and gave him tests that helped him in determining his strengths and weaknesses and likes and dislikes, then reviewed that information with him to help our son choose potential careers. Then John researched various schools for these choices and discussed them with our son. John proved himself as a professional who was capable of establishing a rapport with adults as well as teenagers, and our son respected his opinion.

     We continued to work with John on our total investment portfolio and not just college funding. As forms were needed during our son's senior year, John clearly directed us on the information he would need from us, and he completed the necessary documentation in a timely manner. As we saw our friends struggle with rejections and rewrites of the information, our information was ready early and correct with the first submission. Also, as our son applied for various schools, scholarships and grants, John was there to assist in document preparation as needed. Our son's senior year was smooth, as we saw the nightmare many other families experienced. Having John there to lead us along and help step by step made our senior year experience smooth and direct.

     Our son happily went off to college, and we continued to work with John. We eventually transferred all of our investments to be handled with John, and he has helped us improve our retirement fund even though we now have two sons in college. He continues to review our family situation (which changed dramatically when one of us had to quit work due to health concerns), and suggests modifications to our investments as our age and life situations change (as well as the economy and world affairs changing and taken into account). He has even made suggestions to our boys on considerations for starting their savings after they graduate and begin saving for their own future.

     John is an intelligent person who is well read and makes every attempt to know critical information that would impact our investments and decisions. Even better, if he does not have the answer immediately, he will admit that, and search for information and confer with his fellow professionals rather than giving incorrect information. We have only known John through our professional relationship; however he is always interested in our personal lives. He is very personable and always willing to take time to answer any questions. We have never regretted our decision to work with John, and very openly refer others to him. We look forward to continuing our relationship with John, and also look forward to the day that our sons are "on their own" working at their careers and consulting with John for their future plans!

Roxie Fittonneville, Ph.D.
13 September 2007



     Over $11,000 is how much National College Funding Service helped us obtain in Educational Resources for our daughter Shawn's college education. Without them, we very much doubt that our daughter would be attending Michigan State this fall.

     We are a middle-class family with four teenagers, our daughter Shawn being the oldest. We have a mortgage, car-payments, insurance premiums, utility bills, and all of the assorted financial obligations that families typically have. We both work. In order for Shawn to continue her education, we needed financial help. National College Funding Service showed us where to find it.

     The importance of furthering your education after high school has never been as important as it is today. In order for our children to succeed in the future, they must be properly trained and educated today. National College Funding Service has the knowledge, the facts, and the up-to-the-date information that is vital in obtaining financial assistance for todays high college tuitions. They know how to find the available funds. Next year our son Ryan will be college bound. We will contacting National College Funding for help again. Without their help our children would not be able to afford college, and that would be a tragic wasted of young minds.

Martin and Donna Laus
Utica, MI



Dear National College Funding Service,

     This letter is to thank you for showing our son, Aaron, we could afford to send him to Oberlin, a top rated college that costs $30,000 per year. By following your service we were able to receive more than $18,000 in free money. This could be possibly the best money we've ever invested. With your help we were able to lower our family contribution so our son could achieve his goals. We will contacting National College Funding in the future, so our other children may receive the quality education they also deserve.

Thanks again!

Robert W. Hillyer
Oakland, MI



To: John McCarthy

From: Dennis Hill

     National College Funding service has been extremely helpful in the planning for college expenses. They have been available to answer all of our questions and have given us the information we need to set up a plan. It has really given us peace of mind and taken a lot of the pressure off because we can see how to make it work.

Dennis Hill
Ann Arbor, MI



     I have had a great experience working with NCF and John McCarthy. He is always there to answer my questions about college planning and my overall financial health. Anyone with high school age children needing help in answering the question, 'how do we pay for our kids college education,' should seek out John's services immediately.

Sabrina Dinkha Warren, MI



     I cannot adequately express our gratitude to John McCarthy and the National College Funding Staff, for his help in simplifying the complicated financial aid jargon and offer way's to pay for college and still maintain our lifestyle. Thanks again!

Diana Thereza Warren, MI



Take a look at what our clients are saying about working with our partner - The College Planning Network

(All members of National College Funding Services, Inc have access to the College Planning Network)



     We cannot adequately express our gratitude to the staff at The College Planning Network for their help in securing college funding for our three children. They reduced our EFC by over $10,000 by completing the FAFSA correctly! In addition, they were able to simplify the complicated financial aid jargon and offer ways to pay for college while still maintaining our lifestyle. They are always available to address any questions or concerns and have assured us we will survive having three kids in college at the same time. Thank you three times over!!

Arlen and Bonnie G.



     CPN has helped me (a single mother of 4 children) restructure my situation to maximize the benefits of the FAFSA process. They encouraged us to look at private universities and not just state schools because there is more money available for financial aid in a private school. Between academic scholarships, university grants, and low-cost student loans, my twin daughters are attending a private university which costs $35,000/year per student at a cost to me of $6,000 for each daughter. CPN not only helped me restructure my financials, they helped me to understand the whole FAFSA process. I highly recommend CPN for anyone who has a child entering college to help access their financial situation.

Laurel B.



     CPN gave us tips and techniques of lowering our EFC that we would normally not have known about. By lowering our EFC we have saved our family thousands of dollars in college funding.

Toni G.



     I thought I understood the college funding process based upon my experience with my first child in college. When my second child was ready for college I decided there was no harm in seeking some additional professional support and contacted The College Planning Network. I thought maybe they could provide some suggestions for dealing with two college students. In reviewing my situation with the CPN professionals, we were able to make adjustments in my financial situation to improve - which meant reduce - the magical Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number for both children. We got subsidized versus unsubsidized loans which will save a lot of interest over the long-term. Additionally, we were also able to improve my overall family financial situation by paying off debt and readjusting our strategies for retirement. Thank you.

Bob M.



     Having CPN fill out our FAFSA forms was a big relief for us. We thought we would not be eligible for financial aid, but they helped us with options to carry us through 6 years of college when we will have another student to put through. Our daughter, Brittany, was able to go to the small, private college of her choice for the same cost as a state school. They helped her receive aid and additional scholarship money. She is very happy, doing well and we are planning on sending our second daughter to college in the fall of 2008.

Mark & Lisa B.



     My wife and I, too, have been very happy with the decision to utilize their services. We found ourselves comfortable discussing our financials and very pleased with their counseling and recommendations. We all have our expertise. It was nice to know that when the time came to need someone else's expertise, The College Planning Network was there to assist. Simply put, they took the worry out of the process and saved us time and money we wouldn't have otherwise known to be possible.

Jim & Katherine O.



     We have just begun working with CPN. Already we have received help that we would not have known about. We received information on how to reduce our estimated family contribution. We also have access to the DISCOVER program, which is a great resource for our daughter in researching colleges and writing a resume. CPN suggested different options for studying for the SAT and ACT. Most of all, CPN has reduced the amount of stress associated with the entire college process.

Jim & Michelle K.



     We have had a very positive experience with CPN, particularly by comparison with our previous attempt to select/fund college by ourselves. Our son selected his college and obtained his aid through his parents' advice. The school turned out to be an inappropriate choice and a very expensive mistake. Our daughter, two years younger, has benefited from the advice and council of our advisors at CPN and, as a consequence, she has several good choices and a nice package of grants and scholarship money to consider. We would highly recommend the CPN group for anyone who wants to target the best options for their child's college experience.

Steve and Gail S



     Here I am a year later and our son has been accepted to the college that was first on his list of colleges. The College Planning Network supplied us with a time line for what we needed to have done. Working with my son on college applications was hard enough. I am thankful that I did not have to worry about filling out all the financial forms.

     The College Planning Network took the pain out of the confusing financial aid forms, along with helping take the stress out of the college search.

Wade M.