Monster and Bank of America Help Parents Prepare for College Financial Planning

For the fourth year in a row, Making It Count, an educational service provider for students and parents and a business unit of Monster Worldwide, Inc., and Bank of America, one of the world's largest financial institutions, are teaming up to help parents plan for and manage costs associated with their child's college education through their Making College Financial Planning Count program.

Beginning in September, 500 one-hour Making College Financial Planning Count seminars will be presented free to parents at high schools across the nation through April 2008.

The Making College Financial Planning Count seminar provides parents with a comprehensive overview of the college financial planning process, including:

* Options for developing a college funding strategy including scholarships, grants and loans

* An introduction to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and provides critical tips and deadline dates

* Insight on how to send their child to college without risking the family's financial future

* A discussion of the affordability myth of public versus private colleges and universities

The speaker was so enthusiastic and made what could have been very confusing easy to understand. Now I know where to begin and what direction to go in. Before tonight, I knew nothing about the process, says Karen Pruzansky, parent of a college-bound student and seminar attendee.

According to the College Board's 2006-2007 Trends in College Pricing the average total tuition and fees at four-year public colleges and universities are 6.3 percent higher than they were in 2005-06, and the average total tuition and fees at four-year private colleges and universities are 5.9 percent higher.

It's no secret that the college financial planning process can be frustrating and confusing for parents of college-bound students. Combined with the rising costs of college, this can be a challenging time, said J.R. Cifiani, Vice-President and General Manager, Making It Count. This program empowers parents to make sense of what can be an overwhelming process.

The Making College Financial Planning Count program can also be found online at www.elearning.makingitcount.com. The online tool gives parents and students an interactive overview of the college financing process. It provides information via audio and video, allowing parents and students to work at their own pace to create their personal college funding strategy. Here are some features of the online program:

* Print checklists, lesson summaries and handbooks loaded with great tips, and link to free Web resources
* Plan for and manage college costs
* Save, update and print the family's personal college funding strategy

Preparing for the cost of college can add undue stress to what's supposed to be an exciting chapter in the lives of students and their parents, said Tracy Grooms, Student Lending Executive, Bank of America. Parents who attend a program session will walk away prepared with a better understanding of the college financial process as well as the knowledge and confidence for them to develop their own college funding plan.

In addition to the Making College Financial Planning Count program, Bank of America offers students and parents a variety of financial education programs in partnership with Monster's Making It Count to assist with developing smart money skills.

For more information about Making It Count's free Making College Financial Planning Count presentation, including the list of locations for the live presentation, please visit http://mcfc.makingitcount.com. For more information about, or to begin using the interactive, online version of the program , please visit www.elearning.makingitcount.com.