Why College Funding?

In short – because I feel families just too often overpay unnecessarily for college when it could have been fairly easily avoided. Getting on top of what your likely costs are going to look like and then being in a position to have a comprehensive and holistic plan to both lower those costs, as well as having a plan of attack on the approach to pay that lesser amount is a great way to avoid that common mistake of overpaying. 

Families take too long to come to the table to address the problem.  Instead, having that understanding as your kids enter high school and get your hands around the measures you can take immediately to improve your outcome is powerful and will very likely result in paying less for college.

There are just so many myths and misconceptions about the process. Our firm gets to the bottom line fairly quickly and puts you and your child in a position to make good decisions on school choices. Additionally, we get your child ready to be the best candidate at those schools. We get them the help they need to not only get in, but to get the most value from both a financial and merit aid standpoint.  Those dollars can be very, very significant and a potential game-changer in making a dream school affordable or not.

Our goal with every family is to exponentially lower their cost – and their stress. By having our team with you, it truly provides peace of mind that each family has a well thought out approach that will also not jeopardize their ability to retire on their terms.

Meet the Team

Mr. Tom Murdock

Mr. Tom Murdock graduated from Muhlenberg College in 1986 with a degree in economics. After a successful institutional trading career, Tom left Wall Street in 2009 to pursue a career in financial planning for families facing the college challenge. Tom enjoys helping families navigate the murky waters of trying to pay for college for all of their kids, yet still be able to retire on their own terms and comfortably at that. Tom gets satisfaction in helping families get thousands of dollars in additional financial and merit aid as well as having comprehensive strategies that don’t involve taking any unnecessary risk.

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Mrs. Ann Murdock
Tutor/Teacher
SAT Preparation
English Department Chair, Rumson Country Day School
Enrichment Specialist
Gifted and Talented Education Consultant

Mrs. Ann Murdock graduated from Penn State University in 1987 with a degree in elementary education. Before joining the English Department at Rumson Country Day School over a decade ago, she taught in Chichester, England; at Ranney School in Tinton Falls; and in Little Silver and Rumson Public Schools.

Mrs. Murdock earned a Masters degree in Educational Psychology (with a concentration in gifted and talented education) from the University of Connecticut in 2000. She has since won national recognition for curriculum development, published a non-fiction book about espionage, and launched a successful middle school debate program.

 

Mrs. Jacki Van Wagner

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Jacki graduated from Lafayette College in 1992. Before becoming an educational consultant, Jacki worked as an elementary education teacher. She earned her masters in Reading Education from St. Joseph’s University and taught as a Reading Specialist for two years. After marrying and moving to New York City, Jacki ran The Garden House School, a private London based preschool for children ages 2-5 years old.

While living abroad in London Jacki earned a certificate in College Counseling through UCLA’s Extension program. As an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), Jacki regularly attends webinars and conferences in the field of educational consulting.

 

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Mrs. Marissa Smith

Mrs. Marissa Smith graduated from Monmouth University in December 2000 with a double major in elementary
education and mathematics. Since graduation, Mrs. Smith has been teaching middle school math in Middletown for nearly 20 years. In that time she earned a Masters Degree also from Monmouth University.

Since college, she has tutored all ages, ranging from Kindergarten to high school math, including Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and of course, the SATs.

 
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April often helps out at the office. No worries – she’s hypoallergenic and very gentle!