Mission Statement
Why Choose Diversified College Planning?
At Diversified College Planning, we saw a gap in the college planning process. Most companies focus only on SAT/ACT prep, admissions, or college selection—but they leave out a key part: how to afford college. We combined our financial and academic expertise to create a complete solution. Our service brings together an academic support center, a college funding expert, and a social media specialist—all in one.
Our Journey: The Diversified College Planning Timeline
A legacy of trust, innovation, and family values—since 1980.
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2025
A Message From Our Founders
Rick and Margaret Stolz
Colleges have become highly sophisticated in how they recruit students. What was once called admissions is now known as strategic enrollment management—a system built around data and algorithms designed to increase a school’s revenue, not necessarily to serve the student’s best interests.
Families often approach the college process with hope and good intentions but without a full understanding of how it really works. At Diversified College Planning, we help families see through the noise.
As a family-owned business for over 45 years, we’ve worked with generations of families just like yours. We understand the pressure parents feel to provide opportunities for their children without jeopardizing their financial future. We’ve seen the stress, the uncertainty, and the sacrifices families are asked to make.
That’s why we approach this process as a family helping other families—offering guidance that’s grounded, thoughtful, and always in your best interest.
Thank you for allowing us to be part of your journey. It’s a responsibility—and a relationship—we deeply value.
– Rick Stolz CLU, ChFC, RHU, CLTC, LUTCF
A Proven Process, and A Team You Can Trust
The New Reality of College Planning
The college admissions process has changed dramatically over the past two decades. What was once a relatively straightforward and affordable path has evolved into a complex system shaped by rising tuition costs, increasingly competitive admissions standards, and complicated financial aid formulas.
Today, families are often overwhelmed by the number of decisions involved in preparing for college. Choosing the right schools, navigating financial aid applications, understanding scholarship opportunities, and planning for the long-term financial impact can quickly become confusing and stressful.
At Diversified College Planning, we help families navigate this process strategically. Our mission is to help students gain admission to the right schools while protecting the financial stability of the family. With the right strategy, students can maximize opportunities while families reduce unnecessary college costs.
Why Most Families Feel Lost in the Process
Many families simply don’t know where to begin with college planning.
Should you start by choosing schools?
Should you focus on saving more money?
How do you determine what your family can actually afford?
Without a structured strategy, families often make emotional decisions rather than financial ones.
Consider the process of buying a home. Most families would never begin touring houses without first understanding how much they are prequalified to borrow. Yet when it comes to college—one of the largest financial decisions a family will ever make—many families begin by selecting schools before understanding the true cost.
At Diversified College Planning, we help families effectively “prequalify” for college before the application process even begins.
Our process includes:
Calculating your Student Aid Index (SAI) to understand how colleges evaluate your family’s ability to pay
Identifying strategies that may reduce your SAI and improve financial aid eligibility
Identifying colleges most likely to offer significant merit scholarships or financial aid
Building a financial strategy aligned with your family’s resources and long-term goals
With a thoughtful strategy in place, students often gain access to colleges that previously seemed financially or academically out of reach.
In many cases, families discover schools that may offer enough merit scholarships and institutional aid to dramatically reduce the overall cost of attendance.
The Rising Cost of College—and the Costly Mistakes Families Make
College tuition has risen significantly over the past several decades. According to national education data, the average cost of tuition and fees at a four-year public university has increased more than 200% over the past thirty years.
Unfortunately, many families begin planning too late or without a clear strategy, which can lead to expensive mistakes.
Common pitfalls include:
Waiting too long to start planning
Many families don’t begin serious planning until a student’s junior or senior year of high school—when many of the most effective strategies are no longer available.
Misunderstanding financial aid eligibility
Some families assume they will not qualify for financial aid, when strategic planning could significantly increase eligibility.
Using college savings inefficiently
Even families who have saved responsibly for college may run out of funds if those savings are not used strategically.
Choosing schools without understanding their financial aid model
Every college distributes financial aid differently. Without understanding a school’s scholarship and aid strategy, families may unintentionally apply to institutions that offer little financial support.
These mistakes can easily cost families tens of thousands of dollars.
Stretching Your College Savings the Right Way
If your family has built a college savings fund, that is a tremendous advantage. However, how those savings are used can be just as important as how much has been saved.
Without a clear plan, families may exhaust college funds before a student graduates or take on unnecessary debt.
At Diversified College Planning, we help families create strategies designed to:
Stretch existing college savings
Coordinate savings with financial aid eligibility
Avoid running out of funds before graduation
Protect retirement assets while paying for college
The goal is simple: help students graduate without leaving families in a financially weakened position.
Why College Planning Requires Specialized Expertise
Many families assume their financial advisor will manage college planning. However, college funding requires a completely different strategy than retirement or investment planning.
Even a well-structured retirement plan can be disrupted if college costs are not properly incorporated into the overall financial strategy.
Successfully navigating today’s admissions and financial aid landscape requires expertise in areas such as:
FAFSA and CSS Profile strategy
Student Aid Index (SAI) calculations
Merit scholarship positioning
Institutional financial aid formulas
Financial aid appeals and negotiations
Comparing competing financial aid offers
For example:
Do most advisors know how to file a financial aid appeal?
Can they evaluate competing award letters to improve your aid package?
Do they know how to position assets to maximize aid eligibility?
These strategies can significantly influence the amount families ultimately pay for college.
A Smarter Approach to College Planning
There are more than 6,000 colleges and universities in the United States, and every institution operates differently.
Each school has its own:
Admissions strategy
Financial aid formulas
Scholarship programs
Application timelines and deadlines
Understanding how colleges operate—and how they price and discount their education—is essential.
Colleges are businesses. They actively recruit students, but not always in ways that benefit a family’s financial position.
That is why having a guide who understands how the system works can make a meaningful difference.
At Diversified College Planning, we help families:
Identify best-fit colleges academically and financially
Position students for maximum merit scholarships
Navigate the financial aid process strategically
Reduce out-of-pocket college costs
Avoid costly mistakes that impact financial aid eligibility
Proven Results for Families
For more than 20 years, our team has helped over 30,000 families successfully navigate the college planning process.
Through our structured planning approach:
Families save an average of $80,000 on college costs
Students achieve a 95% graduation success rate
Families gain confidence knowing their decisions are based on strategy—not guesswork
If we do not believe our services can benefit your family, we will tell you honestly from the beginning.
College Planning Doesn’t Have to Be Overwhelming
College is one of the largest financial decisions most families will ever make. Without proper planning, it is easy to overpay, miss opportunities, or make choices that negatively impact long-term financial security.
At Diversified College Planning, we guide families through every stage of the process—helping students open doors to schools they may have thought were out of reach while protecting the family’s financial future.
The earlier planning begins, the more opportunities become available.
Our Leadership
Experienced Professionals, Committed to You and Your Child’s Success!
Jarad Stolz CRPC, CLTC
Jarad Stolz brings a wealth of experience and insight to Diversified College Planning, where he works closely with families to make college more affordable through smart, personalized financial strategies. With a deep understanding of both financial planning and the inner workings of the college funding system, Jarad helps families reduce out-of-pocket costs without compromising long-term financial stability.
Jarad specializes in college funding strategies that go beyond basic financial aid advice. He helps parents understand how the Student Aid Index (SAI) is calculated and how to legally and strategically lower it to qualify for more need-based aid. His approach includes evaluating financial positioning, helping families restructure assets when appropriate, and identifying schools that are most likely to offer generous merit and institutional aid based on a student’s academic and personal profile.
Through a top-down planning method, Jarad assists families in building a focused college list—starting with over 2,500 schools and narrowing it to those where the student fits in socially, gets in academically, and most importantly, gets paid to attend. His ability to merge admissions strategy with financial strategy allows families to avoid overpaying, reduce debt exposure, and protect retirement savings in the process.
Jarad’s dedication to transparency and individualized planning has helped countless families approach the college process with clarity and confidence. Whether working with first-time applicants or families navigating college for multiple children, Jarad ensures every plan is grounded in logic, driven by data, and designed for long-term success.
Mike Dusombre CRPC, CLTC
Mike Dusombre plays a key role at Diversified College Planning, where he brings a unique combination of financial insight and real-world practicality to the college funding process. With years of experience guiding families through complex financial decisions, Mike focuses on delivering straightforward, effective strategies that reduce the cost of college and protect long-term financial goals.
Mike works with families to simplify every stage of the planning process—from understanding financial aid formulas to evaluating school affordability and building a strategy that aligns with both college and retirement timelines. His approach emphasizes clarity, efficiency, and impact. By helping families lower their Student Aid Index (SAI), uncover merit-based opportunities, and strategically target colleges that offer substantial aid, Mike ensures families don’t just find the right school—they find the right financial fit.
What sets Mike apart is his ability to translate financial strategy into meaningful outcomes for each student and family. He takes the time to understand the full picture—academic goals, household finances, and long-term priorities—then creates a plan that balances them all. Families value his honest, no-fluff communication style and his commitment to helping them make confident, informed decisions in an otherwise overwhelming process.
Through personalized guidance and a data-driven approach, Mike helps families avoid common mistakes, minimize debt, and save tens of thousands of dollars on the true cost of college. His mission is simple: make the path to college more affordable, more strategic, and far less stressful.
Jenelle – Admissions Counselor
Jenelle brings years of admissions experience to the team, offering students valuable insights into what colleges are really looking for. She helps families navigate applications with confidence and ensures every student puts their best foot forward.
Joseph – SAT Prep Coach
Joseph, a standout graduate of our college planning program, went on to earn a degree in Economics from Cornell University. With three years of professional tutoring experience and two additional years of volunteer service, he brings both expertise and passion to every session.
Tutor Space is our in-house test prep platform—created to make elite-level tutoring accessible to all learners at a fraction of the traditional cost. Built on proven learning methodologies developed by our expert team, the platform delivers personalized strategies that help students reach their full potential. Backed by a dedicated group of educators who continually refine and expand its resources, Tutor Space ensures that families benefit from the very best in modern educational support.
Allen – Social Media Coordinator
In 2014, Alan Katzman launched Social Assurity to provide the most comprehensive social media and digital literacy curriculum for college-bound students. Drawing on his extensive background in law, compliance, and technology, Alan has delivered countless lectures nationwide on the evolving role of social media in both college admissions and career development. Based in New York, he dedicates his time to monitoring emerging digital trends and expanding Social Assurity’s educational reach to ensure students are equipped for success in an increasingly connected world.
Theresa – College Search Specialist
Theresa helps families uncover the best-fit colleges for their student—academically, financially, and personally. Her deep knowledge of school profiles and admissions trends brings clarity to an otherwise overwhelming search process.
Why Most College Planning Services Fall Short—And What Sets Us Apart
Get the guidance you need, all in one place—from FAFSA to career fit to maximizing aid.
