Real Life Experiences Shaped his Career ChoiceAs the son of a teacher and small business owner, Ryan's parents struggled to pay for their two boys to attend college. Ryan has a family with two children of his own and decided to investigate why attending college had become so expensive and complicated. He discovered that the current strategies about getting into college and receiving financial assistance had changed dramatically over the years. Still, many high schools are perpetuating these outdated strategies. Universities have become much more sophisticated, and the admission process has become more competitive and complicated.
Ryan also found that the options families had to help them with selecting colleges did very little on educating students on how to make this $100,000 decision the right way. Those same options also did not advise families on how to help lower the cost or improve how these families pay for college. Ryan became extremely dissatisfied with the current state of college planning and decided to fill this education and coaching gap by founding Clark College Consulting in 2004.
Ongoing and Self-Motivated Learner in Pursuit of Knowledge As founder and CEO of Clark College Consulting and Clark College Funding, Ryan has extensive experience in working with over a thousand families throughout the United States in helping them through the entire college planning process. Ryan visits colleges throughout the year, attending conferences, and staying up to date on changes and new strategies in his profession.
Professional AffiliationsHe holds designations from the National Institute of Certified College Planners. He is a member of the National Association of College Advisers (NACA), National College Advocacy Group (NCAG), Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC), and the North Carolina School Counselor Association (NCSCA). Ryan is also currently on the board of the National College Advocacy Group.
Best Selling AuthorIn recognition of his outstanding work, Ryan's book, College Aid for Middle-Class America: How to Pay Wholesale vs. Retail, has been endorsed by Rick Darvis. Rick is a nationally known CPA and Founder of the National Association of College Planners. Ryan also co-authored the Amazon best selling book, College Entrance Game Plan.
Recognized College Planning ExpertRyan is a recognized college aid expert, consultant, speaker, author, and coach. He is frequently interviewed on the radio, published in newspapers, magazines, and online, including CBS Money Watch, The Business Insider, and MarketEDU.com.
Ryan created a step-by-step college planning system, which produces exceptional and predictable results of paying wholesale college pricing for any student, from any economic background. As an expert in helping families throughout the U.S. reduce the "financial elephant" of paying for college, he has assisted close to a thousand families save an average of $40,000 to $60,000 of college cost per child.