a team approach to college planning
Unlike other college planners, we do this full-time. We are a team of college planning professionals and we utilize a research-based approach that has been helping students for over 20 years. We all have areas where we specialize because college planning is too big for one person to tackle alone. We primarily help families in the Pittsburgh area and Southwest Pennsylvania and our team has been hand-picked from the best planners in the country. Each of our clients regularly interact with a minimum of 3 full-time professionals, sometimes more depending on the situation. More heads are better than one.
Who we are
William Porti
Managing Partner, My College Advisor William Porti (Bill) returned to the Pittsburgh area in the summer of 2014 after residing in Sarasota Florida for five years. He grew up in the Cranberry Twp area and graduated from Seneca Valley High School. After High School he attended Penn State for three semesters before finding out the hard way how important school selection and clear career goals are to success in college. After leaving Penn State he served for six years in the U.S. Air Force where he finished his degree in Business. Bill has over 8 years of experience in Financial Services and in June 2014 became the Managing Partner of the Wexford, PA office of the College Advisor, in partnership with over a half a dozen other specialist in the field of college planning (with the College Funding Service Center and the College Authority). Bill helps the many families of the Pittsurgh area as a full-time college planner. MEREDITH MADDEN Academic Advisor - CFSC Meredith earned her Masters in Counseling Psychology from the University of San Francisco after graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a degree in Psychology. After moving across the country to rural New York and enrolling her youngest of two boys in kindergarten, she earned her Masters in School Counseling from Western Connecticut State University (2010). Meredith has always had a passion for helping others reach their full potential. Understanding that college is a huge investment for the entire family, she is enthusiastic about working with high school students and their families finding options for colleges that “fit” academically, socially, and financially. Meredith has finally found her place as a student positioner with the College Funding Service Center. She holds a Provisional Certification as a School Counselor and is a member of the National Association for College Counseling (NACAC) and the Dutchess County Counseling Association. |
GARY CARPENTER
CPA and Executive Director - National College Advocacy Group (NCAG) Gary is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in New York. For the New York State Bar Association, Financial Planning Association of New York, and several state CPA Societies Gary is a continuing education instructor. He has contributed to several publications including AARP Magazine, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal are among the several publications and had appearances on MSNBC and CNBC. With over thirty years of experience in tax and financing, Gary has spent over fourteen years in college planning. Mr. Carpenter is also the co-founder and the Executive Director of the National College Advocacy Group. Gary also lends his expertise with our college planning group. check out these useful college planning resources. |