College Planning Strategist for High-Income Families | Southern California
Most families
start with college.
Smart families
start with the future.
You've built wealth. You've raised a high-achiever. Now the college bill arrives and it feels like the system is designed to work against you. It doesn't have to be this way.
The Problem
High-income families
are the ones most unprepared.
If your household earns over $150,000, the system tells you that you won't get aid, so most families don't plan. They just pay. And it costs them dearly.
They confuse need-based aid with merit aid
Need-based aid and merit scholarships are completely different systems. Most families never pursue merit money because they assume they don't qualify for anything.
$40K–$120K left on the table
They choose schools based on prestige, not strategy
The college your student wants and the college that will reward your student financially are often different schools. Strategic fit changes the financial outcome entirely.
The "dream school" trap
They start planning too late
Merit aid positioning, FAFSA strategy, and asset protection decisions must happen years before applications. By senior year, most of the levers are already locked but we can still help.
Planning starts in 9th grade
Meet Your Strategist
The consultant who speaks every language of college planning.
I'm Stephanie Gibbs — a Certified College Planning Strategist, financial planner, high school & dual enrollment counselor, NIL educator, and certified AI consultant. I'm also the CEO of College Planning Professionals and Sharkey Financial, serving high-net-worth families across Southern California and beyond.
Most advisors know one lane: admissions or finance. I sit at the intersection of both, which means I see moves that specialists on either side miss. That intersection is where your family's money is.
Free Education
A YouTube channel built
for families who refuse to overpay.
Every week I publish videos that show high-income families exactly how the merit aid system works, how to read and negotiate award letters, how to leverage dual enrollment,
and how NIL changes the game for student-athletes.
No fluff. No generic advice.
Just the strategy your financial advisor and school counselor probably don't know.
lMerit Aid Strategy
Six-figure aid for families who "make too much"
Award Letter Decoding
How to read, compare, and negotiate every offer
NIL Training
The overlap nobody else is covering on YouTube
AI-Powered Planning
Use of AI tools for the college planning process
Dual Enrollment Savings
Arrive at college with a semester or more — for free
New videos every week.
Subscribe so you don't miss the money.
Join families who are learning the strategies that high-income households aren't supposed to know about.
My Signature System Solution
The FOCUS Framework
for college planning.
F
O
C
U
S
Future of Work
Choose a major or career based on the evolving world your student is preparing to enter.
Opportunities
Identify careers with flexibility, resilience, long-term growth, and human judgment.
College Strategy
Make college and alternative pathways part of the strategy and not the goal for building your student's future.
Upgrade Skills
Learn and apply skills to solve real-world problems and create value in your community
Smart Money
Build a healthy future without creating financial pressure that follows your family for decades.
Families We've Helped
The results speak
for themselves.
We thought we made too much to get any aid. Stephanie showed us how to build a college list where our daughter received $68,000 in merit aid from her first-choice school. We had no idea this was possible.
College Planning Client · Class of 2025
The award letter negotiation alone paid for Stephanie's services five times over. She knew exactly what to say, when to call, and how to frame the appeal. Most families just accept the first offer.
CPP Client · $42K Additional Aid Secured
Our son is a recruited athlete and we had no idea how NIL would affect his financial aid or what questions to ask coaches. Stephanie walked us through every piece of it. A game changer.
Student-Athlete Family
NIL + College Planning Client
FAQs
Can high-income families qualify for college financial aid?
Yes. Families earning over $150,000 rarely qualify for need-based aid, but merit scholarships are entirely separate from income. Many private colleges award $20,000–$80,000+ annually in merit aid regardless of what you earn. The key is building a strategic college list where your student is in the top 25% academically — those schools compete for students like yours with institutional scholarship money.
What is a college planning specialist and how are they different from a school counselor?
A college planning specialist focuses exclusively on college selection strategy, financial aid, and career planning, often years before applications begin. School counselors manage hundreds of students at once and rarely have time for individualized financial strategy. A Certified College Planning Specialist holds credentials in both admissions strategy and financial planning, allowing them to see moves that specialists on either side miss.
When should we start college planning?
Ideally, by 9th grade. Many of the most powerful levers; merit aid positioning, course selection, dual enrollment savings, and FAFSA asset strategy, must be set up years before applications are submitted. Families who start in 11th or 12th grade can still benefit, but some options are already closed.
What is merit aid and how do we get it?
Merit aid is scholarship money awarded based on academic achievement, test scores, or talents, not financial need. To maximize merit awards, your student needs to apply to schools where their GPA and test scores place them in the top quartile of admitted students. Those schools use financial awards to recruit your student. The college list strategy is everything.
Can I negotiate a college financial aid award letter?
Yes, and most families never try. The process is called a Professional Judgment Appeal. When handled correctly, with the right documentation, framing, and timing, it can result in thousands to tens of thousands of dollars in additional aid. Working with a specialist who knows what to say and when to call dramatically improves outcomes.
How does NIL affect my student-athlete's financial aid?
NIL income is treated as student income on the FAFSA and can affect need-based aid calculations. The interaction between NIL deals, athletic scholarships, and institutional aid is nuanced and school-specific. Understanding how to structure NIL activity, and what questions to ask coaches and financial aid offices, can protect both the athletic scholarship and institutional grants.
Do you work with families outside of Southern California?
Yes. While College Planning Professionals is based in Rancho Cucamonga in the Inland Empire, we serve families virtually across California and nationally. We conduct strategy sessions, college list reviews, award letter negotiations, and NIL planning remotely with equal effectiveness.
Before you spend thousands of dollars on college, make sure your student is preparing for a future that still makes sense.
Don’t Pick the Wrong College or Career helps parents understand how AI, rising college costs, career changes, and financial decisions all connect, so families can choose a path with more confidence and less regret.
Get a copy of my latest book
Available on Amazon July 14th
Work With Us
Your student's future is
worth a 30-minute strategy call.
© 2026 College Planning Professionals, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
College Planning Strategist serving Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Chino Hills, Claremont
and surrounding counties including Orange, Riverside and Los Angeles.