How I Help Parents Fund College Without Touching Retirement

If you’re a parent navigating the rising cost of college, I understand exactly what you’re feeling, excitement for your child’s future mixed with concern about how you’re going to afford it all. Over the years, I’ve worked with hundreds of families who fall into the “in-between” category, earning too much to qualify for major financial aid, but not nearly enough to write tuition checks without stress.

I’m Tracy Armstrong, CCFS, and I’ve spent more than 25 years in education helping families just like yours. Through my signature process inside The College Planning Mastery Program, I guide you through creating a college funding plan that makes sense for your family, without sacrificing your retirement savings, your lifestyle, or your long-term security.

This isn’t about wishful thinking or hoping for scholarships to fall out of the sky. It’s about smart, personalized planning based on your actual financial landscape, your child’s academic goals, and your family’s future vision. Let me show you how it works.

The Myth of “Just Figure It Out”

Far too many families believe they’ll “figure it out as they go” when it comes to paying for college. But here’s the truth: without a clear plan in place, most parents end up overpaying, draining their retirement, or taking on unnecessary debt.

That’s where I come in. I don’t believe college should come at the expense of your financial peace or future. My approach inside The College Planning Mastery Program is designed to help you fund college confidently and strategically, not reactively.

I start by looking at your complete financial picture, income, assets, liabilities, and any existing college savings. From there, I help you understand which strategies work best for families in your exact situation. The outcome? A funding plan that minimizes your out-of-pocket cost and protects what you’ve worked so hard to build.

Step One: Understanding Your True Aid Eligibility

One of the most common mistakes I see is families assuming they won’t qualify for any financial aid just because they have decent income or own a home. But financial aid is a nuanced process, and when you understand how aid is calculated, you can position your finances to your advantage.

Through The College Planning Mastery Program, I guide you through how the FAFSA and, where applicable, the CSS Profile evaluate your financial situation. I teach you how:

• Custodial parent rules work for divorced families
  
  

• Retirement accounts are (thankfully) not counted in aid calculations
  
  

• Income shifts and business ownership can affect your Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
  
  

By identifying and eliminating common mistakes, I help families unlock aid opportunities they would otherwise miss entirely.

Step Two: Structuring Finances to Protect Retirement

The last thing I ever want is to see a parent cash out a 401(k) to cover tuition. Not only does that move put your future at risk, but it can also create more harm than help in terms of financial aid eligibility.

Inside my program, I teach families how to:

• Avoid using assets that increase EFC
  
  

• Prioritize spending in the correct order (Hint: student assets before parent assets)
  
  

• Use protected vehicles like retirement accounts to lower reportable assets
  
  

• Time income and capital gains in aid-favorable ways
  
  

These aren’t general tips, they’re tailored strategies based on your real numbers. My goal is always to ensure college funding doesn’t come at the cost of your long-term security.

Step Three: Building a 4-Year College Cash Flow Plan

Too many families focus only on how to pay the first year. But college isn’t one payment, it’s a multi-year financial journey. In The College Planning Mastery Program, I help families map out all four years of projected college costs, side by side with your projected income, tax planning, and savings.

This cash flow plan accounts for:

• Changing aid formulas each year
  
  

• Scholarship renewals and gaps
  
  

• Loan strategies (when absolutely necessary)
  
  

• Tuition inflation
  
  

• Your projected retirement contributions
  
  

Having this plan in place gives you clarity, not just on where the money will come from, but when to use specific resources. Timing matters, and without a structured roadmap, you risk running short too soon.

Step Four: Leveraging Merit & Institutional Aid

Even if you don’t qualify for need-based aid, your child may be eligible for merit aid based on their academics, leadership, interests, or talents. I work with students to strategically identify schools where their profile stands out, and where colleges are most likely to offer generous institutional grants.

This process isn’t just about finding the cheapest option. It’s about finding the best-fit school that wants your student and is willing to invest in them. These are often schools you haven’t even considered, schools where your child may receive thousands more in aid just because of how we’ve positioned their application.

Step Five: Customizing the College List for Affordability

I don’t believe in blindly applying to a dozen dream schools and “seeing what happens.” Instead, I work closely with each family to build a smart, strategic college list, a mix of reach, match, and safety schools based not just on academics, but on financial viability.

This list is crafted using tools and insights I’ve developed over decades, tools that let us predict aid packages, evaluate net price calculators, and review historical trends from each college.

We then weigh each school based on:

• Estimated net price
  
  

• Historical merit aid offers
  
  

• Likelihood of admission
  
  

• Major/program fit
  
  

• Post-graduate outcomes
  
  

This allows your family to make informed, confident decisions, not gut-driven ones based on rankings alone.

Step Six: Supporting the Entire Family Through the Process

Every family dynamic is different, and every child has their own hopes, fears, and strengths. That’s why I don’t just focus on the numbers, I work with the whole family.

Whether you’re divorced and navigating separate financial conversations, or you’re struggling to help your teen articulate their goals, I bring a calm, judgment-free space to the process. I help you:

• Align expectations between parents
  
  

• Talk openly about financial limits
  
  

• Empower your student to take ownership
  
  

• Keep the process grounded in facts, not fear
  
  

By helping you avoid conflict, miscommunication, and last-minute stress, I ensure your family walks this journey together, not apart.

The Result: Sending Your Child to College Without Compromising Your Future

Over the years, families I’ve worked with through The College Planning Mastery Program have saved an average of $87,000, without sacrificing retirement or taking on burdensome loans. That’s not by accident. It’s the result of intentional, customized planning.

When you have the right strategy, you don’t have to choose between your child’s education and your financial freedom. You can do both. And I’m here to help you get there.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Yes, this is exactly what I need,” then I encourage you to schedule a complimentary discovery call with me. I only work with 60 families each academic year, so we begin with a one-on-one consultation to make sure we’re the right fit.

During this call, I’ll review your family’s needs, your financial picture, and your goals. You’ll walk away with real insight, and if we decide to work together, we’ll begin building a strategic plan that gives you confidence, not confusion.

Your child deserves the best future. You deserve a retirement that reflects your years of hard work. And I believe you can have both, without stress, without sacrifice, and without going it alone.

Let’s plan smarter, together.