Stan, You have a powerful story. Why don’t you give us some details about you and introduce us to your story. How did you get to where you are today?

The College space has been neglected by the financial industry for a long time because they understand growth and traditional retirement needs but not the pre-retirement sieve called college.  I have been around the top professionals in the industry for a long time and have found a passion to help families struggle with the most stressful years financially they will face until the last few years they live.  There is a huge need to help families understand how to pay for college without reducing their lifestyle during retirement and without affecting the hard work their children have done to become college ready.  The cost of college has outpaced almost everything else including health care over the past several decades. Free College – it is more of a buzz word than a solution for middle class families making between $80,000 and $250,000.

If the invention of the 529 was the answer to paying for college, why do we have over $1.6T in combined parent and student loans?  Why are senior citizens still making a college loan payment while receiving social security?  These questions need to be addressed with a solution that is knowledge based not product based.  The solutions that we used in the 70-80-90’s just doesn’t work today.

I have found that most people only think of 3 ways to pay for college: Scholarships, Loans and 529 Plans/College Savings.  They leave 5-7 other ways to offset the cost of college on the table and my goal is to help families find these in an easy way and help design a custom Pay-for-College Strategy to solve this math problem.

I’m sure your success has not come easily. What challenges have you had to overcome along the way?

It has taken 15+ years and a lot of learning with families to get a full understanding of how college affects every area of a family.  It is the first $250,000 problem that a family will face.  We know the rest of them, but if we can help families trust the process we can create a win-win.  The problem that families face today is they only have the option to pay a fee for service. We work with a national Non-profit organization to create two national certifications: Certified Pay-for-College Specialist & Certified College Debt Specialist. This also gives us the pleasure to work with families and not have to charge them a fee. We are, and want to continually be, socially responsible.

In fact, we have a Community Resource relationship with several colleges who understand that the socially responsible thing to do with families who are entering college, is to help them get the financial aid they need. We use put forth our knowledge and expertise through two programs: The Affordable College Plan & The College Debt Elimination Program.  Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan is one of the most proactive universities in giving parents and students a complimentary benefit for solving the cost and debt surrounding college. They are leading the way in socially responsible college for families.

Let’s talk about the work you do. What makes you good at what you do?

We want the students to be defined by the education they received and the impact that they can make
in their careers and the world, not just the debt they carry.
We excel at helping families and students navigate the Pay-for-College & College Loan and Debt world
because we see more solutions than almost anyone in the country and customize each strategy to their
specific goals and needs. We understand all the ways to reduce a family’s out-of-pocket cost for college
and we understand the fact that every family is different – some are dual income, single income,
blended, high achieving students, trade school path, community college, and more.
We have a group of several college and high school authorities we meet with regularly to understand
what is changing in this college environment. Through the information we gather from the inside, we
can better guide those we work with.
Our usage of digital platforms makes the education process & communication simple and effective.
Once example I would like to show you is our custom, interactive presentation of The Affordable College
Plan. (Please Click Here to view) We are able to share their Pay-for-College & College Debt Solutions
virtually through the HIPAA compliant Microsoft Teams application.
We have a network of Responsible College Advocates around the country (44 state and counting!) and
spend a lot of time strategizing and training them to better assist the families in their backyard.
Finally, we care. We love the idea that every family needs a unique solution. With our depth and
breadth of college knowledge there aren’t many families that we can’t help – we can help everyone with
knowledge, and they can implement on their own.

What’s your best piece of advice for readers who desire to find success in their life?

My advice is to make sure that you surround yourself with the people who can help you achieve what you want.  Life is a journey not a destination and you need to have a foundation in place that can work through the trials and tribulations while keeping you on track.  The ability to help others achieve their goals will help you achieve your goals.  God has given each of us passions and our job is to use them for good.  Keep an open mind and stay focused and present on today’s work.  Yesterday has passed and tomorrow hasn’t happened, today is what we need to protect.

Speaking of success, what does the word mean to you?

Success to me – from a very successful person is this

“A progressive realization of a worthwhile dream or goal”

What’s next for you Stan?

I have written a book called The Affordable College Plan with the aim to help families understand all the ways to pay for college and give them real solutions that they can walk away with today. I am able to help them find colleges that has the capacity to gift money to their student(s), explain how the FAFSA and financial aid process works and how the college game is played.

There are two socially acceptable problems that we have today- Paying for college and paying off college debt.  These two issues must be handled with grace and empathy for the families that are struggling with the debt and cost issue.  My goal is to give every family the confidence to make educated decisions based on facts, not fear, when it comes to paying for college.  God has granted me many blessings and my goal is to pay it forward. For example, my children have over $30,000 in tuition scholarships at over 500 colleges across the country and it is not my money.  How many families with kids ages 11, 9, & 6 have college awards ready for them when their children go to college?  More families need this opportunity & resource.

Stanley J. Targosz III

President, Founder

Certified College Debt Specialist

Certified Pay-for-College Specialist

Certified College Planner

Responsible College Advocates

Phone: (248)214-3172

Email: Stan@Responsiblecollege.com

 21415 Civic Center Drive, Suite 207

Southfield, MI 48076