Ann Garcia

Ann Garcia, aka The College Financial Lady, has helped thousands of families save millions of dollars on college. A fee-only Certified Financial Planner® and managing partner of Independent Progressive Advisors, Ann specializes in helping families balance the desire to support their children’s dreams with the reality of funding their own lives. Her book How to Pay for College is set to release this summer from Harriman House; its companion online course is available now.

Early in Ann’s career as a financial advisor, she heard the same two questions again and again from her clients. One group asked, “How can we possibly afford to save for college and retirement?” Another group asked, “How can I save for retirement when I’m paying so much on my student loans every month?” Realizing that too many people struggled with this topic and too few advisors were willing to talk about it, she started The College Financial Lady blog to answer families’ college planning questions. A decade later, she is not just the go-to person for college financial planning, she is a trained assassin in that arena.

Ann has been featured in the New York Times, US News & World Report, CNN Money and countless other media. Ann and her husband, Bob, live in Portland, OR. Their twins are away from home attending affordable colleges.