Helping Families Save ON College, Not Just FOR College
College is about much more than choosing a school.
It's about your child. Their future. The experiences they'll have, the people they'll meet, and the opportunities those years may create.
And for parents, it's also about making one of the largest commitments your family may ever make.
At College Funding Advocates, we help families slow the process down, understand their options, ask better questions, and make informed decisions with greater clarity and confidence.
You don't have to figure it all out alone.
More Than Advice. Advocacy for Your Family.
College Funding Advocates didn't grow out of a textbook.
It grew out of a lifetime of experiences where preparation mattered, relationships mattered, negotiation mattered, and decisions had real consequences.
Rick Bagby's path has taken him from U.S. Naval Intelligence to Foxboro Stadium, from high-stakes commercial real estate negotiations in Chicago and Boston to NCAA athletics, coaching, recruiting, and decades spent working with young people and their families.
Those experiences may seem very different.
But they taught remarkably similar lessons:
And when the stakes are high, have someone in your corner who understands how to advocate for you.
That's the perspective behind College Funding Advocates.
We Meet Families Where They Are
There's no perfect moment to begin planning for college.
Some families find us when their student is a sophomore and college still seems a long way off.
Others call during junior year when everything suddenly begins feeling very real.
Some families don't find us until applications are already submitted.
And some call with award letters spread across the kitchen table wondering:
We're not going to tell you what you should have done six months ago.
We're going to ask:
The earlier we begin, the more options we may have.
But one of the principles at the heart of CFA is simple:
How We Help Families
College Funding Strategy
Understand what a college may actually cost your family, how financial aid and merit aid can affect that cost, and where opportunities may exist.
Admissions Guidance
Look beyond simply “getting in.” Build a thoughtful college list around academic, personal, and overall fit.
Student-Athlete Recruiting
Understand how recruiting really works, what role coaches and admissions play, and where your student may have the best opportunity to thrive.
Award Letter Analysis
Acceptance letters and financial aid offers aren't the end of the process. Sometimes they're the beginning of one of the most important conversations.
We'll help you understand what the colleges are actually offering, compare the real costs, and identify the questions worth asking before making a final decision.
The Story Behind 21
Some parts of this story are professional.
This one is personal.
Paul "PJ" Trendowicz was a young man Rick Bagby had coached, and lacrosse was a game they both loved.
PJ was to begin college when his life was tragically cut short.
There was no business plan behind what happened next. No marketing strategy.
There was simply a desire to make sure that a remarkable young man's influence didn't disappear with him.
Rick Bagby, with the support of Paul and Julie Trendowicz, founded 21 Lacrosse, with the Black Jacks being their club team.
What began as a way to honor PJ grew into something much larger.
Yes, there was lacrosse.
Yes, there were wins.
Yes, there were extraordinary players.
But the real purpose was always bigger than the game.
The kinds of qualities that mattered in PJ's life became the qualities 21 Lacrosse tried to pass along to the young men who came after him.
And in many ways, that experience became part of the WHY behind College Funding Advocates.
Because helping a young person find the right college isn't simply about an acceptance letter.
It's about helping them find a place where they can grow into the person they're capable of becoming.
Experience Matters. But What You Do With It Matters More.
Rick Bagby's life hasn't followed a straight professional line.
Not because families need to hear a résumé.
Because when you're sitting across the table trying to decide what's best for your son or daughter, you deserve someone who understands that this isn't merely a transaction.
And that's exactly how we'll treat it.
Ready to Make Confident College Decisions?
You may be years away from making the final decision.
You may be building a college list right now.
Your student may be navigating recruiting.
Or you may already have several award letters sitting in front of you.
Wherever you are, we'll meet you there.
Let's start with a conversation, understand what's important to your family, and determine the next best step together.