Peter Ratzan

Phone: 954-659-1234
Fax: 954-659-7889
E-mail:

(A special note from Peter Ratzan, M.B.A., Co-founder and Principal, College Planning Specialists of Florida)

Tired of SLEEPLESS NIGHTS worrying about your kids’ COLLEGE FINANCES? Pre-Paid Schmeepaid! Been there, done that, and it’s still NOT enough. I understand. In fact, until very recently, I used to look at my kids and become so overwhelmed with FEAR and FRUSTRATION about how I was going to pay for their education (while still paying off my own student loans) that I would just close my bedroom door and silently SCREAM. Can you relate?

But then I started to do some research. I spoke to the best financial planners, CPAs, you name it, and after some missteps and stumbles, I have finally DISCOVERED THE SECRET FORMULA that has let me put all my fears to bed for good and allowed me to get on with the business of enjoying my life, my wife, and my family!

Hi - I’m Peter Ratzan, loving husband and father of two amazing children (a boy and a girl). I’m a college graduate – Tufts University, a post-college graduate - George Washington University - (with two degrees), a hard-working guy (first as a high school teacher and then as a telecommunications executive at a large company you’ve definitely heard of) and until very recently, in a constant panic about how I would be able to afford to provide my children with the same opportunities that I had.

A few other things about me - I’ve lived in South Florida for about 35 years. Though I don’t really remember the ’72 or ‘73 seasons, I bleed aqua and orange and have since I can remember. I loved growing up in Florida. I love living here now, but it has become a REALLY EXPENSIVE place to raise a family.

I grew up in a very comfortable home. We weren’t overly wealthy, but we certainly didn’t want for basic needs either. I went to a good school and summer camp, and life was great. My parents always emphasized getting the best education possible, and college for us meant somewhere in New England, where my parents first met. We were lucky, VERY lucky. Dad was a University of Miami faculty member, which qualified me for tuition remission. This meant that every semester I would go to the registrar’s office to deliver a check in the amount of about $8,000, drawn from a University of Miami bank account. College tuition was hardly an issue in my family. Graduate school, on the other hand, was a whole ‘nother ball of wax!

That was then… today is VERY different. Typical items that cost $8,000 in 1987 would cost more than $14,000 today. But college tuition is not typical…in fact, rates have nearly TRIPLED in the past 20 years alone, requiring $20,000 or more EACH SEMESTER at private or even some out-of-state public universities. Unlike my Dad I am not on any university faculty, and these prices are only going HIGHER, in fact nearly twice the rate of inflation!

And here’s the worst part… Like many of you, my wife and I took out student loans to pay for our graduate schooling. I used to feel like the bologna in the middle of a debt sandwich. I mean, here I was writing one check to Florida Pre-Paid and another to Sallie Mae to pay off my own student loans! We carried this debt for many years, but through our persistence and research we finally found a way to pay it all off and GIVE OUR CHILDREN the OPPORTUNITY to attend the BEST COLLEGE they can get into… all without going broke, robbing a bank or carrying a brown bag lunch to work every day (I mean how much PBJ can a grown man take?).

And I know first hand that my situation is lucky compared to many folks! I used to work with a guy, I’ll call him Ben for the sake of this letter. He and his wife had two daughters, 3 years apart. The older daughter, Beth went to an elite school, while Sarah, the younger daughter, finished high school and became an even brighter college-bound candidate. Ben thought he had saved enough and made the right decisions over the years. And maybe his plan was sound, but he didn’t account for an unexpected circumstance (illness) that derailed the plan. So the Sarah, the younger daughter, ended up attending a local college and living at home, denied of the same opportunities afforded her older sister. This became a difficult situation for all involved, one that I could have helped them avoid.

That’s why I dedicated my life to helping others like you see how you can do the same. Your children have demonstrated that they have the WILL, now I can prove that YOU have the WAY.