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Sponsored by: Vaylark Financial Services
April 21, 2022

Vaylark Financial Services

Address: 750 Main St., Suite 400; Hartford, CT 06103
Phone: (860) 218-2048
Fax: (860) 218-2236
Website: www.GuidanceSymposium.com
Product or Service: Professional networking and information sharing event
More Information

Firm Fills Crucial Need With Symposium on Paying for College

With more than 30 years of experience assisting southern New England families with their wealth management and financial planning, you could say the team at Hartford’s Vaylark Financial knows a thing or two about helping others.

And it is just that dedication which has enabled Vaylark to identify and support an underserved demographic – the collegebound family.

“No doubt, paying for college can be daunting,” says Charles Wareham, Vaylark CEO. “And while it’s been getting more expensive each year, if it’s done properly, few students and parents pay the full amount. Most families rely on a combination of resources, including income and savings, money from scholarships and grants, and, of course, student loans. Negotiating financial aid awards is also an important component and we teach counselors and families alike how to do that.”

But Vaylark wants to go beyond that initial connection by creating synergistic partnerships that greater benefit the community. To that end, nearly 10 years ago, Vaylark became a founding partner in The Guidance Symposium, an event that grew from a simple lunch briefing to provide updates for high schools on the latest changes to financial aid and scholarships.

“We quickly realized that there was a greater need for deeper education,” Wareham says. “School counselors often have master’s or higher degrees in school counseling or administration, but rarely do they have any training in the financial aspects of college or how to communicate those ideas. So, we’ve partnered with the brightest and best minds we could find to create an event that provides a networking and education forum for school counselors and the businesses that support them. And now together we have a forum unlike any other where all the partners who contribute to this process can learn, network, and grow.”

Partners in the Symposium vary each year according to the greatest needs and trends concerning families and guidance professionals alike. This year’s event will feature presentations on the Five Biggest College Funding Myths, Understanding the New Fidelity 529 CHET Plan, SAT and AP Options in a Test Optional World, and Understanding College Debt. Previous topics have included changes to the financial aid forms for 2023, creating a culture of possibilities in schools, and closing the skills gap in the trades.

The Symposium typically presents one keynote speaker and four to five supporting presenters to an average crowd of around 150 each year. Although COVID-19 took a toll in recent years, Wareham says it’s full steam ahead this year with a return to in-person events and hopes to expand each year with regional attendees from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

“We would ultimately like to expand the Symposium to help even more people,” Wareham says. “We’re looking for experts in their field who want to collaborate with us to make that happen, and we’re looking to draw attendees for the event from the southern New England tri-state area. We’re rebuilding after the COVID mess and looking for partners that can benefit from the networking and learning opportunity that the Symposium provides.”