The Man Behind
College Funding Specialists

Our Founder

Meet Ryan Thomson

College Funding Specialists was founded by Ryan Thomson in January of 2006. Ryan graduated from Michigan State University's Eli Broad College of Business in December of 1996. From January of 1997 until December of 2005, Ryan worked for National College Funding Service out of Troy, Michigan.

While in Michigan, in addition to working with families to properly prepare for college, Ryan also served as one of the chief counselors for the National Association of College Funding Advisors for over 5 years, helping train college funding professionals around the country.

"I started this company because I saw too many great families get overwhelmed by a process that didn't have to be so hard. My goal has always been simple — give you a clear plan and real peace of mind."

— Ryan Thomson, Founder

In 2006, after 9 years of helping families and training college funding professionals, Ryan decided the time to start his own company had arrived. Having visited the Austin area frequently on family trips and having two brothers in the Dallas area, the decision to move to Austin was an easy one — he happily traded in his snow shovel and winter clothes for the opportunity to come to the warm and friendly Austin area.

Over his career, Ryan has presented hundreds of workshops teaching thousands of families how to properly plan for college and how to maximize all of the resources available to help in doing so. In addition to the two workshops CFS promotes each month, Ryan is frequently invited to present his workshop at public high school events, private high schools, private companies, charitable groups, and even workshops organized by families who want their friends, relatives, or co-workers to benefit from attending.

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