Sallie Mae and National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors Partner to Offer Free College Planning Tools

Partnership Designed to Help NAIFA Members and Clients Effectively Save, Plan, and Pay for College

Sallie Mae, the nation's saving, planning, and paying for college company, and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), one of the nation's largest professional associations, today announced a new partnership to offer free, comprehensive college planning tools to NAIFA members and their clients. The partnership will provide NAIFA's nationwide network of 40,000 insurance and financial advisors with free college planning tools from Sallie Mae to help their clients make well-informed decisions when it comes to paying for college.

"NAIFA members provide a range of services to help consumers secure their financial futures, from health insurance and employee benefits, to life insurance and annuities, and financial advising and investments. Just like other financial advice, advisors want to make sure parents know the options available when it comes to paying for college, so many NAIFA members have incorporated college planning into their practices," said NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE. "NAIFA is pleased to enter into a partnership with Sallie Mae to provide members access to additional tools and resources in this important area."

According to "How America Pays for College 2017," the national study by Sallie Mae and Ipsos, nearly all families believe college is a worthwhile investment, and nearly nine in 10 say they expect from as early as preschool that their child will go to college. Only four in 10 families, however, have a plan to pay for college. The free tools offered by Sallie Mae and NAIFA can help families get started.

"We know that families who have a plan for college are generally more prepared to pay for college and ultimately borrow less. For many the greatest obstacle is just getting started," said Martha Holler, senior vice president, Sallie Mae. "Our new partnership with NAIFA will provide a suite of tools and resources to help NAIFA members and their clients do just that."

Sallie Mae will offer a variety of planning tools including, Scholarship Search, an easy to use tool where students register (free of charge), fill out a brief profile, and receive matches that identify relevant scholarships and their award amounts, application requirements, and deadlines. The tool automatically sends updates when it identifies new matches.

In addition, Sallie Mae will provide materials on a variety of paying for college topics, such as tips for completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), analyzing financial aid letters, and industry leading research, including How America Pays for College, How America Saves for College, and Majoring in Money. Sallie Mae will also provide options to fill any financing gaps after scholarships, grants, and federal loans, including private student loans for students and parents.

For more information visit NAIFA.org.

About NAIFA: Founded in 1890 as The National Association of Life Underwriters (NALU), NAIFA is the oldest, largest and most prestigious association representing the interests of insurance professionals from every Congressional district in the United States. NAIFA's legacy of leadership and vision has a lasting impact as the founder of multiple organizations now serving the industry. Its mission – to advocate for a positive legislative and regulatory environment, enhance business and professional skills, and promote the ethical conduct of its members – is the reason NAIFA has consistently and resoundingly stood up for agents and called upon members to grow their knowledge while following the highest ethical standards in the industry.

Sallie Mae SLM is the nation's saving, planning, and paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal finance, including private education loans, Upromise rewards, scholarship search, college financial planning tools, and online retail banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

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