Protecting Clients’ Retirement from Rising College Costs

The Bucket Plan® On-Demand Podcast

Protecting Clients' Retirement from Rising College Costs

In This Episode

About the Episode:

College costs can easily threaten your clients’ retirement, and the damage often happens long before they ever see it coming. Whether it’s a Parent PLUS loan taken out in 2005 that’s still quietly sitting on the books, or a child heading into freshman year with no career direction and no plan, these decisions can compound over time in ways that can completely reshape a retirement picture.

In this episode, host, Kirsten Schlumbohm, VP of Annuity Sales at C2P and Prosperity Capital Advisors, sits down with Jeannie Burlowski, academic strategist, speaker, and author of Launch! How to Get Your Kids Through College, Debt Free, and Into Jobs They Love Afterwards. Jeannie brings 25 years of experience guiding families through the college process, and in this episode, she shares exactly how you can plug that expertise into your practice.

Key Topics Discussed:

  • The Parent PLUS Loan Crisis Coming in 2026: What’s changing on July 1, 2026, why action is needed before April 1, 2026, and how this is a timely reason to call both current clients and prospects.
  • How College Costs Undermine Retirement Security: Why unnecessary college costs can become one of the biggest obstacles to a confident retirement, and why many families are emotionally primed to overleverage, even the ones who seem financially cautious.
  • Debt-Free College Without Scholarships: Jeannie’s core framework for getting kids through college without relying on scholarships, and the cost-control mistakes families make that punch holes in the bucket.
  • Career Clarity as a Financial Planning Tool: How career assessments in 10th grade like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®), Strong Interest Inventory®, and CliftonStrengths tests, help eliminate wasted tuition dollars and reduce the risk of extended schooling or loan-funded degree changes.
  • The Allowance Strategy for Raising Financially Savvy Kids: A practical, even fun approach to teaching kids money management early, including how it naturally leads to conversations about Roth IRAs, earned income, and long-term wealth building.
  • Applying The Bucket Plan® Lens to College Planning: How the Now, Soon, and Later framework helps families see college funding decisions as part of their larger financial picture
  • Incorporating College Planning into Your Annual Review: Specific questions and checkpoints advisors can use at annual reviews to stay ahead of expensive college decisions

Resources:

Protecting Clients' Retirement from Rising College Costs

About the Host:

Kirsten Schlumbohm is the Vice President, Head of Annuity Sales at  C2P and Prosperity Capital Advisors. She has over 15 years of industry experience, in which she’s served as an insurance and annuity wholesaler, sales trainer and leader, and financial advisor. In addition to her life and health insurance licenses, she holds her  Series 66  and a degree from Iowa State University.

While a frequent host on The Bucket Plan® On Demand podcast, Kirsten primarily serves as the host of A Woman’s Clarity® roundtable and forum — a platform dedicated to empowering women in and around the financial services industry.

Follow Kirsten on LinkedIn

About the Guest:

Jeannie Burlowski is a full-time academic strategist, podcast host, and speaker for students ages 12–26, their parents, and the professionals who serve them—and she is the author of the book LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt-Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward.  

Jeannie helps parents set their kids up to graduate college debt-free, ready to jump directly into careers they excel at and love.  Her work has been featured in publications such as The Huffington Post, USA Today, Parents Magazine, US News and World Report, and CBS News.

Follow Jeannie on LinkedIn

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