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Planning and Paying for College

Alex Chastain
Mike Switzer/SC Public Radio

Studies show that, on average, college graduates earn $1 million more during their lifetimes than people who don’t go to college.  Another study found that people who graduate from college have, on average, four times the net worth of people who don’t.  But it is a big investment, which is why our next guest says there are several questions to answer and decisions to make before attending.

Mike Switzer interviews Alex Chastain, a certified financial planner with Abacus Planning Group in Columbia, SC. 

College Planning Aids: FAFSA4casterCollegeNavigator

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After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.