August 5-7, 2026•Washington, D.C.
Not just a conference.
A catalyst.
Join us at the premier conference where the nation’s leading college funding advisors come to grow, master their craft, and shape the future of college funding.
"If you’re serious about growing your practice, this is the event. No fluff. Just real advisors sharing what actually works."
- Mark DeBord, CFP®, ChFC
Transform Your Advisory Practice
The College Funding Coach® Success Summit is where education funding mastery meets real-world practice growth. Designed for both current and prospective College Funding Coach advisors—or just those who want to sharpen their saw and learn how top advisors are positioning college funding as a differentiated niche—this immersive experience delivers actionable strategies, advanced planning insights, and proven business systems you can implement immediately. Because advisors who want extraordinary results don’t grow alone—they grow together.
If you’re serious about expanding your impact, increasing your relevance with families, and aligning with a powerful advisor community—this is where it happens.
DON'T MISS OUT
Registration is limited to preserve the quality of education, access, and community that make Success Summit different.
$599 until 4/15/2026
$699 until 6/1/2026
$799 until 7/15/2026
$899 until 8/6/2026
Confirmed 2026 Speakers
Ric Edelman
Ric Edelman
Founder, Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals
Founder, The Truth About Your Future
Ric Edelman founded the nation’s largest financial planning firm, which manages $300 billion for 1.4 million families across the U.S. He was ranked three times as the nation’s #1 Independent Financial Advisor by Barron’s, is in two industry Halls of Fame and received three lifetime achievement awards (IARFC, InvestmentNews, Tiburon CEO Summit). He holds two patents for financial product innovation, appeared on Oprah five times and was once the answer to 21 Across in a New York Times crossword puzzle.
Edelman is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of 14 books on personal finance, with more than 1.2 million copies sold in eight languages worldwide. His newest book, The Truth About College, debuted December 2025. Ric’s radio show aired for 32 years with more than one million weekly listeners. His daily podcast was ranked in the top 1% of all podcasts, and Rowan University’s Ric Edelman College of Communication, Humanities and Social Sciences is named in his honor.
Ric and his wife Jean and their dogs spend most of their time in Virginia, Arizona and New York.
Tricia Scarlata
Tricia Scarlata
Tricia Scarlata, executive director, is Head of Education Savings for J.P. Morgan Asset Management. She is an advocate for educating families and their financial professionals on the importance of investing for college, and she leads the firm’s 529 plan business strategy, product and distribution efforts across client relationships.
Tricia offers over 30 years of investment industry experience, and has appeared on television, radio and print media including Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg TV, Asset TV, Nasdaq TV, Kiplinger, Wall Street Journal. USA Today, Morningstar and Investment News. Before being appointed Head of Education Savings, Tricia spent eight years leading the overall integrated marketing strategy for the education savings business. She partnered with sales, marketing, service, investments and public relations to gain alignment and ensure the 529 marketing strategy and program is continuously on the radar and promoted internally and externally. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan in 2014, she spent over 12 years as a marketing consultant for college savings plans, retirement plans and separately managed accounts at Oppenheimer Funds, Bernstein Investment Management, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. She started her financial services career in 1996 at PaineWebber as an internal sales consultant for the Managed Account Services business, eventually managing a group of 25 internal sales consultants nationally.
Tricia holds a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from Fordham University. She is Series 7 and 63 licensed and resides in Garden City, NY with her husband and two children.
Mando Sallavanti
Mando Sallavanti III, CFP®, CEPA, ChFC®
Founder of Freedom Path Wealth | Financial Planner | National Speaker | Advisor Coach
Mando Sallavanti is one of the most followed financial professionals on LinkedIn, with over 47,000+ followers and a nationwide client base of high-earning sales executives and entrepreneurs.
He is the founder of Freedom Path Wealth, a modern financial planning firm that helps successful families simplify complexity, reduce taxes, and create lasting wealth with purpose. His clients are often in their 40s earning $500k+ per year, managing equity comp, real estate, and/or closely held businesses, yet lacking the clarity and confidence that true financial planning provides.
Mando and his team deliver high-touch, high-accountability planning built for real life. With an integrated approach across investments, insurance, tax strategy, and cash flow, the firm’s philosophy is simple: Spend it like you mean it.
In addition to running a fast-growing planning firm, Mando coaches financial advisors across the country on how to grow profitable, planning-first businesses. His coaching blends tactical frameworks, real-world sales training, and brand building, rooted in the same strategies that helped him grow from cold calls to a multi-6-figure firm and speaking on national stages.
Mando is based in Scranton, PA, and when he’s not working with clients or building his brand, you can find him spending time with his wife Mattia, probably on a plane to a new country.
Ross Riskin
Ross Riskin
Brian Gallary
Brian Gallary
Brian D. Gallary
Senior Vice President | Head of Strategy and Consulting
Brian is a Senior Vice President and Head of Strategy and Consulting. Brian and his team are responsible for consulting with financial professionals on all aspects of business development, with a special focus on working with accountants and attorneys.
Prior to joining First Trust, Brian was a principal and head of financial professional sales for Vanguard’s Financial Advisor Services business. He was responsible for national sales of ETFs and mutual funds across all channels—including broker-dealers, registered investment financial professionals and banks. Prior to Vanguard, Brian was a senior managing director for AllianceBernstein in New York. During his 12 years with the firm, he was responsible for building institutional business in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. He also started and ran the firm’s private client offices in Minneapolis and Philadelphia, and was a managing director for the firm’s private client practice in New York. Brian was also head of national sales for both the retail and subadvisory sales groups for the firm. Before AllianceBernstein, Brian was an officer with Putnam Investments for four years and was with The Boston Company (Funds Distributor) for three years.
Brian earned a BS in Finance from Bentley College in 1992.
Jamie Hopkins
Jamie Hopkins
Jamie P. Hopkins is Chief Executive Officer of Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors and Chief Wealth Officer of WSFS, where he leads strategy across wealth, planning, and advisor growth. He is also the Founder, President, and Board Chair of FinServ Foundation, a nonprofit focused on developing the next generation of financial services leaders.
A Wall Street Journal best-selling author, Jamie’s latest book, Your Retirement Sketchbook, has been widely recognized as a leading resource in modern retirement planning. He holds an LL.M. in Taxation from Temple University Beasley School of Law and a J.D./MBA from Villanova University. Jamie serves on multiple industry advisory boards, including Wealth.com, and previously was a national trustee of NAIFA. He was named to the Investopedia Top 100 Financial Advisors and recognized as RIA Thought Leader of the Year by WealthManagement.
He is a husband, father of three, and an avid home cook.
Tom Henske
Tom Henske
Tom Henske (he/him) CFP®, ChFC, CLU, CTS, CFS, CLTC, CES, SE-AWMA®
Tom is a Certified Financial Planner, University of Virginia professor of personal finance, and founder of Total Cents and Total Cents University. A two time All American and three time NCAA Division I Soccer Champion at UVA, he spent thirty years advising high net worth families before shifting his focus to teaching student athletes how to manage NIL income and make smarter money decisions. His TEDx talk on Sudden Wealth Syndrome and NIL has brought national attention to why financial literacy for young athletes has never been more urgent.
Follow Tom as he works to change the way young athletes think about money at linktr.ee/tomhenske.
Kalman Chany
Kalman Chany
Chany is a nationally recognized expert on educational financing. He is the founder and president of Campus Consultants Inc., a Manhattan-based financial aid advisory firm. He is also the author of the annually-updated Princeton Review guidebook, Paying for College now in its 27th edition.
Brandon Peters
Brandon Peters
Being part of a team is a part of who I am. Playing football, everyone has a job to do, everyone has to know their play. And, we are only as strong as our weakest link.
Teams are built on trust, and it takes time to create that connection. Trust is not something that is cultivated overnight, constant communication, reliance, transparency, and feedback are the key factors in play. It is the foundation to building a culture that lasts and resonates with human nature.
As a former pro athlete, I know how challenging it can be to know what financial moves to make next. Without a playbook, or a quarterback to call the play, you’re left to your own devices to strategize and respond.
Building a relationship with a coach that has your best interest in mind when it comes to your financial future optimizes comfortability with each decision that is made. In my practice, I want to ensure that a strong sound relationship is built to promote efficiency and peace of mind when it comes to daunting money/planning decisions. So that athletes and young professionals don’t feel like they are tackling difficult financial decisions alone.
More speakers coming soon!
Past Speakers
Michael Kitces
Duncan MacPherson
Ben Newman
Lynn O’Shaughnessy
Dave Resseguie
Caleb Guilliams
Joe Jordan
Mark Kantrowitz
Austin Hatch
Wayne Weber
Tom Wall
Walter Bond
Vince D’Addona
Brad Barnett
Tommy Schaff
Mary Morris
Gene Hammett
Victoria Tillson Evans
Transform Your Advisory Practice
If you’re ready to elevate your expertise, expand your impact, and connect with the premier education funding advisor network—this is your invitation.
Why Attend?
Who This Summit Is For
Success Summit is for advisors who:
- Want to grow their practice with purpose and clarity
- Are curious about education funding and its role in client relationships
- Want both education funding expertise and general practice guidance
- Are exploring membership with The College Funding Coach
- Value collaboration, community, and continuous improvement
What You'll Gain
Advisors don’t come to Success Summit just to learn. They come to move forward. This conference is built to help you:
- Differentiate your practice through education funding expertise
- Strengthen client conversations and build trust with families
- Surround yourself with advisors who are collaborative and growth-focused
What You'll Experience
Every session is designed to respect your time and deliver value.
- High-impact education funding strategies
- Real advisor case studies—not theory
- Engaging speaker sessions with trusted industry leaders
- Intentional networking with advisors at every stage
- A welcoming, energized community that wants you to win
Take the next step.
Get full access to all sessions, speakers, and networking events.
Agenda
| August 5 | |
|---|---|
| 6:00 pm | Welcome Reception at The Henri |
| August 6, 2026 | |
| 8:30 am | Breakfast and Registration at The National Press Club |
| 9:00 am | Session 1 |
| 12:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:30 pm | Session 2 |
| 5:00 pm | Wrap-up |
| 6:00 pm | Success Social: Community, Conversation & Celebration at Hotel Washington |
| August 7, 2026 | |
| 8:30 am | Breakfast and Registration at The National Press Club |
| 9:00 am | Session 1 |
| 12:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:00 pm | Session 2 |
| 3:00 pm | Wrap Up |
Hotels & Travel
Venue
The National Press Club
Ballroom
529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor
Washington, DC 20045
Hotels
The nearest hotels are:
Airports
The nearest airports are:
DCA (Reagan National)
✓ Recommended
IAD (Dulles International)
Be A Sponsor!
Explore strategic sponsorship opportunities designed to increase your visibility, strengthen your brand presence, and connect you with over two hundred engaged financial advisors.
Event Sponsors
FAQs
Tickets must be purchased online prior to the event. No tickets will be sold at the conference.
Please contact tstewart@thecollegefundingcoach.org and aashton@thecollegefundingcoach.org for details.
Please contact tstewart@thecollegefundingcoach.org and aashton@thecollegefundingcoach.org for all sponsorship questions.
Please contact tstewart@thecollegefundingcoach.org and aashton@thecollegefundingcoach.org with any additional questions. We're here to help!
All ticket sales are final and non-refundable.
Join Us at the 2026 Success Summit
Join the advisors who are building stronger practices by delivering more value to families.