NCAG Spotlight: How CBRG Was Founded and Why It Matters

by | Jul 25, 2025

Key Takeaways

  • CBRG was born from real-world experience. Co-founders Steven Sirot and David Slater pivoted from traditional financial planning after recognizing the complexity families face in paying for college.
  • Most families don’t have a ‘boatload of money’ saved. That reality inspired a more strategic, comprehensive approach to college planning.
  • What started as financial advising became a mission. Helping families navigate college affordability evolved into the foundation of CBRG’s work.

Video Transcript

The Unexpected Start

Q: What inspired you to become a college financial planner?

I came into it kicking and screaming, to be completely honest.

I already had a successful financial and insurance practice before I started this work. So my original mindset around paying for college was very traditional:

Meet with families when their kids are born, come up with a savings strategy, and invest in all the right places—so that by the time the kids turn 18, there’s a boatload of money ready to pay for the exorbitant cost of college.

But of course, that’s not how things always go…

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