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Ben Kaplan is one of the nation’s leading experts on college scholarships, admissions, financial aid, educational savings and investing, student loans, consumer credit, student success, and youth personal finance issues.  He directs the Ben Kaplan Center for Educational Opportunity and has authored 12 best-selling books and CDs, including How to Go to College Almost for Free (HarperCollins Publishers), the leading book in the genre with more than 350,000 copies in print.

Kaplan also writes the popular Live ‘n’ Learn newspaper column—a weekly education column that shows readers of every age how to maximize both traditional and unexpected learning opportunities at school, home, work, and in everyday life.  Ben’s column is syndicated to leading newspapers and magazines nationwide.

Kaplan became an education and finance expert in part from personal experience:  As a high school student, he won more than two dozen college scholarships worth $90,000—enough  to cover virtually the entire cost of his Ivy League education.

A Harvard-trained economist, Kaplan has served as a speechwriter for the Nasdaq Stock Market’s chief economist, written case studies for Harvard Business School and the U.S. Department of Commerce, and authored investor education materials for the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). 

Graduating from Harvard in 1999 magna cum laude with a degree in economics, Kaplan conducted original academic research examining the timing of stock market IPOs.  He is a recipient of the Morris Kronfeld Prize in Economics.

Now age 30 and an acclaimed public speaker, Kaplan delivers live presentations to audiences of more than 30,000 each year at high schools, colleges, corporations, and community venues worldwide.  A regular guest expert for leading media outlets, he has been featured on more than 2,000 TV and radio programs, including appearances on Oprah, NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, Fox News Channel, National Public Radio, and the BBC.

Known internationally as “America’s Scholarship Coach,” Kaplan has also written columns for major publications such as The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, and Time.  He founded the award-winning ScholarshipCoach.com website, previously served as Fastweb’s resident scholarship expert, and has advised leading Fortune 500 companies and educational institutions such as Citigroup, American Express, Fidelity, UCLA, Texas A&M, and the National Parent Teacher Association.

Among other awards and honors, Kaplan was selected as the “Top Student Leader in America” by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.  He currently resides in Portland, Oregon.