AI-assisted, human-reviewed research

Financial confidence starts with a clear direction

Practical money skills for every student and family.

The Financial Compass combines youth-centered education, free tools, and public-interest research to make financial decisions—and college financial aid—easier to understand and act on.

✓ Free educational tools ✓ AI-assisted, human-reviewed research ✓ Community-led programs

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Our approach

Research where support is needed. Build tools that people can use.

Our impact

Evidence built for action.

These figures reflect the current research dataset, public tools, and documented community relationships. They can be updated from one editable configuration file.

303

Massachusetts district records analyzed

297

Districts with a current FAFSA rate

4

Community partners and collaborators

4

Reviewed, free financial tools

What we do

From statewide evidence to student-level action.

Our work connects research, practical education, and open resources so local partners can meet students where they are.

Research & measurement

We organize official FAFSA and district data to surface equity gaps, support-system questions, and promising local practices.

Interactive workshops

We design practical sessions on income, budgeting, credit, college aid, fraud prevention, and long-term financial planning.

Free tools & guidance

Students and families can download worksheets, compare aid offers, organize scholarships, and build a personal money plan.

Community network

Partners and collaborators.

Our engagements range from completed community programming to ongoing planning and college-access conversations. We describe each relationship conservatively and update the list as work progresses.

01

EVkids

College-access and youth-program conversations

02

Southborough Senior Center

Community financial-literacy programming

03

Westborough Senior Center

Community financial-literacy programming

04

Boys & Girls Club of Worcester

Youth financial-literacy and college-access outreach

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A transparent research foundation

A clearer view of FAFSA access across Massachusetts.

Our research portal covers 303 district records, preserves official completion bands, and separates statewide evidence from smaller support-system pilots. Limitations remain visible—not hidden in fine print.

297districts with a current published rate

40districts in published bands below 50%

Help us widen access

Give a student a stronger financial starting point.

Support free tools, workshop materials, translated resources, and youth-led research.

About The Financial Compass

Young leaders building practical paths to financial confidence.

We are a student-led initiative working at the intersection of financial literacy, college access, data science, and community partnership. Our statewide research is AI-assisted and human-reviewed, while our workshops are designed around practical community needs.

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Our mission

Make financial knowledge understandable, actionable, and available to every young person.

We translate complex decisions into practical steps, equip local partners with usable tools, and focus our research on the systems that shape access.

Our vision

A future where a student’s ZIP code does not determine their ability to navigate money or college aid.

We envision communities where families can find trusted guidance early, complete critical financial processes, and make informed long-term choices.

How we work

Our core values

01

Clarity

We make complicated financial choices easier to understand without oversimplifying the risks.

02

Evidence

We use official sources, document uncertainty, and distinguish observed patterns from causal claims.

03

Dignity

We design with students and families, not around assumptions about what communities need.

04

Action

We turn research into workshops, checklists, tools, and partnerships people can use immediately.

Meet the team

Student-led. Community-guided.

Two student founders combining research, curriculum design, and community implementation.

Co-Founder & Research Director

Nikolay Avdokhin

Nikolay Avdokhin is a junior at Algonquin Regional High School exploring the intersection of finance, statistics, and social impact. As co-founder of The Financial Compass, he turns statewide FAFSA completion data into actionable workshops to support students and schools across Massachusetts.

Co-Founder & Programs Director

Aditya Jain

Aditya Jain is a junior at Algonquin Regional High School interested in finance, entrepreneurship, and practical financial education. As co-founder of The Financial Compass, he leads curriculum development, workshop design, program operations, and community outreach.

Our journey

A research project becoming a community platform.

01

Build the evidence base

Compile FAFSA outcomes, demographic context, and visible support-system data.

02

Learn from practitioners

Work with counselors, nonprofits, mentors, and families to identify real bottlenecks.

03

Pilot practical support

Deliver workshops and tools with trusted community partners.

04

Measure and improve

Use pre/post evidence and partner feedback to strengthen each program cycle.

Financial resource library

Tools for the decisions students face right now.

Download practical templates, organize college-aid steps, and build confidence across budgeting, credit, saving, and planning.

B

Worksheet · CSV

Student budget starter

Plan monthly income, fixed costs, flexible spending, savings, and the amount left over.

Download worksheet ↓

F

Checklist · TXT

FAFSA preparation checklist

Organize contributors, documents, college lists, submission follow-up, and privacy safeguards.

Download checklist ↓

A

Comparison tool · CSV

Financial-aid offer comparison

Compare cost of attendance, grants, scholarships, work-study, loans, and estimated net price.

Download comparison ↓

S

Tracker · CSV

Scholarship tracker

Track eligibility, deadlines, essays, recommendations, award amounts, and application status.

Download tracker ↓

C

Interactive guide

Credit decision lab

Explore utilization, interest, minimum payments, and how borrowing choices change total cost.

I

Learning module

Long-term investing basics

Understand compound growth, diversification, risk, fees, and why investing is different from speculation.

Educational-use notice: These tools provide general financial education, not individualized investment, tax, legal, or financial-aid advice. Always verify FAFSA/MASFA instructions through official sources for the current filing year.

The Financial Compass newsletter

Read practical explainers, research notes, workshop updates, and student-centered guidance on money and college financial aid.

Free subscription

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From the publication

Latest articles

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Support financial access

Help keep research, workshops, and student tools free.

Contributions can support printing, workshop materials, translated resources, software, and community-event costs. We will not collect card or bank information directly on this static website.

Giving status

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Secure donation portal coming soon Contact us about sponsorship

01

Community workshops

Printed activities, presentation supplies, participant materials, transportation, and approved event expenses.

02

Open-access tools

Reviewed worksheets, student planning tools, translations, accessibility improvements, and secure technology.

03

Public-interest research

Data hosting, source verification, district support-system audits, and accessible publication materials.

Financial transparency

Information donors should see before giving.

Organization name: The Financial Compass
Current status: Student-led initiative; tax-deductibility has not yet been confirmed
EIN / fiscal sponsor: Not yet published
Payment processor: Not yet connected
Support contact: official.financial.compass@gmail.com

Member portal

Your plan and our statewide research, in one place.

Create a free prototype account to save local milestones, use planning tools, and explore our Massachusetts FAFSA research portal.

✓Track FAFSA, scholarship, budget, and savings milestones.
✓Search 303 district records and compare official completion bands.
✓Review support-system pilot findings with transparent caveats.

Prototype security note: This front-end demo simulates authentication and stores no password. A public launch must connect to a secure backend such as Supabase, Firebase, or Auth0.

Financial Compass member portal

Welcome, member.

Your milestone data stays in this browser for the prototype.

My progress

Financial milestones

0%

Monthly snapshot

Simple budget planner

Enter broad amounts only. The prototype stores them locally in your browser.

Monthly take-home income Essential expenses Flexible spending Savings goal

Money remaining$0

Savings rate0%

StatusReady

Quick access

My toolkit

BBudget worksheetDownload CSV FFAFSA checklistDownload TXT AAid comparisonDownload CSV SScholarship trackerDownload CSV

Massachusetts FAFSA research dashboard

Statewide overview

Official public completion bands paired with district context. Midpoints are analytical helpers; open-ended bands are shown conservatively at 80.

303 district recordsAI-assisted, human-reviewed researchGenerated May 22, 2026

Published completion bands

District count by broad performance group

Average completion by district type

Descriptive average using the conservative rate helper

Low-income share vs completion

District-level association; not causal

Top contextual correlations

Pearson correlations with the completion helper

Evidence at a glance

Research highlights

These are descriptive findings from statewide and pilot datasets.

Data explorer

Search all district records

Click a row for a concise district profile.

Rank	District	Type	Current	Prior	YoY	Low income	EL