Ben Kaplan

About Ben Kaplan

Ben Kaplan is one of America’s leading voices on education, personal finance, scholarships, and student loans — topics that affect millions of families ahead of the landmark July 2026 federal financial aid changes. His forthcoming book, Scholars & Dollars (July 2026), is the essential resource for navigating the new landscape of college funding.

For nearly 30 years, Kaplan has combined his analytical skills as a Harvard-trained economist with the reach of a nationally syndicated journalist, appearing on more than 5,000 television and radio programs (including Oprah, Good Morning America, and CNN) and authoring content read by tens of millions of people.

Education & Personal Finance Expert

Kaplan’s expertise in paying for college grew directly from lived experience: as a high school student in Oregon, he applied for 36 scholarships, won 24 of them, and assembled $90,000 in awards — enough to cover virtually the entire cost of an Ivy League degree.

He graduated from Harvard University magna cum laude in 1999 with a degree in economics, earning the Morris Kronfeld Prize in Economics and conducting original academic research on the timing of stock market IPOs. His national bestseller How to Go to College Almost for Free (HarperCollins) sold more than two million copies and remains the leading book in the genre.

His institutional clients have included UCLA, Texas A&M University, New York City Public Schools, New Mexico’s 529 College Savings Plan, and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said: \”Anyone seeking higher education in America, young and old, should entertain Ben Kaplan’s advice.\”

Journalist & Speaker

Earlier in his career, Kaplan launched the Scholars & Dollars newspaper column, syndicated nationally out of The Oregonian, and served as a weekly education correspondent for KMOX radio in St. Louis. Kaplan has also written columns for The New York Times, TIME, and U.S. News & World Report, and served as a weekly political columnist for the San Francisco Examiner.

Kaplan was selected as the “Top Student Leader in America” by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and has delivered presentations at more than 1,000 high school and college campuses nationwide.

Marketing, Branding, and Startups

Kaplan is the founder of TOP Agency — a global marketing and communications agency with team members in 10+ countries. Among other awards, TOP was selected by PRWeek as the #1 agency in the world for Corporate Social Responsibility.

A sought-after keynote speaker on viral marketing and data-driven PR, Kaplan has taken his viral velocity framework to business and marketing conferences across six continents — including stops in São Paulo, Bucharest, Lisbon, Milan, and Sydney. Kaplan also served as the investor pitch trainer for hundreds of startups in the Start-Up Chile global accelerator.

Science, Technology & Venture Capital

As a seasoned investor and Managing Partner of Deep Venture Partners, Kaplan evaluates emerging science and deep-tech companies. He has also worked as a research economist at the Nasdaq Stock Market, a case writer at Harvard Business School, and a research analyst at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advanced Technology Program.

In 2026, Kaplan was appointed to the Executive Committee of the National Academies of Sciences’ Government–University–Industry–Philanthropy Research Roundtable (GUIPRR), a peer-to-peer leadership body composed of senior leaders from industry, government, academia, and philanthropy tasked with shaping a new national strategy for the U.S. research enterprise.

Community Roots

Originally from Eugene, Oregon, Kaplan brings authentic, on-the-ground perspective to local stories. He has been a community activist in multiple cities—founding WE, a nonprofit that has rallied thousands of local community members around public safety, civic order, and government accountability.  He has also trained hundreds of local leaders across the country on public health communication and civic engagement.  During the pandemic, he was hired by the State of Georgia to train small-town mayors and county officials on COVID-19 vaccine messaging to reach underserved populations.

Kaplan has operated small businesses in San Francisco, Portland, Austin, Miami, and New York, giving him firsthand familiarity with the economic and civic rhythms of each city. An avid lover of the outdoors, Kaplan skis, snowboards, swims, and hikes with his family in Zephyr Cove, Reno, and Carson City, Nevada—experience that informs his coverage of local community and lifestyle topics.

As a longtime homeowner and property manager, Kaplan has accumulated hands-on knowledge of home maintenance, seasonal upkeep, and practical repair, areas he covers with a homeowner’s practicality rather than a contractor’s jargon.

Of the many titles Ben has held over the years, there are two that he’s most proud of: husband and father. Ben and his wife Virginie are currently raising their two children, Abigail and Ella.