Andrea Feirstein is the managing member of AKF Consulting, LLC. She brings to the 529 industry her experience as the Director of College Savings at Salomon Smith Barney (1999-2002), where she developed and managed the firm’s proprietary engagements with the States of Colorado and Illinois. In this role she implemented Colorado’s multi-manager, multiple-share-class Scholars Choice product as well as Bright Start College Savings Program, a single-share class product for the State of Illinois.

Ms. Feirstein currently advises several states and public authorities that administer 529 programs. Her public sector clients include the States of California, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Virginia. She also advises private entities on 529 strategies and program enhancements.

Ms. Feirstein is a frequent public speaker on college savings, including speaking engagements on behalf of Financial Research Associates, the College Savings Plan Network, the Securities Industry Association, the Institute for International Research, and IBC USA. She has appeared on CNBC’s Closing Bell as well as MSNBC (for rebroadcast on the Today Show), and many local financial news programs nationwide, and she is quoted in publications including USA Today, Business Week and Money Magazine, among others.

Prior to her College Savings role at Salomon Smith Barney, Ms. Feirstein was a senior investment banker with Salomon Smith Barney’s Municipal Securities Division (1987 to 1999). She is an NASD registered representative (Series 7) and a municipal securities principal (Series 53). She graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Virginia Tax Review, and from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.