Author Archives

  • What’s Your State Doing for 529 College Savings Day?

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    By Hon. Michael L. Fitzgerald
    State Treasurer, State of Iowa
    May 23, 2013

    May 29th marks 529 College Savings Day, a day to raise awareness about the importance of saving for college with 529 plans. This year more than 30 states across the U.S. are celebrating 529 Day during the month of May. States are hosting 529 education sessions, waiving enrollment fees, discount admissions to zoos, offering 529 plan scholarships and more. Today, we at The College Savings Plans Network(CSPN), the nation’s leading objective source about Section 529 College Savings Plans and Prepaid Tuition Plans, have released an infographic detailing these great events. The full infographic is available online.

  • 2013 CSPN Annual Conference

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    By Mary Anne Busse
    Managing Director, Great Disclosure LLC
    May 15, 2013

    The College Savings Plans Network (CSPN) is meeting this week in Pittsburgh for the annual National Association of State Treasurers Treasury Management Symposium. 529 Plan representatives from all over the country are discussing ways to make 529 Plans available to every college saver in the country. This morning, state representatives had a chance to share significant program initiatives, marketing strategies, insights and innovations for their plans. Here are some highlights:

  • Happy Mother’s Day

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    By Patricia Roberts
    Managing Director & Senior 529 Product Manager, AllianceBernstein L.P.
    May 11, 2013

    As Mother’s Day approaches and with graduation season just around the corner, it is an ideal time to honor the women in our lives who have offered support and encouragement with respect to educational pursuits.

    For reading to us at night, for patiently holding up flashcards in our early days of mastering multiplication and division, for sitting attentively as our “audience” for book reports and presentations, for showing such interest in projects large and small along the way, we thank you.  We also thank you for encouraging us to follow our dreams and for helping us to make them a reality with some careful planning and sacrifice.

    About the Author:
    Patricia Roberts is a Managing Director at AllianceBernstein where she is the Senior 529 Product Manager for Rhode Island’s CollegeBoundfund, the nation’s second largest advisor-sold college savings program with $7+ billion in assets.  She has been involved in nearly every aspect of the 529 industry for the past 15 years as an attorney, product manager, state relationship manager and as a passionate advocate and public speaker.  She is an active participant in the College Savings Plans Network’s Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Federal Initiatives and National Communications Committees.

  • H.R. 529 – Savings Enhancement for Education in College Act

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    By Joan Marshall, Executive Director, College Savings Plans of Maryland & Mary Morris, Chief Executive Officer, Virginia529
    May 7, 2013

    May is a month of celebrations, as youth across the country graduate from kindergarten thru college. CSPN and its members also celebrate in May – on the 29thfor National 5-29 Day by holding events across the country to raise awareness of the need to save for higher education. National 5-29 Day also helps families learn about 529 college savings plans and how they can help families achieve their dreams of higher education for their children and grandchildren.

  • CSPN Helps Families and Friends Give the Gift of College Education

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    By Hon. Michael L. Fitzgerald
    State Treasurer, State of Iowa
    April 30, 2013

    Whether they are graduating from kindergarten, elementary school or high school, there is no better way to celebrate a child’s education than with a contribution to their 529 Plan college savings account. This graduation season, in order to encourage families and friends to give the gift of higher education, the College Savings Plans Network has compiled information and tips for people looking to give the gift of education.

  • Should you use life insurance to save for college?

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    10 Important Questions to Ask Before you Decide<
    By Joan Marshall,
    Executive Director, College Savings Plans of Maryland
    April 23, 2013

    For those of us who manage 529 college savings plans, this is a question that we hear from time to time – primarily when families see an ad (usually on TV) that promotes life insurance as a way to save for college.

    In Maryland, we have responded to this question by creating a chart that compares our 529 prepaid tuition plan and our 529 savings plan with one of the popular life insurance products.

  • 529 Plan Uses – Part II

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    By Mary Anne Busse
    Managing Director, Great Disclosure LLC
    April 15, 2013

    In an earlier post, we talked generally about uses for your 529 Plan account. In this post, we’ll break down what is included in room and board expenses. First, a refresher:

    If you use the funds in your 529 Plan account for Qualified Higher Education Expenses (as defined in Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code), you will not be taxed on any of the income earned on your account. According to Section 529, Qualified Higher Education Expenses include, among other things, expenses for room and board incurred by students who are enrolled at least half-time.

  • The Final Four is now set!

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    By Mitch Seabaugh, Director, Georgia’s Path2College 529 Plan (P2C)
    April 5, 2013

    How have you faired with your bracket? Many probably had Louisville in their Final Four. Maybe Michigan or Syracuse too. But, what about Wichita State? How many people, when they sat down and looked at the 68 teams, actually had Wichita State advancing to the Final Four? They were a ninth seed in the West Region and finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference. Guaranteed, the players and staff at Wichita State did!

  • March Madness

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    By Renée Hicks, Marketing Specialist for Georgia’s Path2College 529 Plan (P2C)
    March 29, 2013

    It’s that time of year again.MARCH MADNESS!! There is nothing like some good old friendly competition along with rival schools going head-to-head.

    Not only are thoughts about our favorite college team and whether they will make it to the Final Four running through our minds, but many will also begin thinking about their loved one possibly attending one of these colleges one of these days.

  • Your job is to work hard in school so you can get a scholarship.

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    By Gina Rae Smith
    Assistant to Alabama State Treasurer Young Boozer
    March 26, 2013

    These are the words my mom told me when I asked if I needed to get an afternoon job during my high school years. She and my dad hadn’t saved money for my college tuition. We were a middle class family, both my parents were employed and both believed there was value in higher education. However, having grown up in small-town Alabama in the 1960s, my parents didn’t see going to college as the most common path to take after high school graduation. They both entered the work force and didn’t look back.