College

  • Just How Easy is it to Get Started Saving for College with a 529 Account?

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    By Mary G. Morris
    CEO, Virginia529
    August 15, 2013

    It really is easy – and inexpensive – to get started with a 529 college savings account.

    I talk to hundreds of people about higher education in the course of a year – about how important it is, plans to attend and how to pay for it. Many conversations are at Virginia529-sponsored events and some are with people I meet in the course of a day at the grocery store, a restaurant or at the dentist’s office. The reality is that most people are interested in college and its costs and once they know that I work at a 529 plan, the questions come quickly.

  • Summer Reading: An Important Investment For College

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    By Michael Parker
    Executive Director, Oregon 529 College Savings Network
    August 1, 2013

    When the school year ends and summer arrives, it’s human nature to think about “shutting it down” a little and relax over the break. As parents, the constant hum of activity makes way for those lazier days. But those lazy days could result in complacency, especially as it relates to education and reading.

  • The Summer of Endless Learning

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    By Lucas Minor
    Marketing & Communications Coordinator, Guaranteed Education Tuition
    July 18, 2013
    Part I

    “School’s out for summer!” This magical phrase is one your child likely spends the whole school year dreaming about – three carefree months to kick back, forget homework and just be a kid.

  • Student Loan Interest Rate’s Looming Rise and the Growing Need to Save for College

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    By Hon. Michael L. Fitzgerald
    State Treasurer, State of Iowa
    June 27, 2013

    Recent Congressional action seems to indicate that the Senate will be unable to reach a compromise that will keep student loan interest rates from doubling before the July 1 deadline. “If I were a betting person, I’d say that’s something we’ll come back and attempt to fix retroactively,” Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., told ABC News.

  • Can I Really Go to College?

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    By Mary Anne Busse
    Managing Director, Great Disclosure LLC
    June 20, 2013

    I know one young student, let’s call him Sam, who wants to attend college but he just hasn’t focused enough on his grades. Smart kid, but hasn’t applied himself. Now that he’s about to be a senior in high school he’s realized that he needs to step it up. He even thinks it may be too late. I also hear many students say that college won’t work for them because they don’t know what they want to do. Others think they have too many financial responsibilities. Still others may think college costs too much.

  • Make College Savings a Part of Your Estate Planning

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    By Lucas Minor
    Marketing & Communications Coordinator, Guaranteed Education Tuition
    June 13, 2013

    You may have heard someone say, “My grandmother left me some money for college.” It’s clear how much that grandparent valued higher education, and it shows her belief in that student’s future success. That kind of confidence is an inspiring gift with many intangible qualities.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Data Indicates More Families Saving for College

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    By the College Savings Plans Network
    March 13, 2013

    The College Savings Plans Network recently published its 2012 Year-End 529 Report and found that the total amount invested by American families in the plans has reached a record high of $190.7 billion. In 2012, total assets in the plans grew by $25.86 billion dollars, more than three times as much as the $7.43 billion increase in 2011. Additionally, the total number of accounts increased 3.7% over the past 12 months, going from 10.7 million in December 2011 to 11.1 million as of December 2012.