Finances

  • So what is a prepaid plan exactly?

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    By Claire Whittington Director, Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition (MPACT) Program As parenting fears go, starting a college fund is right up there with sending your child to their first […]

  • White House Initiative – College Savings

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    graduates

    January 28, 2014

    Recently, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama issued a call to action, requesting colleges and universities, foundations, businesses, non-profits, government officials, other leaders and individuals to make commitments to help assure that college becomes a reality for more young people. The objective is to help an increased number of students afford college and graduate with the skills they need to succeed. The call to action along with some of the commitments made in response to it can be viewed here:

  • 529 Plans and the FAFSA

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    By: Jodi Golden
    Director of the Indiana Education Savings Authority
    January 27, 2014

     

    FAFSA? What in the world does that mean, you ask? Well, for those families that have a child nearing college, you’re probably familiar with this infamous acronym. FAFSA stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This is one of the most important documents a prospective college student may ever have to submit. This document helps determine your eligibility for federal and state student financial aid.

  • MLK’s Leadership Provides a Roadmap for College Savings

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    By: Betty Lochner, Director of Washington’s Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) program & CSPN Chair
    January 20, 2014

    With the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday upon us, I have been thinking about what it means to be a passionate leader and what an important role education plays in influencing our growth as individuals and a society. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

  • Prepaid Tuition Plan Provides a Father of 9 Children with Flexibility to Start a Business

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    College Savings Plans of Maryland

    During this past holiday season, I had the wonderful blessing of receiving an incredible testimonial from one of our Prepaid College Trust account holders that I think highlights just how committed some of our account holders are to the concept of a 529 prepaid tuition plan and how it provides them with peace of mind that they have saved for at least a portion of future college expenses.

  • Need Help Saving? Read THIS!

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    By Jodi Golden
    Director of the Indiana Education Savings Authority<
    November 22, 2013

    In today’s hustle and bustle of life, it seems more and more families are having a harder time saving for their most valuable expense of all, a college education . For families with children it seems like there’s another expense around every corner, from trendy new clothes to the newest video game to the never ending list of sports equipment, games and travel. With these expenses and a plethora of others, I find families question how anyone can expect them to put away enough money to cover the cost of a future post-secondary education?

  • Is a Prepaid Tuition Plan right for my family?

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    Part I of a Two Part Series on 529 Prepaid Plans
    By Sheila Salehian
    Senior Deputy Treasurer for the State of Nevada
    November 7, 2013

    I often get asked this question when providing community outreach support. Like most Deputy Treasurers who serve the public by helping families save for college, that question is a difficult and somewhat tricky one to answer. Since most of us are not a certified professional financial planner, we can only share our experiences and the facts of what a prepaid tuition program offers. In addition to sharing facts from Bloomberg and other financial experts, which I’ll discuss in Part II of this posting, my typical response is to share my very real and personal story.

  • Saving For College Doesn’t Have To Be Scary

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    By Michael Parker
    Executive Director, Oregon 529 College Savings Network

    Ghosts and ghouls may scare you when they come knocking at your door for Halloween treats. But college savings isn’t as scary as some people think. One of the common pieces of feedback that 529 plans hear is that “I’m too late,” or “I don’t want to bother, because I won’t save enough.” That is scary.

  • College Board Publishes Some Good News For College Savers

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    Mary Anne Busse
    Managing Director, Great Disclosure LLC
    October 23, 2013

    The College Board just came out with their annual review of college prices. Trends in College Pricing 2013, the College Board noted that in-state tuition and fees at public four-year institutions increased just 2.9% in 2013-14 compared to 2012-2013 prices. This “followed increases of 4.5% in 2012‑13 and 8.5% in 2011-12 and was the smallest percentage increase in over 30 years”. That is some promising news for college savers. If this trend continues, it means your college savings may go much further than you may have originally planned.

  • The Truth about Prepaid Tuition Plans

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    By Mary G. Morris
    CEO, Virginia529
    October 1, 2013

    “Why should I save for college with a prepaid tuition plan? My financial advisor said I should invest in a 529 plan instead.” Many of us in the 529 world frequently hear this from families who are exploring their college savings options. Our response is always the same, “A prepaid tuition plan IS a 529 plan, and there are some important benefits to saving for college with one.”

  • Aspirational Value of College Savings

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    By Patricia Roberts
    Managing Director & Senior 529 Product Manager, AllianceBernstein L.P.
    September 26, 2013

    Back to school season is a gentle reminder that the children in our lives are one year closer to college. Whether you’ve just recently walked hand in hand with your toddler into the first day of preschool, waved as your little one boarded a school bus for the very first time or offered an encouraging high five as an older child more independently headed off to middle school, there’s no time like now to develop a plan for what lies ahead. With a blink of an eye, not only will the children in your life have grown, but what they envision for their future will likely have evolved as well.