By Jeremy Rogers, Director, New York 529 College Savings Program
November 12, 2024
Growing up there was never any real doubt in my mind that I wanted to serve in the military after high school. While college was always something that I figured could be an option down the road, it never really felt like a path I would go to right away. While this was mostly due to my desire to serve our country, the concern around costs to attend college was a factor. Growing up in rural Illinois, the costs of higher education always felt like too much of a hurdle for my family.
Looking back there was only one time that I really took a step back to re-think my decision to enlist in the Navy. That was when my father offered to sell our 80 acres of farmland to pay for college. The weight of that offer was immense to me as a teenager and truly made me rethink my plans. While he rented the land to a neighbor, it represented my father’s dream of someday farming his own land after years of working as a mechanic and retiring from the Army reserve. For him to be willing to give up that dream so that I could attend college right out of high school really highlighted the lengths that parents will go to provide for their children’s future, and the sacrifice he was willing to make for my future. While this offer caused significant internal reflection, I ultimately knew that serving in the military was the right decision for me.
Following my time in the service, and after giving a few different careers a try, I ultimately utilized the Post 9/11 GI Bill to attend college as a full-time student. Becoming the first person in my family to receive a bachelor’s degree felt like an incredible accomplishment, but it wasn’t without struggles. As anyone who has utilized the GI Bill knows, it offers amazing benefits and covers most of the major higher education expenses, but there are still costs that veterans or their family will have to cover. For example, the GI Bill provides $1,000 per year for books and supplies, which can be used up quickly if you are taking a full course load. Additionally, the GI Bill only provides 36 months of benefits, so while it covered all my undergraduate work, I still needed to take out student loans when I went back to school for an MBA. This is where savings in a 529 account can supplement the benefits that veterans’ or their families receive from the GI Bill.
This Veterans Day I strongly encourage my fellow veterans to explore the benefits that their service earned them, especially the GI Bill, if available to them. Visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website for more information
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
‒ President John F. Kennedy
About the Author
Jeremy Rogers is the Director of the New York 529 College Savings Program (NY 529) and previously served as a Nuclear Machinist Mate in the United States Navy. NY 529 includes the nation’s largest direct-sold program, New York’s 529 College Savings Program Direct Plan, which has over $43.7 billion in assets under management across nearly 1.1 million accounts, as of September 30, 2024. For more information visit nysaves.org or call 1-877-NYSAVES (1-877-697-2837).