2013 CSPN Annual Conference

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:

Many 529 Plans offer scholarships ranging from $500 to $10,000!  Some also offer sweepstakes or give aways.  And some still have matching grant programs where the state actually matches some of your contributions! Some kids can even score free tickets to professional football games!    Many 529 Plan scholarship programs are needs based while others are available to anyone.  What an amazing way to jump start your college savings!

Many 529 Plans have Facebook pages designed to help folks learn more about saving for college and financial literacy. There are even a couple of apps for your kids that are great educational games called Big Start and Big Dreamers.  You can find them at the iTunes App Store.

Pennsylvania offers a live webinar to help accounts owners navigate the FAFSA.  It's available for rebroadcast at www.pa529.com/webinars.html.

Happy Mother’s Day

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. 

H.R. 529 - Savings Enhancement for Education in College Act

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 29^th for 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.

In addition to outreach and education about 529 plans, CSPN works with Congress to strengthen the options and flexibility of 529 plans for participants. CSPN has a positive working relationship with Congress and has achieved numerous successes through this federal and state partnership. We continue to work to improve the plans for the benefit of all Americans. In this post, we share with you just one CSPN initiative pending in Congress – H.R. 529.  Future posts will highlight other initiatives as CSPN continues to focus on expanding the reach of 529 plans to help families across the country.

CSPN Helps Families and Friends Give the Gift of College Education

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.

Nearly all 529 plans have safe and convenient ways for friends and family to contribute to established accounts. In addition, several commercial websites unaffiliated with 529 plans provide tools to assist with gift giving. It’s important that parents do their homework before encouraging gifts for their own child and that friends and family understand the process as well.

As the cost of higher education continues to rise, putting a child through college takes a village.  CSPN’s goal is to make the gift-giving process as seamless as possible. By educating the general public about 529 Plan gifting, more students will ultimately benefit.
For more information about gifting and 529 plans go here.

Should you use life insurance to save for college?

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.

For residents of any state, however, below are 10 general questions that families should ask as they consider a life insurance product as a means to save for college.  Broad responses to these questions for 529 plans are noted where relevant.  However, I would encourage you to investigate the answers to these questions not only for life insurance but for specific 529 plans that you may be considering, or ask your financial advisor.

529 Plan Uses - Part II

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!

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!

They had their sights set on the goal of a national championship.  They started preparing for this occasion way before the tournament; in fact they began preparation even before the season started.  Years before setting foot in the Charles Koch Arena, each player worked on their conditioning and technique.  With the assistance of staff, there to help maximize their potential, they began executing their plan that ultimately would result in a Final Four berth.