Hi mom, It's me again... I am wondering how I start to set up a 529 college savings plan for my son and my daughter (4years old and 8months). Did anyone use anyone that was really helpful? I am not a numbers person at all so I look at all that paper work and go crazy! Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.
Have you looked into the pre-paid college funds. They differ a little from state to state. You can pre-pay in full or do monthly payments at todays rates for college when your kids are old enough. There are many different plans. You can do a 4 year, 2year jr college, 2 yr university, etc.
I set up 529 College Savings Plans with the same financial institution I have for my 401K. I use www.fidelity.com It is very user friendly and their representatives are available and very helpful. If you have a 401 K at work, ask your benefit coordinator for the contact information. They may be able to help you as well.
I am also in the process of setting one up for my 6 month old. After alot of confusion, I decided to go to my bank and speak with the financial counselor there. He gave me alot of information and I picked his brain good with all the questions I had. Afterwards I went back to http://www.savingforcollege.com/ and did a little more research. I'm still trying to decide on a good one since you are allowed to pick one from any state. Also you can talk to any financial advisor - Fidelity, etc. Some will charge a fee if you choose to use them, others wont, but the advice is free.
If you are not a numbers person, you need to be talking with someone who is a certified financial planner who can guide you in the right direction.
My hubby is a numbers man and our daughter is 15 and fully funded, however, we still talk to our financial guy for the "reality check" to make sure our plan is going to be effective.
Also, there was a plan years ago in TX, and probably still is called TX Tomorrow fund and people were throwing money into it for prepaid tuition. Be CAREFUL......I've heard that plan is bankrupt right now and some people flat out lost everything they invested.
Be very careful, get yourself educated on the plans and have a professional help you.
Good luck...you are doing the right thing for your children.
We spoke with the financial advisor at our bank. He made it pretty easy.
we do upromise.com for our plan
I see you have lots of good answer however what would a child do if for some reason they were incapacited, or as many are strugling now lose a job etc.
Do you realize if at the birth of a child a $1000 is placed in a good stock
and the dividends were reinvested that at age 65 it would be a minimun
$.5 million. Of course this is based on past performance. However it is worth borrowing $1000 and doing it.
Good Luck God Bless
I researched mine online and purchased it myself. I got my state's plan. I get a tax break and it was also rated one of the better plans even for out of state people. I also recommend http://www.savingforcollege.com It was extremely helpful. It can be confusing, but if you dig through the information enough, you can make an informed decision without having to go through a broker or financial consultant. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, then it doesn't hurt to ask, just be prepared to pay extra if you actually set up the plan through a firm as opposed to setting up the plan directly through the state. I set up my plan online and it was really easy. Good luck!
You should seek the advice of a certified financial planner who can help you determine which plan is the best for your needs (there are so many) - that's what we did. Your state may offer one, in which case, you may also receive some tax benefits for investing in your own state's 529. Double bonus!
