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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Should I Prioritize My 529 Plan or Focus on Other Savings Opportunities for My 16-Year-Old's Education?
There are benefits to saving for retirement in a 529 plan. Because these plans impose penalties for non-educational withdrawals, you may want to limit how much money you put into one. Brokerage and savings accounts could be a viable alternative to a 529. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › As always, The Motley Fool cannot and does not provide personalized investing or financial advice. This information is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional financial advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified financial advisor for any questions regarding your personal financial situation. If you'd like to submit your question for feedback, you can do so here. If the idea of paying for college is just about as overwhelming as boarding a plane to skydive out of, you're not alone. U.S. News & World Report puts the average cost of tuition and fees at a whopping $43,505 for private colleges. For out-of-state students at public colleges, that number is considerably lower at $24,513. And for in-state public college, tuition and fees are $11,011 on average based on data from the most recent academic year. But even the "cheapest" of these options is one you might need to save diligently for, especially if you have multiple children. And while you might think that it pays to put all of your college savings into a 529 plan, you may want to explore other options, too. Recently, a Reddit (NYSE: RDDT) poster asked if they should be saving all of their money in a 529 plan for their 16-year-old's education, or if they should be branching out. They already have an impressive $70,000 balance in a 529, but they're not sure what other savings vehicles they should focus on in the next two to three years. What is your target 529 balance?byu/Urbanttrekker inMiddleClassFinance Thankfully, the poster is already saving 25% of their income for retirement. They're putting 5% into the 529 and another 10% into what they call "undefined savings." They're set with their emergency fund and have no debts aside from a low-cost mortgage they're eight years from paying off. There's nothing wrong with the poster continuing to save for college in the next few years. But they may want to look outside of a 529 plan. Although 529 plans offer the benefit of tax-free gains and withdrawals, they can reduce the amount of financial aid students get. These plans generally won't have an impact on merit-based scholarships, and they tend to have less of an impact on aid if the parent owns the account, not the student. But that's something to keep in mind. The other issue is that withdrawing 529 funds for non-qualified education expenses generally results in a 10% penalty on the gains portion of those funds, plus taxes on the gains portion of the withdrawal. Now thanks to the SECURE 2.0 Act, it's possible to roll up to $35,000 of unused 529 plan funds into a Roth IRA without incurring taxes or a penalty. So that is one way to deal with an overage. Another option is to designate the extra funds for a different beneficiary – if one exists. The Reddit poster above only makes mention of one child. So designating a different beneficiary may not be a viable solution. It's great that this Reddit poster wants to continue saving for their child's education even after having done such a great job already. But since they already have a fair amount of money in a 529 plan, they may want to branch out and put their remaining college savings elsewhere. One option to consider is a taxable brokerage account. The money in there won't grow tax-free as is the case with a 529. The benefit, however, is flexibility. The poster's child may not end up needing more money for college than what's already been saved. Rather than deal with the headache of having to figure out a plan for excess funds, putting the money into a brokerage account makes it available for any purpose at any time without restriction. The poster could let their child use that money to buy a car or fund a move to a new city after college. Another option is to look at a high-yield savings account. This isn't a great option when you're dealing with a long investment window. But the poster's child is 16, which means college may be just a couple of years away. If they want a safe, stable home for that money without taking on the risk of stock market fluctuations, a high-yield savings account fits the bill. And thanks to today's interest rates, it's not like a high-yield savings account won't earn any money. Saving for a child's education is a great way to avoid having them graduate with a pile of debt. It could make sense to use a 529 plan for the tax benefits involved, but that's not the only account you should consider – especially if you're nearing the point where your child is headed to college and you want to minimize some of your risk. If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. One easy trick could pay you as much as $23,760 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Join Stock Advisor to learn more about these Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Should I Prioritize My 529 Plan or Focus on Other Savings Opportunities for My 16-Year-Old's Education? was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Bloomberg
12-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Harvard, Yale Face Major Increase to Endowment Tax in House Plan
Republican lawmakers proposed to significantly increase taxes on the richest US universities, broadening a fight between the Trump administration and elite higher education. Private colleges and universities with at least 500 students and endowments exceeding $2 million per student would pay a rate of 21% on net investment income under a bill released Monday as part of the House's plan to extend the 2017 tax cuts. That's up from the current tax of 1.4%.
