College Resources & News from CFNC

When you open a 529 account, the earnings grow tax-free, and your money isn’t taxed when it’s withdrawn for eligible education expense, including college expenses, K–12 tuition, or trade school. Here's why they're great investments.

May 29 (5/29) marks National College Savings Plan Day, and the NC 529 Plan celebrated with a new giveaway to promote saving for education and planning for the future. The Spring Into Saving: NC 529 Day Giveaway! was open to all current and new account holders.

There's no greater gift than the gift of education. Here's how to offset the high cost of a college education by opening a grandchild savings account.

Saving for college should never come at the cost of pausing your own retirement contributions. Here's how to structure your finances to save for both.

Our College Cost Estimator makes it simple to calculate the amount of money you'll need to set aside each month to help pay for your child's future education.

ou can lower your overall tax bill with a sound education savings strategy that takes advantage of common, and not-so-common tax benefits.

Before your new one arrives you should consider getting yours and his/her finances in line. How will you save for medical expenses? Or start a college savings account?

The 2020 holiday season will shine a little brighter this year with the “Holiday Wish List: Enter to Win $1,529.” The holiday drawing is sponsored by College Foundation, Inc. (CFI), a North Carolina nonprofit, and the NC 529 Plan, North Carolina’s education savings plan.

No matter how old your children or your grandchildren are, college is probably something you’ve thought about. Will they want to go to college? Will they attend your alma mater? And how will you pay for college?

Whether you’re a spender or a saver, it can be difficult to put money aside for college, especially when your kids are young, and college seems so far away.

Congratulations to Andy Ewens, Ph.D., of Cary, North Carolina! Andy is the winner of the “Dream Big 5/29 Day Drawing to Win $5,529” in celebration of National 529 College Savings Plan Day. Andy’s name was selected at random from a long list of entries.

Most parents understand how important it is to save for college. While a 529 plan is one of the most efficient and effective ways for families to save for school, many parents don’t know how to choose the right 529 plan. How is a parent supposed to choose the right 529 plan based on its performance?

To give students and parents something to cheer about, North Carolina’s National College Savings Program (NC 529 Plan) is giving away $5,529!

Beyond deciding how much you can afford to save each month, you also need to figure out where to save your money.

The sky is the limit after you graduate from high school. Maybe you want to go to a traditional four-year university — or maybe you want to get started on your career ASAP. If you’re ready to get to work, a trade school may be the right choice for you. And yes, you can use your NC 529 Plan to pay for accredited trade schools and qualified education expenses.

Thinking about your child’s future and taking steps to help them reach their education and career dreams are important decisions. There are many options when deciding how to save for a child’s education. Parents can choose anything from a good old-fashioned savings account to savings bonds or mutual funds. However, many financial experts recommend parents consider 529 plans.

A 529 plan is one of the smartest investments that can be made for someone’s future. Even so, there are some uncertainties if you’re unfamiliar with how 529 plans work. Who can contribute to a 529 plan? Is it open to anyone? How can you contribute to it? Are there limits to contributions? What about tax advantages? We’re here to set the record straight.

For parents with very small children, thinking about dropping them off at college for their freshman year may seem very far away. Thinking about saving money for college may seem even farther in the distance. Yet, young parents today know first-hand how expensive college has become — because they’re probably still paying off student loans from their own educations!

Plenty of people will tell you about the importance of college. They’ll tell you about how college graduates earn more during their lifetimes. They’ll tell you about how the value of college extends far beyond the academic experience. What they may not tell you is how you’re supposed to pay for it.

Picture this. Your student is getting ready to go off to college for the first time. For years, you have contributed to their education savings plan, helping to make their dream of higher education a reality. As you prepare to send in the first payment from your 529 account, you want to ensure that your student is attending an eligible institution so it counts as a qualified withdrawal.

Preparing to send a child off to college requires a good amount of financial preparation. Sure, you’ve accounted for the basics that everyone knows all too well. You’ve considered tuition, room and board, and textbooks. But what about the extra costs associated with a college education? Are you prepared for those?

The holidays are approaching, and many parents and grandparents are wracking their brains, trying to come up with a great gift for the children in their lives. You can give them another toy or a sweater, but what about something for their future? Giving the gift of a college education is something they won’t outgrow or break.

Opening a 529 education fund is a smart financial move for families, especially with the rising cost of college. Besides college expenses, the money also can be used to pay for K–12 tuition at public and private schools in many states, including North Carolina.

Most parents know how important it is to save for college. It’s essential that parents start saving early and save often. Not thinking about the cost of college isn’t going to make it go away. What parents may not realize is that there’s a terrific way to save for school right in their own backyard. Of course, we’re talking about the 529 plan.

Payday should be more than a reminder on your calendar — it should be a national holiday. After all, can’t we celebrate the day that our hard work turns into cold hard cash in our bank accounts? Okay, that may be a little over the top, but you get the idea.

NC 529 and the North Carolina Zoo are proud to present, Boo at the NC Zoo! A frightfully fun time for kids and parents! What’s It All About? Join us at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, NC, for Boo at the NC Zoo! Come celebrate the spooky season with safe daytime fun for all ages.

Opening an education savings account, such as an NC 529, while your child is young has all sorts of benefits. One benefit is that it allows the account to build until it’s needed for education. Earnings grow tax-free if the beneficiary uses the money for “qualified education expenses.” That term may sound confusing, but it’s intentionally broad.

As a parent, it’s all you can do to cut corners wherever possible. You do more with less while you take pride in your child’s enthusiasm for learning. But what if there were a better way? Every year, you have to buy markers, crayons, composition notebooks, and more. It feels as though the list of school supplies grows longer with each grade.

Going back to school can be very stressful – new activities, new classes, and new routines. Save yourself some first-week headaches and make a plan. If you schedule back-to-school doctor’s appointments early, you won’t be worried about missing the deadline for the annual checkup and/or pre-sport physicals.

New parents need to take advantage of every opportunity to save money. Those sweet bundles of joy are expensive! But what if there was a way to find a little extra cash in your monthly budget? We’re talking about painlessly trimming a few dollars here and there that, down the road, could add up to thousands in your baby’s college fund.

Starting kindergarten is a major milestone for every child! They may be riding a bus for the first time or anxious about making new friends. As parents, we want them to love school and enjoy every minute. Here are a few tips to help your child have a great year.

If you haven’t started saving for college yet, there is no time like the present! In recent years, college costs have risen an average of five percent annually. If that pace keeps up, the average cost for one year at a public four-year in-state school could jump from $22,000 to more than $55,000 per year in 18 years. To help families save for college, most states, including North Carolina, have 529 college savings programs.

Congratulations to Tim Towner of Gastonia, North Carolina! The contest, “Celebrate 5/29 and Win $5,529 for College!”, selected Tim Towner’s name at random from a large list of entries. Towner will receive his prize as a contribution to his children’s NC 529 Accounts.

Everyone knows that an NC 529 Account is one of the best ways to save for an education. An NC 529 Plan is easy, effective, and anyone can contribute to it. Parents, family, and friends can all do their part to pitch in for education.

The feeling of excitement is in the air. The thrill of anticipation is on the faces of thousands. The signal is given, and the crowd erupts in a deafening roar. The racers are off, and fans cheer the contestants toward the finish line. The first racer reaches the end and the stadium explodes into applause. The winner looks over the crowd and smiles triumphantly. They let out a giggle and a shrill cry of jubilation.

States are spearheading the initiative to face student debt head on as they encourage families to begin saving for the next generation now by taking advantage of 529 plans across the nation. The College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) and NC 529 are proud to join this coalition to help set up future generations for success.

Investments are a great opportunity to build a nest egg and save for the future. The three main types are stocks, bonds and cash investments; however, it’s important to note that investments can come in many forms such as buying a house, owning an art collection or gathering a selection of rare coins. Building a diverse portfolio can help you prepare for the future.

It’s a new year and a fresh start. Like many people, you’re probably lining up your goals for 2019 – one of which might be to save more money. In recent years, the most popular New Year’s resolutions have been to eat healthier, improve your life and make better financial decisions.

Anyone who has ever had a full-time job knows that job satisfaction is correlated to more than just the work you do on a daily basis or a paycheck. It’s usually a mixture of the daily grind, the people with whom you work, and the benefits your employer offers.

Are you constantly thinking about your to-do list? Do worries linger in the back of your mind all day, and sometimes even visit you as you lie awake at night? It’s easy to feel stressed about all the little things in your daily life that aren’t getting done.

Babies will be crawling towards a touchdown between the first and second quarters of the NC Central and A&T football game in Durham on Saturday, Nov. 17. These quickly-crawling babies will compete to win $529 contributed to an account in the NC 529 Plan, also known as the North Carolina’s National College Savings Program.

This Halloween, there’s no reason to get spooked by the prospect of paying for college. Instead, get prepared. We tell our kids all the time how important it is to prepare. Prepare for that big test. Prepare for that big game. Practice, practice, practice.

Enter The #NC529Halloween Costume Contest for a chance to win big for you and your future graduate! Share a picture of your child in his or her Halloween Costume on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and use the hashtag #NC529Halloween for a chance to win $100 deposited directly into your NC 529 account!

We had so much fun at the Marbles Kids Museum Kick Off to Kindergarten this month that we want to continue celebrating the back-to-school excitement! We’re giving away Marbles admission tickets and tickets to the IMAX Theatre at Marbles to celebrate the first day of school.

The graduates cross the stage and the diplomas are awarded. Adoring parents look on proudly as excellence in academics and the arts are announced. The graduates are bursting with excitement, but still a little fearful about what comes next.

Warmer weather is here and that means it’s time for summer vacations! Take a step back from everyday life and shake things up; even a short period of time where you can break out of your routine can really refresh and rejuvenate your mind. However, the perfect vacation is going to take some preparation – including plenty of planning and saving.

With rising tuition costs, North Carolina families are seeking convenient and affordable options to pay for college. College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC), a free college assistance service of the State of North Carolina, is committed to raising awareness about college savings plans in the workplace that can help secure a student’s future.

Starting kindergarten is a big life event for both students and parents. Like with most big changes, the key to a successful transition into a new environment is preparation. Upon entering kindergarten, students should be on their way to mastering skills like spelling their name, memorizing their address, reciting the alphabet and more.

As an expectant parent, you have a lot to think about. Where your baby will go to college in 18 years is probably one of the last things on your mind. It’s hectic enough planning your doctor’s appointments, post-birth arrangements and even what color your baby’s room will be —there’s hardly time to think about the future.

When it comes to saving money to pay for college, many parents are doing it the old-fashioned way: that is to say, they’re hoping for a miracle! A survey conducted in January of this year found that 57 percent of the parents polled had saved less than $10,000. But the survey found that parents do have high savings hopes.

When Kate opened an NC 529 Account for the first of her four children, she was still paying off her own school loans from undergraduate and law school. She had been the first in her family to go to college and she scrimped, saved, and worked all the way through school and still came out with a sizable 10-year loan that she eventually refinanced into a 20-year loan.

There are optimists and there are pessimists. There are leaders and there are followers. And in the world of economics, there are savers and there are spenders.

Picture this. Your child strides confidently across the stage at their high school graduation, shakes the principal’s hand, and receives their much-anticipated diploma. Now, imagine being able to celebrate your graduate’s success by handing them money to put towards higher education expenses.

State Employee’s Credit Union (SECU) is increasing the rate paid on the Federally-Insured Deposit Account (FIDA) from 1.5% to 1.75%. This is one of the best rates on a federally insured investment option in a 529 we have seen thus far!

The bottom line is: If you’re a North Carolina taxpayer, check with a qualified tax advisor before using your NC 529 funds for K-12 tuition expenses or before rolling over to a 529 ABLE account. North Carolina has not yet expanded state tax law to correspond to the recent federal changes.

How do you picture your little one’s future? Bustling around a hospital saving lives? Reporting on the nightly news? Being a professional athlete?

Crawlers raced to the finish line during the pre-game show at the UNC vs. N.C. State men’s basketball game on January 27th. Six babies went head-to-head during the second Diapers to Dorms Dash in hopes of winning some college cash. As Ramses cheered on the babies, it was one-year-old Austin Tillman who was first to cross the finish line.

From reading bedtime stories and stacking blocks to opening a college savings account, like an NC 529 Account, parents begin preparing their children for higher education almost as soon as they are born. That’s why the Diapers to Dorms Dash that was held on December 30, 2017, was such a wonderful fit for the NC 529 Plan.

Not sure what to give as a gift this holiday season? Make a contribution to a college savings account. Friends and family can contribute as little as $25 to a student’s NC 529 Account. The contribution is a meaningful gift that keeps on giving.

From baby’s first teetering steps until your child strides across the high school graduation stage, you’re focused on the future. You read stories and do homework to support their education.

Future kindergartners and their parents had a blast at the first of two annual Kickoff to Kindergarten events that are sponsored by the North Carolina College Savings Program (NC 529 Plan).

The first years of your child’s life are filled with countless milestones: crawling, walking, talking, making friends, learning to count and read. There were first teeth and new words spoken.

Graduation day for the high school class of 2030 feels like a long way away. But this year, a different kind of graduation is upon them — preschool graduation! In the fall, the class of 2030 will be entering kindergarten and starting their journey through the wonder and excitement of grade school.

At the close of this spring’s drawing to celebrate College Savings Day, the NC 529 Plan had 135,920 active Accounts and, of those, 4,343 Account owners entered the drawing.

College Savings Day will be held on May 29. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about how to save for college. Bray Creech has highlighted four key points that pertain to 529 Plans for this article in Citizen-Times.

Timeka Ruffin is a representative of the College Foundation of North Carolina. She talks with the morning show about teaching kids to save.

At the NC 529 Plan®, our everyday focus is on helping families plan and pay for college. We’re passionate about this effort, and we fully recognize that North Carolina students rely on their teachers, administrators and other caring adults to help them reach the goal of going to college too. During Teacher Appreciation Week and always, we extend our gratitude to the men and women who guide the education of our students.

Friday, April 28, is Teach Your Child to Save Day, and WECT News elected to share tips on kids saving from the NC 529 National College Savings Program.

North Carolina’s National College Savings Program, known as the NC 529 Plan, originally launched with a single investment option and transitioned $9.5 million in assets and 2,185 accounts to a multiple option format in 2001. The current NC 529 Plan, with 13 different investment options, now has a fund balance of just over $2 billion and 135,524 active accounts, 91% of which are owned by North Carolina residents.

April 28 is National Teach Your Child to Save Day and the NC 529® Plan is encouraging parents to turn their tax refunds into a teaching tool.

April is Financial Literacy Month. The goal of Financial Literacy Month is to help Americans become savvier when it comes to their money. From creating a budget to learning about investing, this is an ideal time to pause and evaluate your family’s level of financial knowledge.

We’re going to celebrate College Savings Day (May 29) by giving away $1,529! Anyone with an existing NC 529 Account or who opens one is eligible to enter. Don’t miss out on a chance to add $1,529 to your college savings in the NC 529 Plan.

One of the most common questions parents have about an NC 529® Plan is when should I set up an NC 529 Account? It’s a simple question with a straightforward answer — now! That’s because it’s never too early to start saving for your child’s higher education.

When it comes to saving your money, it’s important that you understand how a college savings vehicle works. We know that investing in a savings account for college can be a little confusing, especially if you are not familiar with financial jargon about your investment.

The North Carolina National College Savings Program (NC 529 Plan) joined Marble’s Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC, for their Fourth Annual Kids Car Fair. During the fair, children are introduced to a variety of career fields, from news casters to dentists. More than 30 local professionals participated in the event and children had a wonderful time exploring various paths that they may pursue one day.

Congratulations to Mark Pearn of Kernersville. As posted in the News & Record, Mark won an extra $529 to add to the NC 529 College Savings Account he owns for his son. He did so by entering the Lucky 3 Drawing that was held by the North Carolina’s National College Savings Plan during the later part of 2016.

The NC 529 Lucky 3 Drawing was most recently held in the Fall 2016. Those who contributed to their NC 529 Account during the drawing were entered for a chance to have an additional $529 added to their Account. We’re pleased to have had so many entries, as this means many people took another step in saving for college.

New Year’s Resolutions are all about improving your life and making plans for a better future. Of course, we all want to be grateful, healthy, and good to those around us. The beginning of a New Year is also a great time to consider financial and future goals.

As parents, we always want the best for our children. But in the busy eighteen years from birth through high school graduation, sometimes preparation for a child’s future higher education gets put on the back burner.

From baby’s first gurgle or giggle, parents begin to dream of their child’s future and try to figure out how to handle the associated costs of parenthood. Some parents immediately dive into saving for their child’s education.

During the holidays and on special occasions, it’s fun to spoil the children in our lives. Twenty-five dollars can buy a variety of gifts – balls, gift cards and games. As WFMY notes, it can also give the gift of education.

The US News and World Report recently featured a Durham, NC grandfather who is helping his family save for college. Instead of giving physical gifts during the holiday season, he is contributing money to his grandson’s college savings plan each year. And, he’s not alone. According to the article, 84% of parents would prefer that their children receive money for college in place of physical gifts during the holidays.

Holiday giving can be tricky. Each year children receive a pile of wrapped items that they plow through quickly and inevitably forget after a brief period of time.

This holiday season, give your loved one a meaningful present that can be cherished for years to come — the gift of education. Most children receive trendy toys or clothes that will be lost, forgotten or outgrown within months or even weeks. Think outside the box and give a gift with true, lasting value.

When it comes to saving for college, common sense may be even better than luck!

With the cost of a college education rising every year, some parents are nervous about how to handle the expense of higher education for their children.But don’t throw up your hands. Many families find it possible to put at least some money away for college and to explore the variety of other financial aid options available to help with the rest.

Many families feel up to their ears in expenses, and stretching their paychecks to save for things such as retirement and college may seem less important than day-to-day needs. So, with a limited amount of discretionary income, how do you decide? It’s your choice about how much of that income to put away in savings and what your priorities will be.

Every year, National Grandparents Day falls on the first Sunday after Labor Day. In honor of this year’s special day, we’d like to thank our grandparents for everything they do. After all, grandparents make life grand, and we don’t know what we’d do without them.

Saving for college is an important aspect of planning for your family’s future. College Savings Month is a great time to inspire more parents to open college savings accounts or to commit to increasing their college savings goals in their existing accounts.

Dropping your child off on the first day of kindergarten will probably be emotional for both of you. The first day of school can be exciting, but your child may be nervous about being left there for the first time. At least you can reassure your child you’ll be together again at the end of the day and eager to talk about this new experience.

Marbles Kids Museum hosted it’s annual “Kickoff to Kindergarten” event, in partnership with the NC 529 Plan. There was information about how parents can use the NC 529 Plan to start saving for college for their rising kindergartners. This was the second event hosted by Marbles Museum aimed at getting kids ready to start school.

August 20, 2016 was Kickoff to Kindergarten. Rising kindergartners in the Raleigh area and their families were offered free admission to Marbles Kids Museum to get a jump start on learning what they would need to start school. The event was sponsored by the NC 529 Savings Plan.

August 20, 2016 was “Kickoff to Kindergarten” day, with Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh offering free admission to rising kindergartners and their parents. The NC 529 Plan was a sponsor of this event; NC 529 Plan staff provided sessions for parents on saving for college for their kids.

Can you picture it? Your son or daughter all grown-up, dressed in a cap and gown, and striding across the stage to receive a high school diploma. It’s a thought that makes a parent’s heart fill with pride and emotion; your baby has made it through the early years and is now ready to take on future challenges!

Go Ask Mom, a resource for Triangle moms on the WRAL-TV website, featured the Kickoff to Kindergarten at Marbles Kids Museum in its rundown of weekend events for families. Kickoff to Kindergarten was sponsored by the NC 529 Savings Plan, and was designed to help kids become acclimated to the sights, sounds and activities of kindergarten before their first day. The event was free for rising kindergartners and their families.

Takeila Hall, College Foundation of North Carolina Regional Representative, spoke with WGHP on how to avoid taking on student loan debt by saving for college using an NC 529 Plan. She emphasized that it is never to early, nor too late, to start saving and help relieve some of the burden of college tuition.

Starting kindergarten is a big step for your little one—and your family. Whether it’s your first child or your fourth, preparing for the big day never seems to get any less chaotic. There’s a lot to do and learn before sending a young one off to school for the first time.

A recent survey shows that many parents are not prepared to pay for their child’s college education. Tameka Ruffin from the College Foundation of North Carolina talks about those results, and shares how to start saving for your children’s college education with the NC 529 Plan.

May is College Education Month, and 5/29 Day is a day to promote saving for college through a state-sponsored 5/29 plan. Almost every state offers it’s own college savings plan, although each has it’s own set of features.

NC 529 Savings Plan administrators teamed up with Marbles Kids Museum to hold a celebration for “5/29 Savings Play Day.” It was an opportunity for parents to learn about ways to save for their children’s college while their children played with the tools and toys in the museum.

On May 29, 2016, North Carolina 529 Plan administrators teamed with Marbles Kids Museum to host a “Savings Play Day.” This was an opportunity for Moms and Dads to learn about saving for their kids’ college years while playing with the fascinating tools and toys in this great museum.

First of all, congratulations! Earning a scholarship is a big deal and your student likely worked hard to receive it. You’re probably relieved that this scholarship will reduce some, or maybe even all, of what you’ve been planning to cover in college expenses.

As you cuddle your newborn, you likely dream of how you’ll lavish your child with anything and everything for a “good life.” As you gain more parental experience, you’ll likely soon realize how much your child learns from finding out how much he or she can personally do.

As you dream of your child’s future, your vision probably includes college. If so, then the sooner you start planning, the easier it will be to have money on hand when it’s time to help with college expenses.

Congratulations on opening an NC 529 account to prepare for the future! You’re joining more than 130,000 other families already saving in the NC 529 Plan for a loved one’s college expenses.

Saving for a college education for your children is more important than ever, but on a limited budget, putting away money every month can be difficult. But the reality is that whatever amount you can save for a college education can help.

Have an NC 529 Plan for a soon-to-be high school graduate? This is an exciting—and busy!—time for your family. Now is the time to be sure the money you’ve saved can be used for your grad’s college education. Don’t stress, we’re here to help!

It probably feels like just yesterday you were holding your newborn children in your arms, and you probably feel just as protective over them now as the day they were born. But are you protecting their future too? You won’t be able to take care of them forever, and that’s why now’s the time to start saving for their college education! A higher education will give your children the tools they need to be successful on their own.

Many people don’t start talking about college with their children until they’re in high school. But by then, college is only four years away or less! This can be overwhelming to students as the questions start pouring in: Where do you want to go? What will you major in? How much does it cost? What do you need to do to get in?

How would you like to give a child a lasting gift for Christmas? Instead of toys and clothes, consider opening up an NC 529 Plan for saving for college early.

Tameika Ruffin, College Foundation of North Carolina Regional Representative, shares how giving a holiday gift with the NC 529 Plan is an excellent way to help a child with college savings.

Fewer American parents with children under age 18 are saving for college this year — down more than 50% from the previous year.