we are considering switching 529 plans.
If you don't mind sharing, which 529 plan are you enrolled in? Why did you decide on that plan?
we are considering switching 529 plans.
If you don't mind sharing, which 529 plan are you enrolled in? Why did you decide on that plan?
papaya / 10343 posts
Ohio. We live in Ohio and get tax savings for keeping it here, plus it is a generally well rated plan.
pomegranate / 3706 posts
The Oregon College Savings Plan. Mostly because the bulk of my family is in OR, they contribute to it, and get a good tax break.
pear / 1521 posts
We had no tax advantage to doing in state (MA) so we chose Utah's plan. It was just one of the more highly rated ones I found. We opened it last August and so far are -$30. womp womp
pomegranate / 3393 posts
@petitenoisette: wait, how does that work? Why are you guys in the negative?
We're thinking of going with a NY state plan, just because that's where we are. Not sure yet. We set his money aside, but I want to get a move on actually opening his account. Maybe after tax refund time.
pear / 1521 posts
@MoonMoon: Our account isn't actually negative, but we've lost 30 dollars from the market fluctuations. Sorry that wasn't clear!
I know overtime though it'll go back up. Right?
pomegranate / 3393 posts
@petitenoisette: yes, always think long term! I'm glad you meant just the fluctuations, I was like, omg I didn't know 529s were so high risk!
cantaloupe / 6751 posts
@erinpye: I noticed from your profile that you're in Seattle and I'm in WA state as well... I'm just wondering if there were any other reasons why you chose Or over our GET program?
pear / 1586 posts
There's no tax advantage for doing an in-state plan in our state (NC). We compared OH, UT, NY, and one other one I can't remember, and ended up doing the NY plan.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
No tax advantage in CA, so we went with Utah. Highly rated and low minimum monthly contributions. Also wanted a passively managed fund.
pomegranate / 3845 posts
I think it's Nevada's. Our financial advisor suggested it, I can't remember the exact reasons, lowest fees, great management, etc.
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
Utah educational savings plan. I don't live in a state with tax breaks, but Utah had the lowest fees at the time we started them up. I've been happy with them so far
kiwi / 705 posts
We didn't have any tax advantage so we went with Utah based on some rankings.
coconut / 8472 posts
We went with MA, though there's no huge advantage with it. My parents set up one for DS too and they did it in their home state, NY. I think there wasn't much advantage there either, but they liked that it was through Vanguard.
hostess / papaya / 10540 posts
Out if curiousity, what made everyone Dona 529 vs an IRA? We were advised to skip the 529 in favor of an IRA. We haven't pulled the trigger either way yet, we just have money in a traditional savings instead.
cantaloupe / 6131 posts
We live in CA so no tax advantage. We initially had New York's but DH changed it to NH's last year because it is actively managed. The account is with Fidelity and we switched to a Fidelity cash rewards Amex, which makes dumping extra money into the college account easy.
@Boogs: In general, DH is not a fan of 529s. We basically just have one because "we should." We put a little bit of money in it every month and any money DS receives as gifts (we're trying to get our relatives to stop sending us STUFF and just donate to college). Given that we have no idea what college will look like or cost in the future, DH feels its risky to dump a ton of money in this vehicle. (DH is a college professor and believes the current tuition/financial aid/loan model is untenable). He's MUCH more inclined to dump money into a Roth IRA for our son, since the principle can be pulled out tax/penalty free for any purpose, not just college AND those assets wont count against DS on a FAFSA. Anything that compounds or doesn't get used for college would just go towards growing DS' retirement accounts. DH runs his own law practice, so we'll probably put our son on payroll at some point, pay him something under the $6,000 annual reporting threshold and move all of the money into a Roth IRA.
hostess / papaya / 10540 posts
@gingerbebe: Thank you, that's great info! (I'm also in CA). A Roth IRA is what we were told to do. We need to actually sit down with our financial advisor, but our tax preparer was the one that told us this. I wasn't understanding it as clearly until now, so thank you!
pomegranate / 3113 posts
@pinkcupcake: I'm in WA too, and have a GET account for my LO. We don't have that much in it, only 35 units, but they have stopped letting people purchase additional units or start new accounts until they figure out how to move forward -- there was a big shake-up recently related to the cost of tuition being reduced at the state universities. They have floated the idea of either converting GET to a 529 program or closing it down, grandfathering in already-funded accounts, and creating a new 529 going forward, but right now nobody knows what is going to happen. So GET isn't currently a viable option for putting money away for college.
We haven't figured out an alternate plan yet, and probably won't until we hear the decision on the future of GET. But we'd always planned to combine that and some other form of college savings, like a 529, because I always felt a little uncomfortable about having all our "eggs in one basket," so to speak.
grapefruit / 4321 posts
@Boogs: IRAs have much lower max contribution limits. With an IRA you can only contribute up to $5,500 per beneficiary annually. With a 529 you can donate up to $14,000 per donor (with no limit on the number of donors) annually.
hostess / papaya / 10540 posts
@Truth Bombs: We are the only ones contributing to our account, unless we are depositing birthday gifts, but it would still be us handling it so that's okay with us!
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
Utah. No tax advantage for us to go through our home state and I read lots of good things about the Utah plan. It's also been very simple to manage/contribute.
grapefruit / 4988 posts
I believe ours is Nevada (it's through Vanguard). We are in MA and get no benefit to staying in-state. DH researched them and decided which one sounded best. It's been fine so far. Really easy to manage.
We don't put all our LO's funds into the 529 though. I keep about half of them in a taxable investment fund that can eventually be used for anything.
pear / 1767 posts
We also do the Utah plan despite not living there. My husband is an accountant and extensively researched the plans. He found Utah to have the lowest fees.
cantaloupe / 6751 posts
@PurplePeony: yep, same situation as you! It's disappointing because I was one of the first GET accounts created and it was an amazing way to pay for college - but now the costs of units is astronomical. we are planning on rolling my daughter's units over into another 529 account by the end of this month. A little bummed that we have earned NOTHING on all that money for the past 2 years, but I suppose it's better than losing ...
grapefruit / 4355 posts
Georgia. It is where we live and we get a tax advantage. It is also a well rated plan.
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