College Resources & News from CFNC

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.

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.