College Resources & News from CFNC
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.
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.
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.
How do you picture your little one’s future? Bustling around a hospital saving lives? Reporting on the nightly news? Being a professional athlete?
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.