Historical performance CategoryActive Growth PortfolioBenchmark 3 years 5.42% 5.49% 5 years 9.35% 9.01% 10 years 8.37% 7.96% Since inception 9.44% 8.79%2 more rows
Opening a 529 can be completed in (as little as) these four steps: Select a plan. You'll have to choose between a savings plan or a prepaid plan. Choose a beneficiary. This will likely be your child — but remember, you can change the beneficiary at any time without penalty. Open the account. Build your portfolio.
Ideally, you should save at least $250 per month if you anticipate your child attending an in-state college (four years, public), $450 per month for an out-of-state public four-year college, and $550 per month for a private non-profit four-year college, from birth to college enrollment.
So, in general, from a FAFSA standpoint, it is now a lot better to have grandparents own a 529 plan, compared to parents owning the 529 plan. However, if the school utilizes the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile, then all bets are off, as the college will determine need-based financial aid as it sees fit.
Closing the Savings Gap For instance, if you opened a 529 account for a newborn this year and contributed $250 a month, Vanguard's college savings calculator estimates you'd have more than $113,000 when your child heads off to college in 18 years. That's more than double your $54,000 investment.
By superfunding your 529 plan with a lump-sum contribution of $50,000, in 18 years when your child is ready to enter college, your account balance will have increased to $120,331. By dividing $50,000 into monthly contributions of $231 instead, your account balance will have only increased to $81,509.
If an investor opened a tax-deferred 529 account with an initial investment of $2,500 and contributed $100 every month for 18 years, the account could be worth over $6,300 more than with similar contributions into a taxable account.
It's also important to document your spending for at least three years, in case the IRS asks for proof of your qualified withdrawals.
Opening a 529 can be completed in (as little as) these four steps: Select a plan. You'll have to choose between a savings plan or a prepaid plan. Choose a beneficiary. This will likely be your child — but remember, you can change the beneficiary at any time without penalty. Open the account. Build your portfolio.
How do I invite friends and family to participate in Ugift? Opting into Ugift is easy! Just log into your 529 plan account and click on Ugift. There you can get a Ugift code for each beneficiary that friends and family can use at any time over the life of your account.