If you want to save for college, you likely know that you should save your money in a 529 plan.
A 529 college savings plan is a tax-advantaged account where you can save and invest money for future college tuition and qualified costs.
A 529 plan is the go-to answer for questions about how to save for college. But is it the best choice? It’s important to evaluate your options and explore alternatives before deciding what vehicle you’ll use to help pay for college when the time comes.
What’s wrong with a 529 plan?
There are a lot of great benefits to using a 529 plan to save for college. If you want to save your money in an account designed to help families create a financial plan to cover college costs, this option may be for you .
You can also make the most of this saved money because funds in a 529 are exempt from federal taxes. But, these plans also come with a few major disadvantages.
“The biggest downside to using 529s are that you have to use them for qualifying higher education expenses in order to get the tax advantages,” explains Stephen Alred, financial planner and founder of Ignite Financial.
“If your children don’t go to a higher education institution, you may have to transfer [the money] to another family member or eat the taxes,” Alred adds.
Alan Moore, a certified financial planner, and co-founder of XY Planning Network agrees.
“Funds in a 529 must be used for college,” Moore says. “Private secondary schools aren’t an option like they are for some other savings vehicles.”
If the intended recipient of all those colleges savings doesn’t go to college? Taking cash out and not using it for qualified college expenses means you’ll need to pay taxes and a 10% fee on any earnings.
529 college savings plan pitfalls
Even if the child you want to help does choose to pursue college, 529 funds count towards that child’s assets and EFC calculation for financial aid. This could prevent students from receiving need-based aid.
Feeling overwhelmed and confused? Trying to find help understanding 529 plans is also a major issue.
“Advisors cannot assist with managing 529 plans, so you are most likely on your own in figuring out how to invest that money once you open the account,” explains Moore.
That’s a problem because the investment options within the plans can be extremely limited and come with high fees. Without a professional who can help guide you, understanding the right financial moves to make is tricky. And mistakes can cost you money.
With all the downsides, it makes sense to ask about alternatives to 529 plans. The good news is that these plans are not the only options for college savers.
529 plan alternatives
“I’ve seen a plethora of ways to fund college expenses,” Alred says. “Some of them include using an HELOC, using the cash value within permanent life insurance policies, Roth IRA, prepaid tuition programs, UTMAs, UGMAs, among others.”
Ultimately, Alred says, “You can get really creative if you work a with college funding expert.”
Here are three of the most common alternatives you can use for your own college saving plan.
1. Using other savings accounts
529 plans are great because they allow you to invest your savings. That gives you the opportunity to earn a much better return on your money than if you were simply sticking cash in a savings account.
“Make sure you know how any decision to fund higher education expenses will affect all of your financial goals in the long-term before looking outside of 529s,” cautions Alred.
Savings accounts aren’t a good long-term option because the interest rates are so low. Your money will struggle to keep up with inflation — meaning that your savings could be worth less in 18 years than they are today.
Certificate of deposits, or CDs, provide a little bit more of a return but not much. For the best bet, you need to find another way to invest your money.
There are two ways you can put away money for college and invest it for a potentially larger return.
2. Roth IRAs
The first option is to utilize an account intended for retirement: a Roth IRA.
Roth IRAs are individual retirement accounts that allow people to save and invest after-tax money. You can withdraw any of your funds without penalty after age 59-and-a-half. You can also withdraw your contributions to your Roth IRA without penalty any time.
If you decide to withdraw your investment earnings before age 59-and-a-half you will be penalized, unless it’s for a qualifying reason. The good news is paying for college expenses for you, a spouse, your children or grandchildren is a qualifying reason, making Roth IRAs alternative college savings plans.
However, at the end of the day, Roth IRAs are designed for retirement. They come with some rules and regulations that are intended to help people save for retirement and to keep their money in their accounts until retirement.
Roth IRAs also come with contribution limits. You can only contribute up to $5,500 per year to your Roth IRA if you’re under the age of 50 and $6,500 if you’re older.
3. Brokerage accounts
Your second option is to utilize a simple brokerage account to save for college. Brokerage accounts are much like savings accounts in that you can deposit and withdraw money at any time without penalty.
Brokerage accounts give you access to any investment that you’d like to buy or sell. These can range from stocks and mutual funds to bonds, currency, and futures.
You can open a brokerage account through a broker. The options and what you can purchase will vary depending on the company you choose to open the account with.
There are no tax advantages associated with brokerage accounts. You’ll also be responsible for capital gains taxes if your money earns a return.
When choosing a brokerage account, watch for the fees associated with the product. There can be management fees on the account itself. And, depending on what you invest in, you may incur commission fees, too.
Many brokerage accounts also require minimum investments to open them, so you may need to save up your cash first before investing in one.
Evaluate your options for saving outside a 529 plan
There are a lot of options for college savings. Whether you choose the traditional 529 plan or explore alternatives like brokerage accounts, CDs, Roth IRAs, or other savings vehicles, you should understand the rules with the account you use.
Personal finance is personal, and using a certain account to save for college may make sense depending on your specific situation. If you decide to go outside of a 529 plan, consider talking to a fee-only financial advisor who can explain the pros and cons of any option you consider.
Ultimately, your best bet is to avoid regular savings accounts and CDs because the interest rates are so low. You can put your money to work and potentially earn a return by investing your savings instead.
If you’re saving for a child’s education and have a timeframe of five to 18 years before those funds are needed for college, investing in a 529, Roth IRA, or regular brokerage account can help you maximize the cash you set aside for those future expenses.
Interested in refinancing student loans?
Here are the top 6 lenders of 2019!| Lender | Variable APR | Eligible Degrees | |
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| Check out the testimonials and our in-depth reviews! 1 Important Disclosures for SoFi. SoFi Disclosures
2 Important Disclosures for Earnest. Earnest DisclosuresTo qualify, you must be a U.S. citizen or possess a 10-year (non-conditional) Permanent Resident Card, reside in a state Earnest lends in, and satisfy our minimum eligibility criteria. You may find more information on loan eligibility here: https://www.earnest.com/eligibility. Not all applicants will be approved for a loan, and not all applicants will qualify for the lowest rate. Approval and interest rate depend on the review of a complete application. Earnest fixed rate loan rates range from 3.89% APR (with Auto Pay) to 7.89% APR (with Auto Pay). Variable rate loan rates range from 2.50% APR (with Auto Pay) to 7.27% APR (with Auto Pay). For variable rate loans, although the interest rate will vary after you are approved, the interest rate will never exceed 8.95% for loan terms 10 years or less. For loan terms of 10 years to 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 9.95%. For loan terms over 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 11.95% (the maximum rates for these loans). Earnest variable interest rate loans are based on a publicly available index, the one month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). Your rate will be calculated each month by adding a margin between 1.82% and 5.50% to the one month LIBOR. The rate will not increase more than once per month. Earnest rate ranges are current as of April 17, 2019, and are subject to change based on market conditions and borrower eligibility. Auto Pay discount: If you make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic, monthly deduction from a savings or checking account, your rate will be reduced by one quarter of one percent (0.25%) for so long as you continue to make automatic, electronic monthly payments. This benefit is suspended during periods of deferment and forbearance. The information provided on this page is updated as of 04/17/2019. Earnest reserves the right to change, pause, or terminate product offerings at any time without notice. Earnest loans are originated by Earnest Operations LLC. California Finance Lender License 6054788. NMLS # 1204917. Earnest Operations LLC is located at 302 2nd Street, Suite 401N, San Francisco, CA 94107. Terms and Conditions apply. Visit https://www.earnest.com/terms-of-service, email us at hello@earnest.com, or call 888-601-2801 for more information on our student loan refinance product. © 2018 Earnest LLC. All rights reserved. Earnest LLC and its subsidiaries, including Earnest Operations LLC, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. 3 Important Disclosures for Laurel Road. Laurel Road DisclosuresFIXED APR However, if the borrower chooses to make monthly payments automatically by electronic funds transfer (EFT) from a bank account, the fixed rate will decrease by 0.25%, and will increase back up to the regular fixed interest rate described in the preceding paragraph if the borrower stops making (or we stop accepting) monthly payments automatically by EFT from the designated borrower’s bank account. VARIABLE APR However, if the borrower chooses to make monthly payments automatically by electronic funds transfer (EFT) from a bank account, the variable rate will decrease by 0.25%, and will increase back up to the regular variable interest rate described in the preceding paragraph if the borrower stops making (or we stop accepting) monthly payments automatically by EFT from the designated borrower’s bank account. All credit products are subject to credit approval. Laurel Road began originating student loans in 2013 and has since helped thousands of professionals with undergraduate and postgraduate degrees consolidate and refinance more than $4 billion in federal and private school loans. Laurel Road also offers a suite of online graduate school loan products and personal loans that help simplify lending through customized technology and personalized service. In April 2019, Laurel Road was acquired by KeyBank, one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies. Laurel Road is a brand of KeyBank National Association offering online lending products in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. All loans are provided by KeyBank National Association, a nationally chartered bank. Member FDIC. For more information, visit www.laurelroad.com. 4 Important Disclosures for LendKey. LendKey DisclosuresRefinancing via LendKey.com is only available for applicants with qualified private education loans from an eligible institution. Loans that were used for exam preparation classes, including, but not limited to, loans for LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, and GRE preparation, are not eligible for refinancing with a lender via LendKey.com. If you currently have any of these exam preparation loans, you should not include them in an application to refinance your student loans on this website. Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents in an eligible state to qualify for a loan. Certain membership requirements (including the opening of a share account and any applicable association fees in connection with membership) may apply in the event that an applicant wishes to accept a loan offer from a credit union lender. Lenders participating on LendKey.com reserve the right to modify or discontinue the products, terms, and benefits offered on this website at any time without notice. LendKey Technologies, Inc. is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse, any educational institution. 5 Important Disclosures for CommonBond. CommonBond DisclosuresOffered terms are subject to change. Loans are offered by CommonBond Lending, LLC (NMLS # 1175900). If you are approved for a loan, the interest rate offered will depend on your credit profile, your application, the loan term selected and will be within the ranges of rates shown. All Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) displayed assume borrowers enroll in auto pay and account for the 0.25% reduction in interest rate. All variable rates are based on a 1-month LIBOR assumption of 2.49% effective March 10, 2019. 6 Important Disclosures for Citizens Bank. Citizens Bank Disclosures
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 | 2.50% – 7.27%1 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 2.50% – 7.12%3 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 2.81% – 8.79%4 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 2.50% – 6.65%2 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 2.55% – 7.12%5 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 3.00% – 9.74%6 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
