Saving for college is simple if a financial advisor is possessed of a Kreskin-like ability to predict the future of the tax code, financial aid programs and investment returns while also correctly anticipating if, when and where a client's...
Just when you thought the news couldn't possibly get worse, it has. Both the NASD and the SEC have revealed they are separately investigating yet another area within the financial services sector: 529 college savings plans. The state-sponsored...
If personal finance were an orchestra, there would be little doubt what would occupy the first chair in the College Savings section. The 529 savings plan has for years been the darling of investors and advisors, and there are good reasons for its...
If you're an advocate of states' the 529 college savings plan is the investment choice for you. Started by Congress in 1996 and named after the section in the IRS code that permits them, these investment programs are run by state governments and...
The longer you are in the business of providing financial advice, the more likely you will get this call: A favorite middle-aged client rings you up and notes that a large bond in his account is coming due, or that there is a burgeoning sum...
Within 15 minutes of my daughter Ellie's birth, I not only opened an UTMA investment account for her; I also planned out where she would attend college and what she would do when she grew up. Judging by her high-pitched wailing, I figured either a...
In a market pummeled by accounting scandals, tainted research and economic malaise where even mutual funds are fizzling it makes sense to look for something your customers can feel good about. College savings plans, the so-called Section 529...
Think of Upromise and BabyMint as frequent flyer programs for college. Instead of accumulating miles, however, members ring up contributions toward a 529 account every time they buy a particular product or shop at an affiliated retailer...
