(November 26, 2024) - Traditions are often sentimental, full of fun, and build lasting memories with family and friends. One of my favorite holiday traditions occurs on Thanksgiving Day. I ask my kids to sit down and create a holiday wish list - complete with colorful holiday art decorating the margins. It started when my kids were little and decorated their wish list for Santa with holiday-themed pictures. I loved it so much that I asked them to keep up with the tradition of hand-written wish lists with hand-drawn art as they got older.

(September 5, 2024) - To most families with school-aged children, the arrival of September means back-to-school and diving into school year routines. The first week of September is often a flurry of last-minute back-to-school shopping, signing students up for extra-curricular activities or after-school care, and coordinating schedules to prepare for the year ahead. However, September takes on a whole new meaning when you send your kids off to another city, state, or country to continue their education after high school. It is a surreal experience for sure! 

(July 3, 2024) - Summer is a time for fun and relaxation—especially for kids. But just because they’re taking a break from school doesn’t mean the learning should stop altogether. The trick is making it fun for them so they don’t realize they’re learning something!  

Summertime provides plenty of great opportunities to teach kids important life skills, like saving money. Whether they're earning from chores or receiving allowances, here are some creative and enjoyable ways to instill good saving habits in children during the summer months. 

(March 27, 2024) - There are some real barriers to attending college, and some families are starting to wonder if it’s truly worth the effort. Certainly, life is not one-size-fits-all, and a degree is not a prerequisite for a good life. But higher education bestows some very clear advantages, and everyone who wants an education should be able to pursue it. Fortunately, there are many tools to help lower the barriers to a college education.

(Updated February 9, 2024) - Families often wonder how 529 plans affect financial aid and how the two work together. The answer depends on a couple of key questions: who owns the plan and when withdrawals are taken. In most cases, your 529 plan will have a minimal effect on the amount of aid you receive and will actually end up helping you more than hurting you.

(February 6, 2024) - Why 529 College Savings Plans are Perfect for Technical and Vocational Pathways
The landscape of higher education is constantly evolving and has even more so in the past few years as students began suddenly learning, studying, and networking from behind the screen. Recognizing that learning can happen from anywhere, at any time, and in a variety of ways is the foundation for increasing access to higher education. 

(UPDATED December 28, 2023) - In December of 2022, the federal government enacted SECURE 2.0 of 2022, which delivers dozens of retirement-related provisions. Among them is the ability to make tax- and penalty-free rollovers from your 529 plan into a Roth IRA. You may take advantage of the Roth rollover provision with your WA529 GET or DreamAhead account as of January 1, 2024.

(December 12, 2023) - As parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or even as a family friend, sometimes it is so hard to find a unique, meaningful gift for children in our lives. Toys, games, clothes, and candy make great traditional gift options, but giving the gift of higher education savings is also a meaningful gift option that many people don’t think about. Gift contributions to a 529 education savings account will have a positive impact on a child’s future that will last a lifetime.

(September 6, 2023) - It’s September - National College Savings Month! While the word ‘college’ is in the title, it’s really about much more than that. It is when we officially recognize the importance of saving for post-high school education and training, including trade schools, technical training, and apprenticeships. Let’s face it. The cost of college and other career-readiness training is high and getting more so each year. National College Savings Month is a great reminder for families to put money away for their student’s future education expenses.

(August 1, 2023) - Ah, summer! While summers as an adult are not nearly as footloose and fancy-free as they were in my childhood, I still love the opportunity to get outside to hike, travel, and experiment with the grill (charbroiled watermelon, anyone?). The only big problem with summer is that I have to constantly remind myself that my responsibilities, including attending to my family’s college savings goals, can’t take a summer break anymore. But where to start when my brain is trying to check out for three months at a time?