529 Plans: Introduction

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By Denise Appleby

529 plans (also known as a "qualified tuition program") were created under the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (SBA '96) as a means of allowing taxpayers to save for higher education expenses for a designated beneficiary. A 529 plan may be provided by a state, an agency of the state or by an educational institution.

Like the education savings account (ESA), the 529 plan is an excellent way to save for education expenses. Earnings accumulate on a tax-deferred basis and distributions that are used for qualified education expenses are tax- and penalty-free. Unlike the ESA, the 529 plan may be set up in a way that allows individuals to prepay a student's qualified higher-education expenses at an eligible educational institution. Also, the contribution limits for a 529 plan are considerably higher than those for an ESA. Here we take a look at 529 plans, how they work and how you can use them to save for a child or grand-child's college education.


Next: 529 Plans: Types Of Plans »

by

Denise Appleby

Denise Appleby
Denise Appleby is founder and owner of Appleby Retirement Consulting,which provides technical consultation, content, coaching, writing, editing and training services on related topics.


With more than 14 years of experience in the IRA and defined-contribution plans fields, Appleby has held several senior retirement-plan related positions with Pershing LLC, which included vice president of plans products and services, retirement plans manager, trainer, training manager, compliance consultant, technical help desk manager and writer.
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