Is It Ever Too Late To Start Saving For College?

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Is It Ever Too Late To Start Saving For College? What if your kids are teenagers, is it too late to start saving for college? No. Find out how to get started with a Florida 529 Savings Plan and see why it’s ranked as one of the nation’s top 10 performing 529 Savings Plans by savingforcollege.com. This post is sponsored by Florida Prepaid College Plans, through my role as a Believer Blogger. All thoughts are my own.

Is It Ever Too Late To Start Saving For College?

Remember when your kids were small and everyone told you that time flies. “Don’t blink, they will be in college before you know it.” But as you were changing a diaper for the millionth time, college seemed so far away.

So, when you looked at your budget and your finances and it seemed a bit too hard to start saving for college while you were paying for diapers and formula. You thought you still had plenty of time.

Then maybe you were blessed with another child, and realized now wasn’t the right time to budget money for college either. You had two little mouths to feed and more diapers to buy.

Then, as the kids grew, so did the monthly bills. I remember these days so well! More clothes to buy, because they grew out of them every other week. More food to buy, because the kids were growing so fast!

And then when the kids were a tad older, it was time to plan that family vacation. Traveling would be a little easier, the kids were potty-trained and you were the ultimate snack-packer, so the car ride or airplane ride would be a breeze.

Then came the kids’ activities. Sports aren’t cheap! And neither is all the equipment that goes along with them.

The budget just didn’t allow for an extra monthly expense…and college still seemed so far away. I mean, the kids were just in grade school! We still had plenty of time!

Then came the driving days, which brings on the cost of a car, the extra gas, the car insurance…oh man, kids don’t get cheaper as they get older.

Maybe now, finally, you feel like you have that little bit of wiggle room in your budget. The credit card bills aren’t as high, the family car is paid off, you have used the last few years to pay down debt. You have some room in the monthly budget.

But, is it too late to start saving for college for the kids? Now that they are in their teens…is it too late?

I actually had this exact conversation with a friend of mine a few weeks ago. Her kids are 16 and 14 and she thought it was just silly to start saving for college now.

What difference would it make? Her son would be in college in two years.

Could saving some money this late in the game be beneficial?

We talked about a Florida 529 Savings Plan.

What is a Florida 529 Savings Plan?

A 529 Savings Plan is an investment account that provides a flexible and tax-free way to save for college and/or K-12 expenses. The investment earnings are not taxed as long as they are used for qualified education expenses, including tuition, fees, room, board, books and supplies.

Why was a Florida 529 Savings Plan a better option for my friend, Jen, instead of a Florida Prepaid 529 Savings Plan?

Jen wasn’t financially able to commit to a monthly rate or a set amount at this time. She needed the flexibility to invest what she could, when she could. Whether that meant $1,000 today and then $25 next month, the flexibility was important.

With a Florida 529 Savings Plan you can save what you can, when you can.

Jen also liked that if she ended up needing the funds as soon as next year, while her kids are in high school, they could be used for qualified K-12 expenses.

Jen is a single-mom who works full-time and already has a lot on her plate, so she wasn’t keen on trying to figure out how to invest money on her own for the kids’ future. Another reason she liked the Florida 529 Savings Plan is that they have fully managed portfolios. They do have build-your-own portfolios if you prefer to be more involved in the investment strategy.

Jen has been my friend for about 20 years now, and she knows that my kids have Florida 529 Prepaid College Plans and she knows that I have had the opportunity to partner with Florida Prepaid for several years. So she trusts me when I say that Florida Prepaid is an incredible savings plan for her kids.

But, she also liked to hear that it’s just not me who loves Florida Prepaid. There are more than 105,000 Florida 529 Saving Plan accounts with $984 million in value and is ranked as one of the nation’s top 10 performing 529 Savings Plans by savingforcollege.com. Jen likes that Florida Prepaid reduced fees by more than 70%, which means that more of the savings she puts in will go toward the savings goals she has for her kids.

Jen opened Florida 529 Savings Plans for both her kids, and she did it all online. The redesigned website and savings tools made it easy for her to plan for her college savings goals. She opened the Florida 529 Savings Plans for free and just recently made her first deposit.

She was so excited!

So proud that she finally did it!

So happy that she made that step towards her kids’ future!

So, is it ever too late to start saving for college?

No! Anytime is a good time to jump in and start saving.

Mark this one off your to-do list and get excited like Jen! Her kids are 14 and 16…it’s never too late to start saving for college.

Want something else to get excited about?

Anyone who enrolls in a new account will receive a $50 account contribution to get them started. You must enroll now through August 15th to get that FREE $50 added to your Florida 529 Savings Plan.

Use promo code TRACY529 to get your $50 contribution

Ready to JUMP in and get started?

Florida 529 Savings Plan Open Enrollment is year-round, so it’s always a good time to start saving. It’s always a good time to get excited about the future.

Did you know that children with even a fraction of their college education paid for are 2.5 times more likely to graduate from college?

Learn more about Florida Prepaid College Plans online and feel free to follow Florida Prepaid College Plans on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to stay up to date with information on open enrollment but get tips on college and more.

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