Iowa 529 College Savings Plan – College Savings Iowa
About: College Savings Iowa is a 529 plan, a tax-advantaged program intended to help an individual or a family pay the costs of higher education. Although sponsored and administered by the Treasurer of the State of Iowa, the plan is available to all U.S. citizens and resident aliens with a valid Social Security or other taxpayer identification number.
Website: https://www.collegesavingsiowa.com/
Phone #: 1-866-433-2533
Investment Options: The Age-Based option is offered in 4 different risk levels (Tracks A, B, C, and D) each containing 4 or 5 portfolios of underlying mutual funds. You can select among 6 multi-fund portfolios (Aggressive Growth, Growth, Moderate Growth, Conservative Growth, Income, and Conservative Income) and 4 individual-fund portfolios (Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund, Vanguard Institutional Total Stock Market Index Fund, Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund and Vanguard Prime Money Market Fund)
Tax Benefits: Contributions to an Iowa 529 plan of up to $3,188 for 2016 per beneficiary by an individual, and up to $6,376 per beneficiary by married taxpayers filing jointly who each make their own contributions, are deductible in computing Iowa taxable income. The maximum deduction increases each year with inflation. Only contributions made by the account owner are deductible. Contribution deadline is December 31 postmark. Iowa residents may elect to treat contributions made through the deadline (excluding extensions) for filing an individual Iowa state income tax return (generally April 30) as having been made in the prior year in order to claim the allowable annual deduction on their Iowa state tax return for the prior year.
State Residency Requirements: No state residency is required to participate in Iowa 529 College Savings Plans.
Saving for College with Upromise
Upromise is a service that helps individuals save money to pay for college or to pay down existing student loan debt.
Upromise is a great way to save through partnerships with retailers. Similar to a cash back rewards card, this plan puts rewards from retailers into an account that you can use to save money for school or paying down current Sallie Mae serviced student loans.
Once you join Upromise, you simply have to shop at eligible retailers. You can shop online and get anywhere from 1$ to 25% back that is credited to your account. There are more than 600 online retailers, including Target and more, which will give you rewards that can be used for college and tuition expenses.
The beauty of the Upromise program is that you save money for college by simply shopping at the normal stores you visit every day. Upromise was created in partnership with Sallie Mae and is designed to help save for education costs.
Upromise.com is the smart way to save for your child’s college education