Giveaway from CollegeAdvantage!
In a few short months, my lovely stepdaughter will be celebrating her high school graduation, turning 18 and moving 1,000 miles away to college. She is our oldest, and although we knew this day would inevitably come, we 
are finding ourselves a little unprepared, both emotionally and financially, for this next step.
With 4 more children to follow her footsteps over then next 10 years, we are now starting to think about their futures and trying to come up with a plan to put a little away for each of them, without sacrificing our budget at the present time.
What is College Advantage? CollegeAdvantage is a tax-free and tax-deductible college savings option. It is a top-rated Morningstar 529 plan designed to provide families with an easy and affordable way to save for education expenses. Anyone can contribute to a fund or open one on behalf of a child, making an initial investment as low as $25 with no enrollment or annual maintenance fees. Putting aside just $25 per month in a CollegeAdvantage account from the time a child is born can grow to nearly $11,000 by the time that child turns 18.
If you open an account with at least $500 balance by June 1, 2012, you will receive a $25 bonus contribution to the newly opened account. Enter promo code SAVINGS at sign up.
My first question after reading about this plan was “ Is CollegeAdvantage just for Ohio residents?” The answer is “No.” CollegeAdvantage is Ohio’s 529 college savings program featuring tax-free savings, however anyone can open a CollegeAdvantage plan nationwide through the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority. Financial advisors can also help you invest in CollegeAdvantage, and it can be used at any accredited college nationwide.
A CollegeAdvantage 529 college savings account is the perfect gift for that college-bound young person or your own children of any age. Enrolling online is the fastest and easiest way to enroll. You can open and fund an online account in about 10 minutes. Don’t miss out on the $25 bonus offer when you open a new CollegeAdvantage direct account with a minimum of $500 initial contribution. Offer runs from March 18, 2012 through June 1, 2012. Note: The $25 bonus contribution will be applied on or about June 15, 2012. View $25 Bonus Offer Rules.
We will also be giving away 1 $100 CollegeAdvantage scholarship to get started. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE IN OHIO, JUST THE CONTINENTAL US!
Here is how you enter to win:
1. Leave a Comment telling me whose college education is on your mind.
Additional ways to enter:
2. Follow @ohio529plan on Twitter. And don’t forget to leave a comment below stating you have done so.
3. Tweet this contest – use @onceamonthmom & @ohio529plan. (Maybe something like: Get ahead on saving 4 college w/ @ohio529plan & @onceamonthmom – no you don’t have to live in Ohio! #Ohio529 http://ow.ly/9PnQK) And don’t forget to leave a comment below stating you have done so.
3. Subscribe to the Once A Month Mom blog via RSS or email. Let me know that you have done so. Of course, if you are already subscriber make sure you leave that too.
This giveaway ends Monday, March 26th at 5 PM (EST).
Disclosure: CollegeAdvantage compensated us for advertising on this site. All the opinions in this post are mine, want to know more about how I facilitate reviews, view my full disclosure policy!
My son Pete is 17 and I am looking into scholarships and how I am going to be able to fund his college. Thanks for articles like this. I have already subscribed to the Once a Month Mom blog and love it. Thanks for the entry into the contest.
Kristi
i subscribe!!! :)
i am saving for my daughters college funds. they are almost 2 and almost 4, but i think i should have started earlier! lol.
We are just starting to think about our 4 month olds college fund…its never to early to start! (especially because we hope to have a few more little ones!)
I subscribed!
What a great way to save! Our oldest daughter is 13 and has big plans. She wants to be a paleontologist, which will require a TON of college hours – BS, MS and then PhD. As a full time student myself, I know all too well how quickly college costs are rising.
Thank you for putting this out there and reminding us all that it is never too early to start saving for our children’s futures!
I have 3 little girls on my mind!!
We aren’t ready for our 15 year old daughter Maitland to be in High School much less College! I seriously don’t know where the last few years have gone. I remember thinking middle school was so far away and now we are 3 years away from college!
many states offer these plans. Virginia has a wonderful one. Additionally, you can do a 529 acct. through many different mutual funds, like American Funds. There plans are flexible in many ways – for instance, if my son gets an athletic scholarship (well, a girl can dream) and doesn’t need ‘his’ money, it can be used by siblings, parents, grandchildren, cousins. So someone could use it, without a tax hit.
and I meant to say…that girl is too lovely to let out of your sight! offer her $10,000 to stay home and go to community college :)
My oldest is 14 and already looking at college. I am unprepared. We have 3 years to save up for her, but then I have 2 more that will be going to college.
I subscribe to OAMM via email.
We are in the same boat and I would start one for my grandson who turned 1 yesterday or my youngest daughter who is a freshman.
We have two young daughters that we have started to stash away money for.
We have a high school Jr, sophomore, 6th grader and 4th grader. The younger three could benefit.
I subscribe!
My littlest one! We have not started her fund yet!
i subscribe!
This is a great idea! We have seven children. The oldest is 15, so college is on my mind. We do not want to saddle them with the same burden of college debt as we have, so we have to get creative. Thanks for letting us know about this program.
By the way, your stepdaughter is beautiful!
I already subscribe to your site for the Real Food plans. :)
I follow you on Twitter.
I tweeted this great giveaway. Thanks!
I *really* need to look into this. Does this come with an option to attend college anywhere in the US, or are they committed to going somwhere in Ohio? I’ve heard about accounts like this in Texas, but you have to go to a Texas school. Thanks for any help you can give!
Jen -
No, the college choices are not limited to Ohio.
yep…we started 529 account for both our kids shortly after their birth!! every little bit counts…and hopefully 18 years will give us a nice cushion to start off with!
i follow your blog
My son’s college education is on my mind. I don’t know how much it will cost to go to college in 9 more years….
This would be for my 8 year old who talks about going to vet school.
Follow @ohio529plan on Twitter
@ohiocatfish
https://twitter.com/#!/OhioCatfish/status/183394214913118208
We are starting to save for our daughters’ Anna (age 6) and Audrey (age 4) education.
I subscribe:-)
I an thinking about a college fund for my beautiful daughter!
I have 2 boys I need to prepare saving for college
I subscribe by email
I have my wife and two kids in college, another starting in the fall, and two more on their way up. Oy!
following them on twitter (@hubby2heather)
tweet ~ https://twitter.com/#!/hubby2heather/status/183430745254146050
Hi! I love your blog, and this was just another awesome unexpected one! Thank you for the info, and please enroll me in the contest. I have already subscribed to you – months ago…and I did follow @ohio529plan on Twitter as well…. My daughter is 17, highly creative, and incredibly smart (as well as a great athlete and a fabulous individual- no I’m not biased!! LOL) She’s our oldest, and she really deserves to go to college, we have been looking for any and all scraps of help that will get her there!! She’s hoping for the Chicago Institute of Art… we shall see, she may have to work on a Wisconsin State school. Thanks again!!
My boys are 10 and 12; I’m thinking about both their college educations. I would hate for them to get through college only to be saddled with loans.
Both of my son’s, even though they are small now, it stills worries me how we will pay for their education.
I follow you via email.
We are saving for our 4-year-old daughter and almost 2-year-old son.
Tweeted about giveaway
https://twitter.com/#!/WSMama77/status/183754805926305792
Following on twitter
Subscribed via email.
I have my oldest child on my mind for college. He is in 2nd grade and knows he wants to go to college – which is fantastic! My husband and I have already started a 529 plan and Ohio’s College Advantage is rated among the best in the nation – definitely something we wanted to tap into. An additional $1000 in his account would be huge for us!
I am a subscriber to OAMM:)
for my son
amramazon280 at yahoo dot com
https://twitter.com/#!/pinoysugarplum/status/184009085304315904
Tweeted 3/25 https://twitter.com/#!/putzkanga/status/184018901238165505
Saving for my two sons!
And I subscribe.
I’m thinking about my daughter’s college education even though she’s still little.
https://twitter.com/#!/cmouse01/status/184106345392377856
I follow your blog (RSS)
I would love to win! With 4 kids going to college eventually, I need all the help I can get. I’m thinking about my son’s college education the most…he will be 14 this year. Thanks for the chance!
I follow your blog via RSS. Thanks.