College savings in a nutshell

http://www.savingforcollege.com/articles/college-savings-in-a-nutshell

First-time visitors to our website may get a little overwhelmed by the vast amount of information that we provide. Depending on where you're at in the college savings process, some areas of Savingforcollege.com might be more applicable to you than others. So to get you heading in the right direction, we've picked out several helpful areas for each situation described below.

Which of the following best describes you?

I am brand new to the world of college savings. I know it's important, but I don't even know where to start!

• Explore our College Savings 101 section:
• The College Savings Tutorial walks you through all the basics of how and why you should be saving for college.
• Find out the answer to "What is a 529 Plan?" and other frequently asked questions.
• Use the World's Simplest College Calculator to find out just how much your child's college education will cost.
• Compare college savings options to see how each fits the features you feel are important.

I've looked into my college savings options, and I'm pretty sure I want to save using a 529 plan, but I want to learn more about them.

• Learn about the tax benefits of 529 plans.
• Learn how to make qualified withdrawals from a 529 plan.
• Find out the difference between direct-sold and advisor-sold 529 plans.
• Find out if the school your child plans to attend is eligible under 529 rules.
• See what the advantages are to using your own state's 529 plan.

I'm ready to enroll in a 529 plan, but I'm not sure how to decide on the best one for me or how to go about enrolling.

• View Savingforcollege.com's 5 Cap Ratings to see which 529 plans are currently scoring well.
• Compare 529 plans you may be interested in, and select the features that are most important to you. Compare out-of-state plans to the 529 plans in your own state.
• Research the plan details of your potential 529 plans to learn more about their investment options, eligibility restrictions, and specific tax or other benefits.
• There are three ways to enroll in a 529 plan:
• Enroll directly through Savingforcollege.com to gain quick and easy access to the enrollment materials of the participating 529 programs.
• Visit the website of the 529 plan you may be interested in to find out more about its enrollment process.
• Enroll through financial professional. See our 529 Pro Directory to find a qualified professional in your area.
• Once enrolled, don't forget to maximize your savings by signing up with rewards programs.

I have opened a 529 plan and been successful in my college savings strategy. Now I'm ready to use the funds to start paying for college. What do I need to know?

• Watch this video to learn about what college expenses may be paid for with a 529 plan.
• Find out the best way to withdraw 529 funds.
• Learn what to avoid when making 529 withdrawals.
• Familiarize yourself with the penalty on unused 529 plans and how to avoid it.