College Planning

College Planning

Lion’s Share College Planning assist families in choosing the right financial vehicle to save for their children’s higher education. With our college planning software. A family can learn what, when, where, and how  to properly plan for their future.

  • Pre-College Planning
  • College Cash Flow
  • Education Debt Management
  • FASFA
  • Savings Plans

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Lion's Share College Planning

If you have young children or grandchildren and you’re wondering when the right time is to start saving for college, the answer is now. Paying for a costly college, graduate or private secondary school education is an eye-opening experience that leaves many wondering how they’ll afford the tuition.

As the cost of a college education continues to rise, it is important to plan for your children’s education as early as possible. For parents starting a college savings plan today, questions will arise as to what is the best vehicle and how much should they save.

Making an investment in the education of a loved one is a gift that will last a lifetime. Unfortunately, the cost of education even at a state-financed school frequently exceeds $100,000 and often $200,000 for a 4-year degree. The when you add in graduate school, in addition to the cost of private secondary school, and the cost of education can easily grow to nearly 1 million dollars.

All 529 plans that are offered by individual states allows your college savings grow free from federal and state tax. However, not all states give you the same tax advantages and a good financial advisor can help you determine which plan is best for your situation. Many families are also surprised to find that there are other tax-advantaged saving options for college beyond the 529 plans.

Lion’s Share can help by factoring this important goal into your comprehensive financial plan. We’ll work with you to determine the right vehicle(s) and appropriate amount to save.

Why Choose a Lion’s Share Advisor

Lion’s Share has one objective in mind which is to recommend a diversified, no-load and no-fee investments that match the needs of each client’s education goals for their children or grandchildren. Lion’s Share will never sell you products pushed by sponsors that offer us commissions or compensation in exchange for business, because we believe that this creates a conflict of interest.

We also believe that effective diversification keeps our clients portfolios more stable during times of market volatility. This helps clients preserve principle as well as gains, and it also affects how we balance the portfolio based on the age of the beneficiary. This is just one of the reasons that our clients stay with us through the ups and downs of multiple market cycles.

 

Capabilities

Your wealth management plans should determine what insurance coverage is right for you. At Lion’s Share goal is to align your coverage.

Lion’s Share can create simple plans to protect assets from creditors to safeguarding wealth across multiple generations.

Lion’s Share affiliated entity CPAs, our wealth managers, and attorneys work together to offer our clients the best tax services.

Types of College Savings

ESA’s

These plans are more formally known as Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs. They’re similar to 529 plans, with a few differences. Make sure you talk through the many conditions of these accounts have with your financial advisor: Tax law prohibits funding once the beneficiary is 18 years old; the annual per-child contribution limit is $2,000; and the account must be totally liquidated by the time the beneficiary is 30, or will be subject to tax and penalties.

UTMA’s

UTMA stands for Uniform Transfers to Minors Act. UGMA stands for Uniform Gifts to Minors Act. These are custodial accounts, utilized to hold assets for minors until they are the age of majority in your state, and are not specifically for education expenses. When your child is of age, he or she can use the money for education expenses, invest the funds, or use them for other purposes.

529

529 plans are tax-advantaged methods of saving for future education expenses, and are authorized by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. Most 529 plans are sponsored at the state level, and there is also a 529 plan operated by a group of private colleges and universities.

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