Ohio 529 plan explorer
Daughter and Mom laughing after winning prizes at a carnival game

Coming To The State Fair? Visit Ohio 529 At The Lausche Building

Email
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
ShareThis
Community

It’s that great time of the year! Come and enjoy all the fun at the Ohio State Fair, which runs from Wednesday, July 23 through Sunday, Aug. 3. There’s so much to do at the state fair, from concerts, to food, to rides, and of course, seeing the butter cow!

Ohio 529 CollegeAdvantage loves the state fair, too! We’re in the air-conditioned Lausche Youth Exploration Space, with other Ohio Department of Higher Education agencies. Stop by our table to watch your kids spin our prize wheel and learn more about the smartest way to save for your child’s future college and career training. We’ll be there every day at the fair.

And while in the Lausche building, be sure to explore the exhibits like Battelle’s Science Superhero booth, COSI, Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland, Boy Scouts of America, 4-H Judging, Phun with Physics Show, Family Fun Area, Tiny Town, and many more fun activities. Additionally, many great state universities will have fun and educational projects for you to work on as a family. Our partner agencies for the fair, Ohio Department of Higher Education and Ohio Department of Education & Workforce are sharing the wonders of science, technology, engineering, the arts and math (STEAM) and see what career opportunities are available in these fields. Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities mobile unit will also be out on the lawn to help visitors with their accessibility needs.

Ohio 529 is part of the Governor’s Children’s Passport, a fun way to visit all of the state fair and win prizes. Visit all the stations around the state fair to have your passport stamped. Then turn in your passport in order to enter to win a family prize package to the next year’s Ohio State Fair, $529 college savings awards from Ohio 529, or an overnight stay from Ohio State Parks.

Once you get home from the fair, you can open an Ohio 529 account in minutes. Since 1989, Ohio 529 CollegeAdvantage has been helping families across the nation save for their children’s higher education. Ohio’s 529 Plan covers qualified costs at any four-year college or university, two-year community college, trade or vocational school, apprenticeship approved by the U.S. Labor Department, or certificate program nationwide that accepts federal financial aid. Learn, plan, and start for as little as $25 today at CollegeAdvantage.  

 

open

Info Hub

Interactive Tools

Lightbulb icon

529 Short Course: New Parents

close

Info Hub

Interactive Tools

Lightbulb icon

529 Short Course: New Parents

Back To Top

Notice

Closing the playlist now will erase progress completed.

Lightbulb icon

529 Short Course: New Parents

View Transcript
View Transcript

5 things every new parent needs to know about saving for education

  1. Why Ohio 529?
    529s are specifically created for higher education savings. Unlike a traditional banking account, a 529 account benefits from tax-free earnings and tax-free withdrawals. For Ohio residents, there is also a state income tax deduction for those contributions.
  2. It’s simple to start.
    You can open your 529 account online in minutes with as little as $25. With ready-made portfolio options, you don’t have to be a financial expert to feel confident in your savings plan choices.
  3. Set it and forget it with automatic deposits.
    The sooner you start saving, the longer your account benefits from the Ohio 529 tax advantages as well as compound interest. Many new parents take their 529 contributions off their to-do list by setting up small automatic deposits from either their banking accounts or paycheck. Also, with our ReadySave 529 app, it’s also easy to track and adjust your account right on your mobile device.
  4. Save for college, career training, and more.
    Ohio 529 can be used at over 30,000 schools of all kinds, nationwide, including universities; community colleges; trade, technical, and vocational schools; certificate programs; and apprenticeships. Your Ohio 529 account can also pay for K-12 tuition at a public, private, or religious school. And, if it’s not needed for educational expenses, you can now roll over your 529 to a Roth IRA.
  5. Others can help.
    It’s easy for family and friends to contribute to your child’s account and receive tax benefits for themselves. You can share your account’s unique Ugift number with others to contribute online without creating their own 529 accounts. Those who live in Ohio will also receive a state income tax deduction for their contributions. Also, you can sign up to have reminder emails sent to you and loved ones for the big milestones in your child’s life.
View Transcript
View Transcript
A mother watches her daughter open a gift

Ugift Is Savings Gold

Email
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
ShareThis

Hoping to find gold at the end of the rainbow? If you are saving with Ohio 529 CollegeAdvantage, you have the benefit of Ugift with your account, which is savings gold.

Ugift makes it easy for others to give to your Ohio 529 account. With Ugift, you generate a unique code which allows loved ones to contribute to your Ohio 529 savings plan without needing the actual account number. Once they have the Ugift code, your friends and family can visit Ugift529.com to make their online gifts directly to your 529.

When friends and family ask for gift ideas, share that you are saving for your child’s future education with Ohio 529. Then invite them to join in with gift contributions to your Ohio 529 account with Ugift. After all, a gift for your child’s education will truly last a lifetime.

The quickest and easiest way to pass along your child’s Ugift code is with the ReadySave 529 app, which you can access as an Ohio 529 CollegeAdvantage account owner. At the bottom of every page is an Ugift icon. Click on the gift symbol to view your Ugift code which you can send immediately as an invitation via texts, emails, and Facebook/Instagram chats from your phone.

Or log into your account online to view your child’s Ugift code to send to family and friends who would like to give the gift of education.

The Ugift code doesn’t expire. Which means whenever there is an occasion to celebrate­ like baby showers, holidays, birthdays, graduations, and special achievements, your family and friends can give to your Ohio 529 account. And they can choose to contribute as much as they want whenever they want. It can be a one-time gift or recurring gift; all they need is that Ugift code. Your loved ones’ contributions - whether big or small – will add up over the years. Added to the power of compound interest, these gifts will power your 529 savings to cover even more college and career training costs.

An added bonus for gift givers who live in Ohio: They are also eligible to receive a state income tax deduction for their Ohio 529 gift contributions, up to $4,000 per year, per beneficiary.

To learn more about all of the gifting options with Ohio 529 and order cards for special occasions, visit  529 Gift Central.

View Transcript
View Transcript
View Transcript
  • 1 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Understand the cost of delaying
  • 2 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Compare the two most common ways to save
  • 3 Thumbnail image for READ: The 5 things every new parent needs to know about saving for education
  • 4 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Wondering about flexibility?
  • 5 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Here's help figuring out how much to save.
  • 6 Thumbnail image for READ: Why a Ugift code is savings gold
  • 7 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Concerned about annoying fees?
  • 8 Thumbnail image for WATCH: The simplest, most popular way to invest
  • 9 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Complete portfolios with predefined risk levels