Busting the Top 7 Myths About Prepaid Tuition Plans

Guest Post When it comes to saving for college using a prepaid tuition plan, very often inaccuracies, misconceptions and myths can stand in the way of actually getting started. To help you better understand prepaid tuition plans and how they work, here are some common myths and the facts that bust them: Myth #1: If I get a scholarship, I can't use my prepaid tuition plan. Facts: False! As a general rule, prepaid tuition plans can work along with any scholarships you earn to make sure as much of your educational costs are covered as possible. For example, if you qualify for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, in most cases, your scholarship, along with benefits payable from your Florida Prepaid Plan, can both be applied to your student account. If there are any excess funds in your account, they can be used for other school costs, like books. Alternatively, you can elect to use your scholarship and request a ï ¿ ½scholarship refundï ¿ ½ for any benefits that would have been payable from your Florida Prepaid Plan. Under this option, your scholarship refund is equal to the value of any prepaid tuition plan benefits that would have been paid to your school. Myth #2: To use my prepaid tuition plan I have to go to college right after I graduate. Facts: Again, false. Depending on which plan you use, it might be good for 10 years after the projected year of enrollment included in your prepaid tuition plan application. So you want to take a year off to work? Or maybe you want to backpack through Europe? Go for it! Just come back this decade. Myth #3: If I buy a prepaid tuition plan and my student decides to go to an out-of-state university, I lose my investment. Facts: Absolutely not! If your student decides to go to an out-of-state university, you can most definitely still use your plan! While most prepaid tuition plans are designed to be used at state colleges or universities, the value of the plans can usually be used at other schools nationwide. If your child decided to attend a different school, many state prepaid tuition plans will pay out an amount equal to the weighted average tuition and mandatory fees at your state's public institutions, not to exceed the actual tuition and fees you incur. You can also usually transfer the plan to a sibling. RELATED: Prepaid tuition plans: Here's what you need to know. Myth #4: Prepaid tuition plans can only be used to save for public schools. Facts: There are options available for students planning to attend a private school. For example, the Private College 529 is a prepaid tuition plan designed specifically to save for private colleges and universities and currently has over 280 schools in its network. And even if you save with a traditional prepaid tuition plan and your child decides to attend private school, you can usually transfer an amount equal to what would be paid to the public school your plan is designed for ï ¿ ½ you're just responsible for the difference. Myth #5: I'll lose all of my prepaid tuition plan savings if my child doesn't go to college. Facts: You won't lose everything, but if your child decides not to go to college and you can't pass it on to a sibling, most plans will only refund the principal, which means you'll lose any interest earned. In some cases, you might even be charged a cancellation fee. Myth #6: If you open a prepaid tuition plan, you can't have another 529 plan. Facts: You can also enroll in a 529 college savings plan. This might come in handy since a savings plan typically covers additional expenses that a prepaid tuition plan doesn't, like textbooks and supplies. Myth #7: If I move out of my current state, I will lose my prepaid tuition plan. Facts: State residency is required to purchase a prepaid tuition plan, but it isn't required to keep one. If you or your child move out of state at some point, no problem ï ¿ ½ your plan will continue as if you never left the state where the prepaid tuition plan was purchased. If your child attends a state college or state university where the plan was purchased, they will be considered an in-state student. Hopefully this list of facts has helped to clear up some of the misinformation about prepaid plans. If any of these truths have surprised you, make sure you spread the word. You're probably not the only one. RELATED: 7 myths and realities of 529 plans Guest Post When it comes to saving for college using a prepaid tuition plan, very often inaccuracies, misconceptions and myths can stand in the way of actually getting started. To help you better understand prepaid tuition plans and how they work, here are some common myths and the facts that bust them: Myth #1: If I get a scholarship, I can't use my prepaid tuition plan. Facts: False! As a general rule, prepaid tuition plans can work along with any scholarships you earn to make sure as much of your educational costs are covered as possible. For example, if you qualify for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, in most cases, your scholarship, along with benefits payable from your Florida Prepaid Plan, can both be applied to your student account. If there are any excess funds in your account, they can be used for other school costs, like books. Alternatively, you can elect to use your scholarship and request a ï ¿ ½scholarship refundï ¿ ½ for any benefits that would have been payable from your Florida Prepaid Plan. Under this option, your scholarship refund is equal to the value of any prepaid tuition plan benefits that would have been paid to your school. Myth #2: To use my prepaid tuition plan I have to go to college right after I graduate. Facts: Again, false. Depending on which plan you use, it might be good for 10 years after the projected year of enrollment included in your prepaid tuition plan application. So you want to take a year off to work? Or maybe you want to backpack through Europe? Go for it! Just come back this decade. Myth #3: If I buy a prepaid tuition plan and my student decides to go to an out-of-state university, I lose my investment. Facts: Absolutely not! If your student decides to go to an out-of-state university, you can most definitely still use your plan! While most prepaid tuition plans are designed to be used at state colleges or universities, the value of the plans can usually be used at other schools nationwide. If your child decided to attend a different school, many state prepaid tuition plans will pay out an amount equal to the weighted average tuition and mandatory fees at your state's public institutions, not to exceed the actual tuition and fees you incur. You can also usually transfer the plan to a sibling. RELATED: Prepaid tuition plans: Here's what you need to know. Myth #4: Prepaid tuition plans can only be used to save for public schools. Facts: There are options available for students planning to attend a private school. For example, the Private College 529 is a prepaid tuition plan designed specifically to save for private colleges and universities and currently has over 280 schools in its network. And even if you save with a traditional prepaid tuition plan and your child decides to attend private school, you can usually transfer an amount equal to what would be paid to the public school your plan is designed for ï ¿ ½ you're just responsible for the difference. Myth #5: I'll lose all of my prepaid tuition plan savings if my child doesn't go to college. Facts: You won't lose everything, but if your child decides not to go to college and you can't pass it on to a sibling, most plans will only refund the principal, which means you'll lose any interest earned. In some cases, you might even be charged a cancellation fee. Myth #6: If you open a prepaid tuition plan, you can't have another 529 plan. Facts: You can also enroll in a 529 college savings plan. This might come in handy since a savings plan typically covers additional expenses that a prepaid tuition plan doesn't, like textbooks and supplies. Myth #7: If I move out of my current state, I will lose my prepaid tuition plan. Facts: State residency is required to purchase a prepaid tuition plan, but it isn't required to keep one. If you or your child move out of state at some point, no problem ï ¿ ½ your plan will continue as if you never left the state where the prepaid tuition plan was purchased. If your child attends a state college or state university where the plan was purchased, they will be considered an in-state student. Hopefully this list of facts has helped to clear up some of the misinformation about prepaid plans. If any of these truths have surprised you, make sure you spread the word. You're probably not the only one. RELATED: 7 myths and realities of 529 plans

Recovering the

by Kim Cromer    Statista, an online statistics portal for more than 22,500 sources, estimates that in 2018 there are 237.6 million smartphones, 207 million Facebook users, and 67 million active Twitter accounts in the United States. In an age of countless modes of communication, we still struggle to genuinely connect with each other. It’s not a lack of information or the opportunity to share that information that is missing. It’s the effectiveness of the communication taking place that is markedly deficient. Effective communication requires an ability to connect on a personal level with your listener, to engage not only in civil discourse, but also in careful listening and critical thinking. The formal practice of effective communication has become a lost art. Although we invest years in helping students to learn facts and theories, we rarely take time to intentionally teach what my classical friends call â€Å"rhetoric,† the art of persuasive expression. Without the ability to express well-reasoned ideas that encourage thoughtful response from the listener, our students will be unable to engage or impact their culture. How can we help our students to rediscover the lost art of effective communication? Here are a few suggestions: Discuss important, age-appropriate topics. Parents, utilize time in the car or at the dinner table, asking thoughtful questions that encourage your students to think critically, identifying their beliefs, and fleshing out underlying suppositions that might surprise them. Teachers, rearrange the usual classroom layout into a circle of chairs to encourage barrier-free conversation about real-life issues. Create opportunities for students to share. Rigid protocols are unnecessary. Simply let students share from what interests them: a book they love, a trip they’ve taken, or an idea from their imagination. Share with a sibling, the whole family, and eventually in a community setting. Teachers can leverage small group presentations to make public speaking less threatening. Incorporate speech into their curriculum. Every student has different aptitudes, goals, and aspirations, but every single one of them needs to be an effective communicator. Incorporating speech into your middle, junior, or high school curriculum is an easy way to encourage progress towards this goal. Practice. Practice. Practice. The old adage â€Å"Practice makes perfect† might be a bit overstated, but practice does promote the development of skills. Incentivize that practice and you’ll likely experience greater results. Friendly competition provides goals and rewards for practice and hard work. Feedback from others often inspires improvement and practice in a way that classroom teaching will not. NCFCA, the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association, is the third largest speech and debate league in the United States, annually serving more than four thousand students ages twelve to eighteen. We help students to develop the skills necessary to think critically and communicate effectively by offering complete resource packages for both speech and debate. The NCFCA Comprehensive Guide to Speech and The NCFCA Comprehensive Guide to Policy Debate, published by IEW, provide detailed lesson plans which are useful in a variety of educational settings, including homeschools, co-ops, and brick-and-mortar schools. In addition, NCFCA offers fifty competitive opportunities across the country where students can hone the art of effective communication. To learn more about NCFCA and its mission, visit www.NCFCA.org or email us at Office@NCFCA.org.