Florida Prepaid 2023 Open Enrollment Launches to Provide Affordable, Guaranteed College Savings Plans for Florida Families.
Families can start saving for future tuition costs for as little as $45/month for a newborn.
- Open Enrollment runs February 1 through April 30, 2023 and is the annual window when families can lock in future tuition costs at today’s Plan prices. Prepaid Plans start at $45/month.
- Families that purchase a Prepaid Tuition Plan between February 1 and February 28 will receive a $50 gift card.
- Prepaid Plan monthly payments never go up, allowing families to budget for college savings.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Bringing affordable, inflation-proof college savings options to Florida families who are experiencing the challenges of today’s economy, Florida Prepaid kicked off its annual Open Enrollment period by encouraging families to purchase a Florida 529 Prepaid Plan to lock in the future cost of college.
Open Enrollment runs February 1 through April 30, 2023, and is the only window when families can lock in future tuition costs at today’s Plan prices. Plans start at just $45/month. To encourage Floridians to start saving for college, Florida Prepaid will give a $50 gift card to families that purchase a Prepaid Plan for tuition coverage between February 1 and February 28.
“Florida 529 Prepaid Plans offer tremendous value, security and savings at a time when Florida families are seeking all those things,” said Florida Prepaid College Board Chairman John D. Rood. “It can be a challenging time to raise a family, with food and fuel prices continuing to impact budgets, yet the comforting guarantee of a Prepaid Plan is that the price you lock in today will never go up. We encourage Florida families to research Florida 529 Prepaid Plans and find the best option for their current budget.”
Prepaid Plans allow families to save for college in a way that is risk-free and stress-free by locking in future college costs now, so their child’s college tuition is ready and waiting for them. Families simply pick a Prepaid Plan and make their payments. There are no worries about the ups and downs of the stock market or how much tuition might go up. The State of Florida guarantees all Prepaid Plans so families can never lose their investment.
If a child attends an out-of-state or private college, a Prepaid Plan will pay the same amount as it would pay at a public college or university in Florida, allowing the child to pursue their dreams no matter where that might take them.
This year, families can purchase a 4-Year Florida University Plan for a newborn for as low as $181 a month, a 2+2 Florida Plan for $145 a month, a 2-Year Florida College Plan for $54 a month or a 4-Year Florida College Plan for less than $116 a month.
The Board also offers a 1-Year Florida University Plan, which starts as low as $45 per month and covers 30 university credit hours. Multiple family members can purchase a 1-Year Florida University Plan for the same child, stacking the plans together and sharing the cost of college savings.
Families can use the online Prepaid Plan pricing tool to determine what the various plans cost based on a child’s age, as well as explore the different payment options available.
To learn more, visit myfloridaprepaid.com today.
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According to Bankrate last fall, 81 percent of people between the ages 26 to 43 are stressed about money. They are also among the demographic with the most student loan debt and hit the hardest financially by COVID-19, but simultaneously at the age when they are establishing or building their families, and therefore should be focusing on the future. And saddled with student loans themselves, they likely know that they don’t want that same path for their children — but are unsure where to start.
Florida families, however, are in a unique position to avoid inflation when it comes to saving for college, thanks to the longest-running and most successful state-backed college savings program in the nation. And the plans are more flexible than ever, thanks to recent legislation allowing families to roll unused 529 Savings Plan money into a tax-free Roth IRA account gives families even more safety and flexibility when it comes to college savings.
While the prices of basic commodities, like food and fuel, continue to be impacted by inflation, the cost of saving for the future costs of college has barely budged with a Florida Prepaid Plan – plans this year will start as low as $45/month, in line with recent years.
Open Enrollment runs February 1 through April 30, 2023 and is a great time to discuss the importance of saving for college, and the unique benefits to Florida families. Notably:
- Of the almost 1.2 million Florida families with children under age 5, only 4.3% are currently saving for college with any of Florida Prepaid’s 529 plans
- According to a survey of Florida families conducted by Florida Prepaid, more Florida families are saving for family vacations (53 percent) than are saving for college (29 percent).
- The same survey found that nearly two-thirds of college savers in Florida are using a regular bank savings account, which lacks tax advantages and does not lock in tuition.
About the Florida Prepaid College Board
The Florida Prepaid College Board manages the Stanley G. Tate Florida Prepaid College Program and the Florida 529 Savings Plan. Both are tax-favored 529 college savings plans authorized by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. In 1987 the Florida Prepaid College Program was created by the Florida Legislature and the commitment and dedication of Mr. Stanley G. Tate to provide Florida families with an affordable means to save for their children’s future college education. The first Florida Prepaid College Plans were sold in 1988, and were augmented with the addition of the Florida 529 Savings Plan in 2002. The Board also oversees two direct-support organizations – The Florida Prepaid College Foundation and Florida ABLE, Inc., d/b/a ABLE United. Florida Prepaid is the largest, longest running and most successful prepaid plan in the nation with more than 2 million Florida Prepaid College Plans purchased and more than $15 billion in assets. The 529 Savings Plan has more than 128,000 active accounts with a market value of more than $1 billion.
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