Five Ways S.C.'s 529 Plan Can Help Put the Happy in Your Holidays

The holidays are finally here. The “most wonderful time of the year” means friends and family coming to visit, ovens working overtime and kids praying hard for snow.

It also means that every insert in your local paper, every jingle on the radio and every store owner on Main Street will assure you that they have just what you need to make the loved ones on your gift list happy.

Sometimes, holiday shopping can make the most wonderful time of the year feel a little dizzying and a lot overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Adding Future Scholar to your holiday shopping list is a great way to help make sure it isn’t.

Here are five great ways South Carolina’s 529 plan can put the happy in your holidays.

1. Future Scholar Fits Any Budget

We all know money can get a little tight during the holiday season. Fortunately, with Future Scholar, there is no minimum amount required to open an account, so you can give a meaningful gift for the same cost as a last-minute stocking stuffer.

If you wish, you can purchase a gift card to wrap and place under the tree. The lucky recipient won’t need to have an existing account when he or she unwraps the gift. It’s simple to open an account and enter the gift card on-line or add to an existing account if the child is already enrolled.

2. Future Scholar Is One Size Fits All

Don’t know what size to buy or what color to get? You can be sure Future Scholar always fits and is always in fashion no matter where a child’s educational goals end up taking him or her.

Future Scholar funds can be used at hundreds of accredited universities, community colleges, technical colleges, vocational schools, and trade schools. And your favorite scholar won’t be limited to South Carolina institutions. Funds can be used for hundreds of qualified out-of-state or international schools, too.

Whether your present is for a child, grandchild, niece, nephew or even a good friend, Future Scholar is the first (and best) step toward funding higher education and putting a child on the path to a bright future. With Future Scholar, one size really does fit all.

3. Future Scholar Allows You to Skip the Lines

Thinking about the holiday traffic got you down? That’s because you know the less time you spend bumper-to-bumper, combing the internet or in-line waiting on cashiers, the more time you’ll have to spend with the people who make the holidays so special.

The good news is you don’t have to leave your sofa or click through endless ads to find the perfect gift - Future Scholar! You can even purchase a gift card or directly enroll a beneficiary online. Gifts can also be made via traditional mail, and you can order a greeting card to go with your gift.

Accounts are easy to open. Once they’re established, it will be simple for others to make regular contributions to the fund, too. And, as always, contributions are tax-deductible from your South Carolina state income taxes.

4. Future Scholar Is Even Great for Those Who Have Everything

What do you get the boy or girl who has everything? How about the lucky student who ends up with scholarship money to cover education costs? Even if your favorite child ends up being a star student who receives a scholarship, Future Scholar will still come in handy.

Future Scholar funds can be used for many educational necessities other than tuition. The funds can be used to purchase books, a computer, food or housing while the student is enrolled at an accredited school. In addition, in the event the student doesn’t need any of the funds in the account, you can change beneficiaries to one of the student’s eligible relatives without a federal penalty.

5. Future Scholar Is the Gift that Keeps Giving

Most gifts bring with them little more than instant gratification. Children break or lose interest in toys after a few weeks. Electronics become obsolete and begin collecting dust in a few months. And clothes will be outgrown in a year. Education, on the other hand, is a forever gift that can’t be outgrown or discarded.

With Future Scholar, not only do you have the chance to give a present that lasts, you have the chance to give one that can really flourish, too. Thanks to compound interest, your initial gift can increase many times over, and it can grow even more if you choose to make other contributions along the way. In fact, Future Scholar makes a great holiday tradition. You’ll get a big thank you for your gift each year and the biggest thank you of all when the lucky recipient heads off to college.

So forget elbowing your way through throngs of shoppers or clicking through websites to find just the right gift. The gift of a future education is always the perfect choice. And putting Future Scholar at the top of your shopping list is sure to help make your holidays the most wonderful time of the year.