In this episode you will hear: (01:56) In The News A mom asks a very important question, Should you ever skip optional questions. Hillary and Mark start out discussing this question but they bounce around and cover a lot of topics including, about 15 minutes discussing “why it is so important for a college to know which students are coming (28:44) Interview: Frequently Asked Questions about 529 Plans, Julie Shields-Rutyna and Jonathan Hughes from MEFA, Part 3 of 4 Preview of Part 3 · S Julie answers the question, what happens if a family saves money and then the student decides that they do not want to go to college, what options does the owner of the 529 plan have? · Jonathan and Julie answer the question, Is it true that parents should first take care of their own retirement before they fund a 529 plan? · Jonathan tells us where our listeners can learn about their 529 plan options. · Jonathan talks about the difference between direct sold vs advisor sold 529 plans · Julie tells us how 529 Plans are handled from a financial aid standpoint, and she talks about how this differs from a Coverdale or UTMA and UGMA. · Julie also talks about the recent changes in how grandparent-owned 529 plans are assessed · Jonathan talks about how you can roll over an UTMA or UGMA to a 529 Plan · Julie talks about the rate that the 529 plan is assessed in the asset calculation compared to other savings options · Jonathan tells us when a family should start investing in a 529 Plan · Julie talks about some of the differences between the 529 Plans and the UTMA, UGMA and Coverdale plans · Jonathan tells us whether a parent should still contribute to a 529 when their child is in college · Julie and Jonathan talk about whether there is an income cap that restricts high income families from contributing to a 529 Plan (47:10) Question from a listener: Lisa and Lynda answer a question from an anonymous listener, “after you hit submit, what else do you need to do”. 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