If you buy products from Upromise's partners, you and other family members can get rebates into your state 529 plan. Even serious shoppers won't send their children through college with Upromise rewards. But it's probably more than many parents have saved for college. Hype and Reality Wall Street's marketing machine is good at getting consumers to invest. But you have to view dire predictions about the cost of college with a jaded eye.
Many financial calculators use assumptions that lead to astronomical cost estimates for college.
That's because most students go to less expensive state schools. Nevertheless, college is a big cost, especially if you have more than one child. Most parents say they want to avoid Moffitt's experience. That's why 529 plans are starting to become popular. To those promoting the plans, the rising popularity of 529s is no surprise.