Building Your Child’s College Savings Portfolio

Courtesy of: Juan Ocanas, Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley

Of all the things that keep parents awake at night, their children’s looming college costs are among the most daunting. For the 2019-2020 school year, the costs for a four-year private college averaged $53,980 per year for tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation and other expenses.1 Assuming a college-cost inflation rate of 6%, a parent may need $399,000 in 2029 to pay college expenses for today’s 9-year-old.2 And that’s for just one child.

With costs so high, many students and parents are taking on significant student loan debt to pay for college. Roughly two-thirds of college seniors who graduated in 2018 did so with loans, with an average debt burden of $29,200.3

Starting the process early to save toward the college costs of a child or grandchild can help limit how much your future student will have to borrow. Consider putting those funds into a 529 education savings plan, a tax-advantaged way to invest toward education expenses.

What is a 529 Plan and Why Consider One?
Named after Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, a 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings vehicle which allows you to invest for future education expenses. A 529 plan creates an incentive for families to invest toward education costs because earnings in the plan can be tax-deferred, with withdrawals being exempt from federal and, in most cases, state income taxes if you use the funds for qualified expenses, such as tuition, fees, room and board, and supplies. Many states provide additional state tax deductions or tax credits. Additionally, assets in a 529 plan are outside of the account owner’s estate for estate-tax purposes.

A 529 plan can also offer flexibility. Some investments that are used for education funding require that the assets be given to the beneficiary when they reach a certain age. If you open a 529 plan, as the owner of the account, you continue to make all of the decisions. For example, if your daughter earns a scholarship and won’t fully drawdown the money in the account, you can choose a different beneficiary within the same family, or even use the funds for your own education needs.

The definition of qualified education expenses now includes tuition for K-12 schools as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Note that qualified withdrawals for eligible K-12 tuition are limited to $10,000 per beneficiary per year. Tax treatment will vary by state.4

Igniting a Movement to Save for Education
Still, many are unaware of 529 plans and their benefits. More than two-thirds of people surveyed nationally in 2019 said they haven’t heard of 529 plans.5 To help raise awareness of these plans and combat rising levels of student debt, Morgan Stanley is supporting a campaign, led by the College Savings Plans Network and in partnership with Fred Rogers Productions, to educate families about the importance of planning ahead to save for college.

“Many people want to save for college, but don’t know where to start,” says Jennifer Tierney, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Investment Solutions and 529 Plans Product Manager. “This campaign is reaching parents of young children and providing them with an opportunity to learn about their options.”

Though states began creating college savings plans in the 1980s, they didn’t gain federal tax relief under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code until 1996. As a result, those looking to help extended family members may be unaware of 529 plans.

“Many of our clients are grandparents looking to help their children handle future education expenses,” Tierney says. “We encourage them to take a look at 529 plans, which may not have been on their radar the last time they were saving for college.”

529 Contribution Limits
Anyone can create a 529 plan for a designated beneficiary, and those who wish to contribute to the account may do so. These plans typically have high lifetime contribution limits, beginning at $200,000-$300,000 and sometimes going as high as $500,000. Annual contributions of up to $15,000, or $30,000 for couples filing jointly, are treated as gifts and qualify for the annual per-beneficiary gift tax exclusion. Additionally, 529 plans employ a special rule: An upfront contribution in one year of up to $75,000, or $150,000 for married couples—the equivalent of five years’ contributions—may be made without any gift tax consequences. This five-year gifting election can give your assets more time to grow if you’re able to make such a contribution, and the “accelerated gift” is excluded from the donor’s estate.6

Investing Early for Future College Costs
When it comes to investing in a 529 plan, typically the earlier you can start putting money away, the better.

Still, it’s never too late to start saving for college. Money set aside when a child is 16 will still have several years to grow, assuming you use those funds to pay for the later years of undergraduate expenses, or even graduate school.

Your Financial Advisor can help you choose a 529 plan as part of your wealth strategy. He or she can also offer valuable guidance as it relates to regulatory changes and during times of market volatility.

“A Financial Advisor can help you project what your costs could be, provide guidance on selecting a 529 plan, recommend an asset allocation and tailor your contribution schedule based on your needs,” says Marc Dextraze, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Investment Solutions, and Co-Head of Product Development for Traditional Investment Products.

A 529 plan is a convenient, flexible and tax-advantaged way to invest for a child’s education expenses. Morgan Stanley offers a robust platform of investment options, including the Morgan Stanley National Advisory 529 Plan-coming soon-a first-of-its-kind advisory 529 plan that enables you to benefit from fidu• ciary oversight of your education funding strategy within the context of your broader portfolio and life goals. If you have questions or need more information about 529 plans available through Morgan Stanley, contact your Financial Advisor or Private Wealth Advisor today.

Morgan Stanley is partnering with College Savings Plans Network, and Fred Rogers Productions-the company founded by Mister Rogers and the producers of “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” -on a campaign to increase awareness of 529 plans and limit college debt for future generations.

Juan Ocanas is a Financial Advisor in Naples at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”). He can be reached by email at Juan.Ocanas@MorganStanley.com or by telephone at (239) 448-7853, His website is https://advisor.morganstanley.com/the-calleja-group

References
1 Trends in College Pricing: 2019. “Tuition and Fees and Room and Board Over Time,” “Student Budgets 2019-20.” The College Board. https://research.collegeboard.org/pdf/trends-college-pricing-2019-full-report.pdf

2 Projected college costs in 2029 include 6% annual tuition inflation rate: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/college-costs/college-costs-calculator

3 “REPORT: Class of 2018 Four-Year Graduates’ Average Student Debt Is $22,200,” Institute for College Access & Success, September 2019. Retrieved from: https://ticas.org/affordability-2/student-aid/student-debt-student-aid/report-class-of-2018-four-year-graduates-average-student-debt-is-29200/

4 The filing of IRS form 709 is required to validate the five-year election.

5 Source: College Savings Plans Network, Feb. 2019: 68% of people surveyed nationally have not heard of 529 College Savings Plans

6 This assumes there are no frontloaded 529 contributions made by the gift giver for the benefit of the same individual during the prior four years. Any frontloaded 529 contributions made for the benefit of the same individual during the four years prior to the year of the frontloaded contribution may result in a taxable gift. Additionally, any gifts to the same individual during the year of the frontload 529 contribution or the four years after the frontloaded 529 contribution is made may result in a taxable gift. If the donor dies within five years of making the frontloaded 529 contribution, the estate will generally recapture a portion of the assets for federal estate tax purposes.

Article by Morgan Stanley and provided courtesy of Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor.
Juan Ocanas is a Financial Advisor in Naples at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”). He can be reached by email at Juan.Ocanas@MorganStanley.com or by telephone at (239) 448-.7853, His website is https://advisor.morganstanley.com/the-calleja-group