Roxanne and John | Virginia

John and Roxanne have two children, a son in college and a daughter about to join him.

“We started saving with Virginia529 when Paul was about three or four and Téa was a newborn,” Roxanne shares. “We chose Invest529 because we thought it had more flexibility if the kids wanted to go to college out of state.”

John adds, “We also didn’t know, when we first started, how much we would be able to save. Invest529 gave us opportunities. In better times, we could invest more.”

Like other families, Roxanne and John had help growing their accounts.

“When the kids were little,” Roxanne explained, “we told family about the Invest529 accounts. Grandparents, aunts and uncles helped us by contributing to them. Both kids are planning careers that involve graduate school. It's really nice that our savings mean they don’t have to worry about where the money is going to come from.”

Paul and Téa may use all of the funds in their accounts for their own education. If they don’t, John could use it for education to help with a career change after he retires from the military.

Many of his military colleagues are younger and just starting families. When he talks to them about 529s for the children, he’s surprised when the new parents aren’t aware of this saving vehicle.

“I always encourage them to look at Virginia529 because of the tax break,” he says.  He emphasizes the ease of setting up a Virginia529 account and advises people to start early for best results.

Roxanne agrees with that tip, citing the rising cost of higher education. “Kids are going to school and incurring a ridiculous amount of debt. It's a burden to them.”  

She concludes, “It's nice knowing that my kids won't have to worry about that and they'll be able to go to that next stage in their life with their education already taken care of.”