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• Jonathan and Julie share their backstory
• Jonathan tells us who MEFA is
• Jonathan tells us what a 529 Plan is
• Julie tells us who the beneficiaries and successors are and whether it is easy to transfer beneficiaries
• Jonathan tells us how to open a 529 account, including what you will need, and he tells us about how long it takes to open an account
• Julie tells us how you can contribute to a 529
• Julie tells us about your investment options and the resources that are available to help you with your investment options
• Julie talks about whether others besides the owner can contribute.
• Jonathan talks about how you can use gift cards, a gifting page, and an email link to set up payments
• Julie talks about the tax benefits of a 529 plan
• Julie talks about the state tax deductions and tax credits
• Jonathan talks about how the new secure ACT 2.0 act makes 529s even better now, and he gives the history of how the 529 has gotten better every year by helping with K-12 tuition and even apprenticeships
• Julie tells us what qualified expenses are
• Julie talks about the things that a 529 does not cover
• Julie talks about what happens if someone doesn’t have a Social Security number
• Julie talks about whether someone can be the owner if they are not a relative
• Jonathan talks about the process of getting the 529 money to the college
• Julie answers the question, can a 529 be used for personal and miscellaneous expenses
• Julie talks about what safeguards are in place to protect against fraud
• Julie answers the question: What happens if a family saves money and then the student decides 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 grandpa rent-owned 529 plans are assessed
• Jonathan talks about how you can roll over a UTMA or UGMA to a 529 Plan
• Julie talks about the rate at which 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
• Julie talks about the research that Dr. William Elliot from the University of Michigan has done on the psychological benefits of 529 Plans for students and parents, even if the contribution is really
• Jonathan discusses whether a 529 Plan can be used for Job training
• Julie talks about the 529-A, aka the 529-Able, and how that is different from the traditional 529 plans
• Julie mentions a range of qualified expenses that very few people know that the 529-A can be used for
• I ask Julie whether this is very subjective or whether the disabilities are clearly defined
• Jonathan talks about whether you can transfer money from a 529 Plan to the 529-Able plan
• Jonathan talks about whether a student can use their 529 for International universities, and he tells you how you can know if a specific International school is eligible for 529 usage
• Jonathan talks about the growth of Child Savings Accounts in different states, and he tells us what a Child Savings Account is
• Jonathan tells us what Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and Maine are doing with CSAs
• Jonathan and Julie talk about how you can reach them if you have additional 529 questions

You can also listen on Episode 511, Episode 513, Episode 515, and Episode 517