College Savings for Christmas: Ways to Get Friends and Family On Board
As a parent, you know that while the holidays are full of joy, they can bring some headaches, too. Your children probably have their hearts set on expensive, hard-to-find toys that will lose their appeal in a few months. And their grandparents are likely wanting to know exactly what your child needs, so they can get their shopping done as soon as possible.
Fortunately, there’s a wonderful idea that can eliminate the shopping stress and create lasting joy—the gift of college savings.
Recommending an important and lasting gift will be easy when you send an eGift to family and friends. It lets everyone know that a college savings contribution is the perfect gift by encouraging them to give to your child’s Future Scholar account. If you’re worried that the rush to elicit Christmas oohs and ahhs could make some relatives and friends hesitate to give college savings, you can also provide a little reassurance.
Here are some easy ways to get that conversation started:
“My child will have enough stuff under the tree.”
While giving with Future Scholar takes away all the stress of holiday shopping, many of us have a loved one who thinks finding and wrapping gifts is part of the experience. And they also worry your child will be disappointed when there’s not a gift from them to rip into. Let your loved one know that your child will have enough gifts - or suggest they can give your child an inexpensive gift to unwrap and use the rest of their gift budget for a contribution to the child’s Future Scholar account.
“Your gift will be valued long after they’ve outgrown toys.”
It’s true, a five-year-old may not break into a happy dance or squeal with delight over a deposit to their 529 college savings plan. But as children draw nearer to college age, complete higher education, and head out into the world with less debt, the gift of college savings will bring lasting joy and appreciation. Parents can also increase a child’s excitement by encouraging children to monitor their college savings and watch it grow. Gifts give their account a boost that’s fun for them to see.
“It’s hard to know what kids want. You really can’t go wrong with this.”
Trends and technology come and go quickly. What kids want can change from day to day. And when it comes to clothes, who knows what they’ll want to wear, how much they’ll grow - or when. College savings, on the other hand, doesn’t go out of style. In fact, it’s a gift that has a better chance of being appreciated even more as the years go by.
“Your gift to them is a gift to me. And it’s a gift to you, too.”
When your parents, siblings, and friends give college savings to your child, they’re giving you a gift, too. And that might make a Future Scholar contribution even more appealing as an option. So don’t be shy about letting them know that you have financial goals for your child’s college savings and that their gifts help you and your child make plans for the best possible future. You can add that Future Scholar is a gift for them, too, since contributions are deductible on South Carolina tax returns.
Use eGift to make giving easy
Any Future Scholar account holder can use the eGift template to email a personalized a message. Your eGift invite will also include a link each recipient can use to make their gift directly from their bank account. Family and friends will want to make college savings their top gift choice when they see how easy it is.
In just a few minutes, you can be sending eGift electronic invitations to the people who want to show their love for you child. Visit the Future Scholar website and start using eGift now to let everyone know that college savings is on your child’s Christmas wish list.
