4 Reasons for Gifting a 529 College Savings Plan is Better Than Toys

This post is sponsored by Country Financial. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s that time of year when gift guides are running rampant on the internet and everyone is spending their holidays shopping for hours and days for the “perfect” gift that will soon be forgotten come January. Now do not get me wrong here. Having young children changed my perspective on the holidays so much.  Watching their faces light up while opening their most favorite toy they have been asking for everyday literally makes my heart burst at the seams. So by no means am I talking about getting rid of all the toys because honestly their excitement and appreciation for these trivial items is more of a gift to me than anything you can buy at a store.

But we put such an emphasis on quantity over quality and each year more presents are added under the Christmas tree. The funny part about this is a week or two after Christmas they are once again bored, they don’t remember what they got, and your house is still a disaster from trying to find new homes for all these new toys.

What if we cut out a few of the toys and instead invested in our children’s future with a college savings plan? Invest in their future vs short-term toy. Sounds like an easy choice, right? I have teamed up with Country Financial to share with you all why we have chosen to spread a little Christmas joy (and monthly savings) towards a 529 plan this year and every year since they were born making it easier to plan for their future.

If you are unfamiliar with a 529 plan it is basically a state sponsored college savings account that allows money invested to grow, tax deferred and when used for all things higher education it can be withdrawn tax-free.

Why a Savings Plan Over Traditional Toys

1. Anyone can contribute so you can get the whole family involved. Each year at holidays when your family is asking what to get the kids or telling you they waited to long to get that hot item and now its 4x the amount they can contribute here and they get to do it tax exempt.
2. Not only are you investing in their education which will do wonders for the rest of their lives but you are also investing in their future by helping them graduate debt free or reduced debt. That in itself is a gift I will forever be thankful for my parents for giving me.
3. The gift of education with never be out of style, break, shrink, or become replaced. It will continue to give back for the rest of your children’s lives and yours. If your kids our off being successful that means they aren’t on the couch in your basement.
4. The amount of Americans that go into debt over Christmas each year is astonishing.  More than a third of parents spend over $500 a child. What if instead of spending $500 you spent half that and invested the rest. You are saving interest on credit cards while saving money for college. This not only helps your current financial situation but also breaks the cycle of bad financial decisions teaching your children the value of education.

So with 5 days left until Christmas and too many names left on your shopping list, stop running all over town or ignoring your family as you online shop and instead head over to Country Financial and they will get you set up and going in no time. #TakeSimpleSteps Follow Country Financial on Facebook and Instagram as well for financial updates.

As my girls get ready for their mother’s day out it is so hard for me to think that this is something I need to be planning but in actuality it is going to be here sooner than we want we might as well be as prepared as possible to avoid having to make more rash decisions to accommodate and provide. And yes she’s eating a sucker for breakfast. We can’t win at all parts of motherhood.