Shows / The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
Lucas and Luna examine the mechanics of 529 college savings plans, education funding strategies, and the real cost of a degree. Each episode drills into specific plan types — prepaid tuition vs. savings plans, state tax incentives, and investment options — using public data from the College Board and IRS. They compare named universities' net price calculators, discuss the impact of FAFSA simplification, and weigh the trade-offs between 529s, Coverdell ESAs, and taxable accounts. Lucas cites the…
Episodes
The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student CostsHow to Pay for College Without Taking Loans
We break down the often-overlooked strategy of using a Coverdell Education Savings Account alongside your 529 plan. Lucas and Luna explore why this smaller…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How College Savings Plans Are Quietly Changing Family Risk
Most families treat their 529 plan as a rigid savings bucket, but in late October 2026, the real value is emerging from how these accounts handle risk and…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Quietly Drain Your Retirement Savings
Most families treat their child’s college fund and their own retirement nest egg as separate buckets, but recent data suggests a dangerous overlap. In this…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How Grandparent 529 Plans Save Taxes
Most families don't realize that keeping college savings in a grandparent's name can drastically reduce financial aid impact. We break down the…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How to Shield Your Child's College Fund From Market Crashes
In this episode, we examine the 'sequence of returns' risk that can devastate a 529 plan right before tuition is due. Lucas and Luna break down why…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How to Time Your 529 Withdrawals for Maximum Tax Savings
Most families assume that withdrawing money from a 529 plan is just a simple bank transfer. In this episode, we break down the specific timing mechanics of…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Protect Grandparent Assets
We examine the structural shift in estate planning where grandparents bypass traditional 529 plans to avoid impacting their grandchildren’s financial aid…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How the FAFSA Simplification Changes College Savings
With the federal government rolling out a simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid process for the upcoming academic year, the landscape of college…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How State Tax Breaks Trick College Savers
Most families flock to their home state’s 529 plan for the tax deduction, but a closer look at recent fee structures and fund performance reveals a hidden…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How Inflation Reshaped College Savings Strategies
Inflation has quietly eroded the purchasing power of college savings plans, forcing families to rethink how they allocate funds for tuition, room, and board…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
Why Your 529 Plan Is Hurting Financial Aid Eligibility
We break down the often-overlooked financial aid penalty where state-sponsored education savings accounts count as parental assets, potentially reducing grant…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Are Changing K12 Education
We look at how the SECURE Act 2.0 changed education funding by allowing rollovers from 529 plans to Roth IRAs. This episode explores the specific mechanics…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
Why Your State Tax Break May Be Costing You More
We dissect the hidden opportunity cost of chasing state tax deductions in your 529 plan. Using a concrete example from New York, we show how locking money into…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
The Hidden Cost of State Tax Deductions in 529 Plans
Most families assume their state tax deduction for a 529 plan is free money, but recent policy shifts mean that benefit may be disappearing or shrinking. We…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Fund Summer Enrichment
Most families treat a five twenty nine plan as a rigid vault for tuition, but recent rule changes and creative budgeting allow these accounts to cover a…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How the College Savings Shift to K-12 Changes Everything
The SECURE 2.0 Act expanded 529 plans to cover K-12 tuition, creating a new layer of tax-free flexibility for families. Lucas and Luna break down the specific…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
The Hidden Value of 529 Plan Branding
Most parents pick a 529 plan based on their home state, assuming it is the only logical choice. This episode explores why that assumption might be costing you…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How Community Colleges Beat Four Year Costs
Most families assume a four-year university is the only path to a degree, but the math tells a different story. We break down the specific economics of the…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How Student Loan Interest Rates Changed College Savings
With federal student loan interest rates resetting to double digits in October twenty twenty-six, the calculus for family savings has shifted dramatically…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
Why Your Child’s College Fund Is Losing to Inflation
Inflation has fundamentally altered the cost of higher education, making traditional savings strategies increasingly inadequate. Lucas and Luna examine how…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
The College Savings Shift to K-12
In October 2026, the landscape of education funding has shifted dramatically with the expansion of 529 plan eligibility. Lucas and Luna break down how families…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
The College Savings Tax Trap Families Miss
Most families assume their state tax deduction on 529 plans is a guaranteed win, but the reality of 'lock-up' rules and changing residency can turn…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Fund Apprenticeships and Vocational Schools
For years, the narrative around 529 plans has been strictly college-centric, creating a false dichotomy between traditional four-year degrees and other career…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Fund Apprenticeships and Vocational Schools
Most families assume 529 plans are strictly for four-year universities, but federal rules expanded in 2019 to cover registered apprenticeship programs and…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
The College Savings Mistake Parents Make With Grandparents
Grandparents want to help pay for college, but their direct contributions can silently slash a student’s federal financial aid eligibility by up to fifty…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Fund Graduate School
Most families assume their 529 plan is strictly for undergraduate tuition, but the rules have quietly expanded to include graduate and professional school…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How High-Yield Accounts Replace 529 Plans
We examine why families are abandoning traditional 529 education savings plans in favor of simple high-yield savings accounts and taxable brokerage accounts…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
The 529 Plan Contribution Limit Trap
Most families think fifty-two-nine plans have a hard cap on contributions, but the real ceiling is often much higher due to the gift tax annual exclusion. In…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
Why Your State 529 Plan Might Be a Trap
Most families default to their home state’s 529 plan because it offers an immediate tax deduction, but that convenience often comes with hidden costs. We…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
The Silent Tax Trap in Your 529 Plan
Most families assume their state tax deduction for a 529 plan is free money. But as of September 28, 2026, the definition of what counts as a qualified expense…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
Why Your 529 Plan Fees Are Silently Eroding Returns
We break down the hidden drag of expense ratios in state-sponsored 529 plans using a specific case study from Virginia’s CollegeInvest program. With average…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Handle Non-Qualified Withdrawals
We drill into the tax consequences of pulling money out of a 529 plan for things that aren't tuition, books, or room and board. Lucas and Luna break down…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plan Rules Trap Families in Low Returns
We drill into the hidden opportunity cost of staying invested in your home state 529 plan when better options exist. Lucas breaks down how tax caps create…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
The 529 Plan Rollover Loophole You Should Know
We explore the SECURE 2.0 Act provision that allows tax-free rollovers from 529 plans to Roth IRAs, a rule taking effect in 2024. With limits of seven thousand…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
The 529 Plan Liquidity Trap
Most parents treat their five twenty-nine plan like a retirement account, assuming the money is safe and accessible. But when your child decides to skip…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
Why Your Child’s College Fund Is Actually a Trap
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the unintended consequences of overfunding 529 plans. They examine how excess savings can reduce financial aid…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
The Hidden Cost of College Savings Plans
We explore the overlooked tax implications of 529 plans when beneficiaries attend out-of-state or international schools. Lucas and Luna break down how state…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
Why Your 529 Plan Is Losing to Hidden Fees
Most parents assume their state-sponsored 529 plan is a set-it-and-forget-it investment. But in today’s market, hidden expense ratios and complex fee…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Are Changing for Gen Z Students
We talk about the biggest shift in college funding since the pandemic: how recent federal rule changes are allowing 529 plan balances to roll over into Roth…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
Why Your State Tax Break Is Costing You More Than You Think
Most families flock to their home state’s 529 plan for the immediate tax deduction, but a closer look at investment performance and fees reveals a hidden…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Handle Sibling Funding
We examine the often-overlooked friction in multi-child 529 planning. While many parents assume one account per child is the gold standard, the tax mechanics…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How to Freeze Your 529 Plan Against Inflation
Most parents treat their 529 plan like a savings account, but inflation is silently eroding its purchasing power. In this episode, Lucas and Luna break down…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How to Beat College Cost Inflation With Smart 529 Timing
With college tuition rising faster than general inflation, many families are stuck in a savings race they cannot win. This episode explores a specific…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Handle Sibling College Funding
We break down the mechanics of using a single 529 plan to fund multiple children, focusing on the strategic advantage of changing beneficiaries without…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
Why Your 529 Plan Might Be Costing You Taxes
Most families assume their state tax deduction for a 529 plan is guaranteed, but the rules are shifting. We look at how four states have recently decoupled…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Fund Vocational Training
Most parents assume 529 plans are strictly for four-year universities, but the tax code has quietly expanded to include vocational and technical schools. In…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
529 Plans For Grandparent Wealth Transfer
Grandparents often want to help with college but fear draining their own retirement or triggering financial aid penalties. This episode explores the…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Cover Student Loan Debt Repayment
With student loan balances hovering near one point four trillion dollars, the recent Department of Education rule allowing up to ten thousand dollars in…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
529 Plans for Sibling College Funding
Most parents assume a 529 plan is strictly tied to one beneficiary, but that assumption can cost families thousands in lost tax efficiency. In this episode of…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How to Structure 529 Plans for Multiple Children
Most parents open a single 529 plan per child, but what happens when you have three or four? Lucas and Luna break down the mechanics of managing multiple…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How Inflation Adjustments Change College Savings
Inflation is the silent eroder of college savings, yet most parents ignore how rising tuition outpaces general price growth. This episode examines the specific…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
529 Plan Asset Allocation for Long Horizons
Most parents treat 529 plans like checking accounts, but the math says otherwise. We break down why asset allocation shifts matter more than contribution size…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Pay for Graduate School
Most families think a 529 plan is strictly for undergraduate tuition, but the tax code actually treats graduate education much more like college than high…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How to Protect Your 529 Plan From State Tax Traps
Most parents assume their home-state 529 plan is the automatic best choice, but a closer look at state tax codes reveals significant traps. We examine why New…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How to Maximize 529 Plan Benefits for Future Needs
We dig into the often-overlooked provision that allows unused 529 plan funds to be rolled over into a Roth IRA for the beneficiary. With recent IRS guidance…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How to Handle a 529 Plan Rollover Penalty
We break down the specific mechanics of a non-qualified 529 withdrawal, focusing on the ten percent penalty and income tax implications. Using a hypothetical…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
529 Plan Mistakes That Cost Parents Thousands
Most parents think a five-oh-two-nine plan is a set-and-forget retirement account for education, but the tax math is far more nuanced. We examine the specific…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Cover Education Consulting Fees
In this episode of The College Savings Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into a rarely discussed but increasingly relevant 529 plan expense: education consulting…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Cover Lab Fees and Course Materials
In this episode of The College Savings Podcast, Lucas and Luna dig into a surprisingly common question: can 529 plan funds be used to pay for lab fees, course…
- The College Savings Podcast with Fexingo: 529 Plans, Education Funding, and Student Costs
How 529 Plans Cover Study Abroad Semester Costs
In Episode 175 of The College Savings Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into a topic many families overlook: using 529 plan funds for study abroad programs. With…