Search

 

 

Informative Articles

Coping with Your Abuser
How to cope with your abuser? Sometimes it looks hopeless. Abusers are ruthless, immoral, sadistic, calculated, cunning, persuasive, deceitful - in short, they appear to be invincible. They easily sway the system in their favor. Here is a...

Give Your Child the Gift of Self-Esteem
Much has been said about the "gifted child" but in truth every child is born with unlimited potential. As expressed so well by Orison Marden: "Deep within man dwell those slumbering powers; powers that would astonish him, that he never...

Raising Baby On The Cheap
Have you ever read those reports on the cost of raising a child? The last time I checked, I was told that it would cost the astronomical figure of $430,470 to raise my baby... and that didn't include college tuition! The...

So You Want to Know the Truth about Child Birth and Labor?
Labor and childbirth was an amazing, positive experience for me, both times. I am very fortunate, I know. But I do believe that if you prepare yourself through education (reading books, reading articles like this one, taking prenatal classes, etc)...

Whole-Brained Grandparenting: The Baby Gift
Expecting your first grandchild? I remember when I received the phone call that my firstborn was expecting his first. My head and my heart were full. I remembered back when we had placed that phone calls to our parents. I had expected hoots and...

 
College Savings Reward Plans - Making Them Work for You

You are probably well aware that college costs are soaring and that the need for parents to build college savings has never been greater. You may also be aware of various loyalty reward programs (such as Upromise and BabyMint) that pledge to help build your college savings by paying back a small percentage of the amount you spend using their credit card and/or buying certain products. Companies offer these programs because, in the aggregate, they know they will lead to higher spending on their products or services. Smart consumers learn to maximize earned rewards without altering their spending habits.

Reward programs can help build college savings. That's the good news. The bad news is that these programs have grown in number and become very complex. It is very difficult for parents to take time to fully understand, compare and select the program best suited for them. This article aims to cut through the morass and lay out a clear strategy for parents to follow to get the most from college reward programs.

The Basics

The various college savings reward programs fall into two broad categories: credit card rewards and savings clubs. The distinction gets blurry because many of the "savings club" programs also sponsor a credit card under the same name. Nonetheless, you can


Mimi Fox On Piano Jazz
Guitarist Mimi Fox is a rising star, invigorating the jazz guitar tradition. With an amazing set of chops and a crystal pure tone, Fox cooks whether playing bebop or ballads. She plays an original and tears it up on a Cole Porter tune with McPartland and bassist Gary Mazzaroppi.

Johnny Griffin At The Village Vanguard
Only a few days after the release of the album <em>Smokin' Sax</em>, and before a date to promote it, saxophonist Johnny Griffin died at age 80 at his chateau in Availles-Limouzine, France. Hear his final U.S. homecoming at the Village Vanguard, recorded live by <em>JazzSet</em>

McCoy Tyner, Derek Trucks: Timeless Melody
In the grand scheme of Tyner's discography (one of postwar jazz's most consistently invigorating), the duets collection <em>Guitars</em> feels like more of a curious one-off than a significant late-career addendum. In his new reinvention of "Greensleeves," the jazz-piano legend collaborates with blues guitarist Derek Trucks.


better understand and optimize your use of the programs if you categorize them in this manner:

  • A college savings reward credit card is a regular MasterCard or Visa card that - in lieu of frequent flier miles or cash back bonuses - makes a 1% or 2% contribution to a college savings account based on purchases made with the card.


  • A savings club (or loyalty program), on the other hand, is a membership club through which a network of merchants offers members special rebates for buying their products or services. Rebates are directed to the member's college savings account. Some savings clubs have membership fees or require that you have their affiliated credit card to be a member. Others are free and permit the use of non-affiliated credit cards.





  • College Rewards Credit Card
    Associated Savings Club


    BabyMint College Credit Card
    Baby mint



    Baby Center Credit Card
    Baby Center Savings Program



    Being Developed
    edexpress


    Fidelity/MBNA College Rewards
    NONE


    futuretrust Credit Card
    futuretrust


    Savingforcollege Credit Card
    NONE


    The Education Plan Credit Card
    The Education Plan


    Citi Upromise Card
    Upromise