5 Key Steps to Getting Started with a Florida Prepaid College Plan

This post is sponsored through my continued partnership with Florida Prepaid College Plans.

First words, potty training, and the first day of kindergarten are all major milestones in a child’s early years. It’s been three years since I began the process of adopting my daughter, now age ten. I didn’t get to spend those early years with her, but we’ve made some wonderful, magical, lasting memories over the last few years.

When I made the decision to become her parent, I made some really big promises. Promises I don’t take lightly. Planning for her future is something I’ve given a lot of thought to.

It is hard to believe my daughter will be attending middle school next year. No matter your child’s age, when you look back it is hard to not look forward too. College is something I find myself thinking about a lot. Last year my daughter wanted to be a space scientist one day. This year, she has decided to be an attorney. I’m so proud of her ambitions, but it’s hard to wrap my head around that college bill.

Your child’s future is a really big deal. Paying for a child’s college education is one of those parent worries that all parents can relate to. Not sure that you can afford to pay for a child’s college education? Believe me, I get it. College is a really HUGE investment – both mentally and financially. It’s not something to put off though. The sooner you get started on college savings, the better.

Luckily, the beautiful beaches and sunshine aren’t the only things to be thankful for here in Florida. We also have Florida Prepaid College Plans that help make saving for college more manageable for families like yours and mine.

Florida Prepaid is the largest and longest-running prepaid program in the nation. More than 1 million families have purchased Florida Prepaid College Plans since 1988, and more than 460,000 students have gone to college using Prepaid Plan benefits, creating a generational legacy of affordable higher education access.

5 key steps to getting started with Florida Prepaid

1. Make the decision to start saving for your child’s future. The first step is always the hardest. The fact that you’re reading this right now is a good indication that you’re thinking about saving for college. Fortunately, Florida Prepaid has made saving for college a lot easier and more affordable for Florida families. Learn more here.

2. Understand the power of a prepaid plan. Here’s one of the the major advantages of a Prepaid Plan. A Florida Prepaid College Plan allows you to lock in college plan prices and prepay, on a monthly or lump-sum basis, the future cost of college tuition and more. When your student is ready for college, the Plan pays the costs covered under your plan type at any Florida College or State University, even if the cost of college is higher than anticipated when your plan prices were set.

Also, you’ll be glad to know that your Prepaid Plan is backed by a guarantee from the State of Florida.

How is that even possible to pay less than the future cost of college? When you make a payment on your plan, Florida Prepaid invests the funds to earn the additional monies necessary to pay for future college costs. They handle all of the investing, and don’t forget that your investment is guaranteed by the State of Florida. You cannot lose money on your investment.

Hoping and praying for a college scholarship isn’t a sure bet, but a prepaid savings plan is. I don’t know about you, but I’m not much of a gambler. What if your child does earn a scholarship? Prepaid Plans work with scholarships, and you can use them together to cover even more college expenses. If your child receives a scholarship, you can get a refund for the same amount as the plan would pay a public college or university in Florida. Be sure to check out the Prepaid Plans FAQs to learn more about this and any other question or concern you may have.

3. Choose which Prepaid Plan is right for you. Florida Prepaid makes it easy to find the right college savings plan. You’ll be prompted to enter your child’s age to calculate the cost of each available plan. Plans 1-Year University on up to 4-Year Florida University or College Plan.

4. Enroll online. Florida Prepaid enrollment is easy. It takes just minutes to create an account, and enter some basic information about the Account Owner (that’s you) as well as the plan beneficiary. Bank account information is needed if you want to setup automatic withdrawals.

5. Use 2019 Florida Prepaid Promo Code MOM19 to get your application fee waived!

When you sign up for a prepaid plan, there is an application fee of $50. This year, for the first 30 days of Open Enrollment only, that application fee will be completely waived in honor of the 30th anniversary! Use promo code MOM19 for $50 savings (the whole fee) through March 2, 2019. After that date you’ll get $30 off the application fee, through the end of open enrollment on April 30 by using promo code MOM19. Visit Florida Prepaid to learn more and to take advantage of this offer.

Now sit back and have peace of mind knowing that you’ve done something really great to help secure your child’s future.

Enroll in a Florida Prepaid plan this Open Enrollment season and your family can get 50% off LEGOLAND® Florida tickets! Learn more.