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List of 529 College Savings Plan Promotions: California, Florida, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin (December 2024)

College savings plans tend to have promotions mostly on May 29th, aka “529 Day”, but some are also offering bonuses during this Black Friday/Cyber Week/Year-End Holiday period. Now is also a good time to remember 529 plans can accept outside contributions, which mean you can easily contribute directly to someone else’s 529 plan, or request that people consider gifts that go directly to your child’s 529 plan. Most have easy links to share with friends and family.

Here’s a list of what I could find, please let me know if you find more. I’m listing the state, but you do not have to be a resident of that state to open a 529 account there. You can have multiple 529s from different states, and often you can get the bonus once for each child. However, you may need to be a resident to qualify for a specific bonus, or there may be an age restriction on the beneficiary, etc.

529 plans can now pay for K-12 tuition and other educational expenses beyond college tuition and room/board. Check your own state rules, though. Finally, opening a plan and making any contribution also starts the 15-year clock on potential future 529-to-Roth IRA rollovers.

Photo is modified from Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Warren Buffett Memo on Estate Planning and Charitable Giving

Warren Buffett is known for his annual Letters to Shareholders, but last week he also made some extended comments inside a Berkshire Hathaway news release about to his charitable giving and estate planning. As with most of his writing, it is concise and direct, and thus worth reading the original. Here are a few of my takeaways after reading the “mini-letter”.

Many who diligently save and invest will achieve “runaway” wealth, especially those that live a long time. This includes a lot of Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, and many of them choose to give the excess back to society instead of keeping it in the family.

Things didn’t look great when I arrived at the beginning of The Great Depression. But the real action from compounding takes place in the final twenty years of a lifetime. By not stepping on any banana peels, I now remain in circulation at 94 with huge sums in savings – call these units of deferred consumption – that can be passed along to others who were given a very short straw at birth.

It also has been a particular pleasure to me that so many early Berkshire shareholders have independently arrived at a similar view. They have saved – lived well – taken good care of their families – and by extended compounding of their savings passed along large, sometimes huge, sums back into society. Their “claim checks” are being widely distributed to others less lucky.

Regarding wealthy parents and how much to give their children.

These bequests reflected our belief that hugely wealthy parents should leave their children enough so they can do anything but not enough that they can do nothing.

Regarding ALL parents and leaving stuff to their children. Talk to them while you are still alive!

I have one further suggestion for all parents, whether they are of modest or staggering wealth. When your children are mature, have them read your will before you sign it.

Be sure each child understands both the logic for your decisions and the responsibilities they will encounter upon your death. If any have questions or suggestions, listen carefully and adopt those found sensible. You don’t want your children asking “Why?” in respect to testamentary decisions when you are no longer able to respond.

The overall plan is that he is leaving his BRK shares to family foundations, whereupon his three children will be responsible for overlooking their disbursement. Buffett always believed in a “circle of competence”, which means that just because you are good at one thing, that doesn’t mean you are good at everything… Apparently, his circle doesn’t include dealing with the world of charitable grants. His children have agreed to take on this important responsibility, and all three have to agree unanimously for a grant to occur.

Passing on family values, not just money.

Instead, we shared a view that equal opportunity should begin at birth and extreme “look-at-me” styles of living should be legal but not admirable. As a family, we have had everything we needed or simply liked, but we have not sought enjoyment from the fact that others craved what we had.

Target: 10% Off Gift Cards on 12/7 and 12/8 Only (Up to $50 off $500)

Deal will be back 12/7 and 12/8. In what has become an annual recurrence, Target Circle is offering 10% off up to $500 in Target Gift Cards ($50 potential max savings) on Saturday, December 7th and Sunday, December 8th only (2024 press release). … [Read the rest]

Vanguard Announces New Treasury Bill ETFs: New Best Cash Alternative?

Vanguard recently released an announcement that in "First Quarter 2025" they will be releasing two new index ETFs that both hold short-term US Treasury Bonds: Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF (VBIL). Holds Treasuries with maturities of 3 … [Read the rest]

TurboTax Deals at Amazon, Sam’s Club, Costco: Deluxe Federal & State + $10 Bonus

(Update #3: Sam's Club joins with TurboTax Deluxe Fed+State for $45.99 w/ $10 Add-on credit. Works out if you plan on paying for State e-File anyway. Ends 12/2. Update #2: Costco also has TurboTax Deluxe Fed+State for $45.99 w/ $10 Add-on … [Read the rest]

Pepper Rewards App: $20 Bonus w/ $200 Gift Card Purchase (New Users) + Flash Sales + AmEx Offer

(Update 12/1: Pepper has some extended sales through Cyber Monday 12/2. Don't forget that you can stack with the Cyber Week sales and/or a cashback portal. For example, right now Old Navy = Gap = Banana Republic = Athleta is 20X, or 20% back until … [Read the rest]

Amazon Black Friday 2024: Deals Roundup, Free Trials, Points Promos, Stuff I Like

New Gift Card deals, Earnify 25 cents/gallon gas offer. Amazon Black Friday 2024 is here. Is it Black Friday Week? Black Friday Month? Who knows anymore. Hopefully this curated post will help you find the good stuff. I also like to check this … [Read the rest]

H&R Block Tax Software 2024: Federal w/ e-File $25.99 (w/ State $29.99)

Black Friday deal for 2024. The benefit of "old-school" desktop tax software is that it doesn't require your Social Security Number and financial details to be stored in the "cloud", a fancy word for a third-party server where it can be copied or … [Read the rest]

Max Black Friday: $2.99/Month for 6 Months (with Ads)

Max (formerly HBO Max) has a Black Friday deal of $2.99/month for 6 months on their Ad-supported plan that includes two devices and HD resolution. Regular price is $9.99/month. Works for new and returning members. Make sure to click "Get the … [Read the rest]

Hulu Black Friday: $0.99/Mo. for 12 Months & Disney+ or Starz Add-on Promo

Hulu has a Black Friday deal of $0.99/month for 12 months on their Ad-supported plan that includes two devices and HD resolution. Regular price is $9.99/month. Ends 11:59pm PST on 12/2. After you sign up, you can also add on Disney+ … [Read the rest]

Buy $100 Apple Gift Card, Get $15 Target Gift Card Free (or $15 Best Buy GC)

Deal is back again through 11/30. Get a $15 Target GiftCard with $100 Apple Gift Card purchase. A simple deal if you plan to buy any Apple products/services in the future (and have a free Target Circle membership). While supplies last. May be … [Read the rest]

NBC Peacock TV Premium: 1-Year for $19.99 (75% Off Black Friday)

You can sign up for Peacock TV Premium (ad-supported) at $19.99 for 12 months with promo code REALDEAL. Works for new and returning customers (but not current ones). Or get $1.99/month for 6 months with promo code REALDEALMONTHLY. If I am not … [Read the rest]