Learn how real account owners, Julie and Kevin, used ISave 529 to pay for their children’s education.
We Started Early—and Let Time Do the Work
When our daughter Emily was two years old, we opened a 529 account to start saving for her education. It was 2001, and we liked the idea of being able to save for her future while taking advantage of the tax benefits. When our son Luke was born in 2003, we started an account for him, too.
After moving to Iowa, we transferred the money to Iowa’s 529 plan. We certainly didn't know exactly what our kids would do or where they would go, but we knew we wanted to help them get an education without starting their adult lives with a mountain of debt.
Looking back, starting those accounts was one of the best parenting decisions we made.
Today, Emily is 27. She graduated from the University of Iowa in 2021 with a degree in chemistry and went on to earn her Ph.D. in chemistry this summer. Luke, 23, also graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in communications.
And, perhaps most importantly, both of our kids were able to leave college debt-free.
We set up regular, automatic contributions directly from our checking account to make saving manageable. We didn't have to make a decision every month about whether we were going to save, and over time, we got to see the magic of compound growth.
Lessons Learned
For us, the goal was never just to pay a tuition bill. We also appreciated the conversations it created with our kids. As they got older, we could talk with them about the accounts, educational expenses and how to manage money. It became an opportunity to model financial discipline and have meaningful conversations.
We wanted our children to understand the value of setting a goal, creating a plan to achieve it and seeing that plan through. Those are lessons that apply to everything in life—whether it's finances, education or any other goal they set for themselves.
ISave 529 was the main financial tool we used to help put those lessons into practice.
The Difference It Made
Seeing the results has been incredibly rewarding. Between our contributions and investment growth, the accounts ultimately grew to about twice the amount we contributed. That allowed us to cover a significant portion of our children's educational expenses.
The goal was to give our children a strong start. Watching them graduate and begin their adult lives without college debt made all those years of saving feel worthwhile.
Our Advice
People often say, “I don't know how I'm going to save for college.”
Our response is: This is how. Start with what you can, automate it and give it time.
Starting early was the most effective thing we did. We didn't have to perfectly time the market or constantly monitor the account. We simply made saving a habit and let time and compound growth do the work. You're essentially paying your future self now.
In the end, the greatest return was knowing we helped give our children a strong start to adulthood.
