Save Today for a Smarter Tomorrow with ScholarShare

This post was written in paid partnership between ScholarShare and Dads 4 Change co-founder Whit Honea. All opinions belong to the author.

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The world is a classroom, and the more that each of us can learn while we’re on it the better we all are for it. Life lessons, the school of hard knocks, learning something new every day, these all stem from framing our existence as an endless quest for knowledge, and that’s a good thing. If you want to see what happens when people stop learning just turn on the television—or better yet, check out Facebook—ignorance is not only bliss, it is loud and rampant.

That’s one of the reasons that pursing a higher education is so important, whether that pursuit be in a traditional college setting or a specialized trade school, there are plenty of options available to those that seek them. The downside, of course, is that the choices aren’t cheap and few of us are in the position to pick a path without dragging a big bag of debt around with us—a bag that only grows all the heavier.

That’s why it’s important to start saving now. The hard part is making it happen. ScholarShare gets it. The 529 College Savings Plan, of which ScholarShare is the California version (but you don’t have to live in CA to open one), is basically a 401(k), but for college savings, and anyone can gift to an account—that means that a parent can open one for their child (or themselves, there isn’t an age-limit) and that loved ones from any state can donate to the cause of the recipient’s education. This is that village you’ve always heard about.

Higher learning betters a person, whether it be through books, conversation or action—it is in the pursuit of bettering ourselves that we are able to better the world around us.That seems like a pretty good reason to start saving.

So why am I writing about this on Dads 4 Change rather than another outlet? I think it’s pretty obvious. Change ain’t cheap, and school isn’t either. I am sharing this here, because I want to help parents help their children, to allow them an opportunity to enter the great, big beautiful tomorrow unencumbered by debt and doubt. Think of it as a PSA for your wallet.

Nuts and bolts: ScholarShare offers 19 investment portfolios, giving account holders more options with regard to savings goals and risk tolerance. It offers tax-deffered growth and withdrawals free from state and federal taxes when the funds are used for qualified higher education expenses (not just traditional colleges), including tuition, books, and some room and board costs. The ScholarShare college savings plan is offered by the State of California. TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing, Inc. (TFI) is the Plan Manager. You can enroll online and submit your initial contribution electronically or establish an automatic contribution plan. You can also download enrollment materials or request an enrollment kit to have the materials mailed to you. The minimum initial contribution is $25 per investment portfolio.

Save today for a better tomorrow! (That should totally be on a t-shirt.)