Back to School: How Florida Residents Can Prepare for the Rising Cost of College

Blog disclosure: This post is sponsored by the Florida Prepaid College Board. All thoughts are my own.

In my most recent online income report, I mentioned how I quit freelance writing. What I didn’t mention is one of the reasons why I did it.

You see, part of my job included writing about student loans – a lot. In that time, I learned how much people are struggling under the weight of student loans.

People are literally signing their lives away and getting into tens of thousands of dollars in debt to get a college education. In the really bad cases, they were over six-figures in debt. And it wasn’t because they went to medical school or law school, it was over a bachelor’s degree.

At first, I would deal with hearing these statistics with gratitude that I never got into student loan debt myself. This is thanks to my parents enrolling in a Florida Prepaid College Plan when I was a baby (FYI -Florida residents save $50 off the application fee if they enroll before September 2nd! Click here for more info!)

But, after a few years of hearing stories of how student loans negatively affect so many people, gratitude wasn’t enough to keep my spirits up. The only solution I saw for myself to stop writing these stories and  start promoting solutions for you instead.

Florida Residents Have a Solution!

Now, many of you in the community reside in Florida. Many of you have also started settling down and growing your families.

So I have a question for you – as we approach back to school season, have you thought about your child’s education beyond high school? More specifically, have you thought about how you’re going to pay for it?

Here are some stats from U.S. News and World Report about the increasing costs of college education since the 1990s:

• “The average tuition and fees at private National Universities have jumped 157 percent.”
• “Out-of-state tuition and fees at public National Universities have risen 194 percent.”
• “In-state tuition and fees at public National Universities have grown the most, increasing 237 percent.”

[Source: U.S. News and World Report, See 20 Years of Tuition Growth at National Universities]

I don’t share this to scare you. Instead, I’m sharing this so you can start preparing now. And if you live in Florida, you have one of the best solutions in the country in the form of Florida Prepaid College.

What is Florida Prepaid College?

Florida Prepaid College is a college savings plan available for Florida residents. These plans are guaranteed by the state of Florida and can be used at qualifying institutions nationwide.

These plans give you the flexibility to save a fixed amount each month for your child’s future college education. You won’t have to worry about the future costs of college and the plans are not affected by the ups and downs of the stock market.

How successful is the Florida Prepaid College Plan?

Over 450,000 students have gone to college thanks to Florida Prepaid.  My brother and I are included in this number. We both graduated from college completely debt free which has allowed us to reach other financial goals much faster – like starting a successful business and saving for retirement – sooner.

Back to School Savings: Get the application fee waived!

Now through September 2^nd, families can get the application fee waived when they sign up for Florida Prepaid College!

This is a part of their Big Dreams initiative which is meant to raise awareness about the importance of saving for college tuition and the options Florida families have to save for their child’s future.

Here’s how to sign up for an account and save $50 off the application fee!

Step 1: Visit the Florida Prepaid College website by clicking here.

Step 2: Choose the Prepaid Plan the best suits your needs

Step 3: Use the promo code BTSBLOG18

That’s it! Five minutes of your day for a lifetime of peace of mind for you and your children. Speaking as someone who went to college thanks to Florida Prepaid, your children will thank you when they realize what you did for them. Florida Prepaid allows you to give your children a future without overextending your family finances. It’s a win win for everyone.