A college education is an investment in the future. But it can
be a (36) investment. The College Board (37)
that the costs at a four-year public college in the United States
increased 10 percent this past school year. That was less than the (38)
percent increase the year before, but still much higher than the
(39) rate. Public colleges and universities still cost a lot
less than private ones. Financial aid often helps. But financial
(40) tell parents to start college (41)
plans when their child is still very young. All 50 states and
the District of Columbia (42) what are called 5-20-9 plans.
These plans are named after the part of the federal tax law that created them in
1996. States use private investment companies to (43) most
programs. Every state has its own rules governing 5-20-9 plans.
Some of the plans are free of state taxes. And all are free of federal taxes.
(44) . (45) . Families
must decide how aggressively they want to put money into stocks, bonds or other
investments. (46) . This kind of savings
program is called a prepaid tuition plan.