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Funds in 529 plans grow tax free and can be withdrawn tax free if they're spent on eligible education expenses. But there is some fine print.

Credit... Till Lauer

You've put aside money for college in a 529 account for years. Now it's time to start withdrawing funds to pay the higher-education bills. What's the best way to do that?

First, a little background. A 529 account - named for a section of the federal tax code - lets people save and invest for college while avoiding taxes. Money is contributed after it's taxed and grows tax free, and the funds withdrawn are not subject to federal taxes when spent on eligible education expenses. At the end of June, there were nearly 14.6 million accounts holding more than $373 billion. And while there's no federal tax deduction for contributions to a 529, some states offer tax breaks.

To protect the tax advantages and use the money wisely, it makes sense to plan for how and when to spend 529 funds. "You want to be intentional in how you pay for things," said Mark S. Kelly, a financial planner in Raleigh, N.C.

Be aware, advisers say, of what expenses are eligible for payment from a 529 plan. You can withdraw money from a 529 for any reason, but if the expenses you're paying aren't "qualified," you'll pay federal income taxes and a 10 percent penalty on the portion of the withdrawal that comes from investment earnings. (If you are awarded a scholarship, you can take a "nonqualified" withdrawal from a 529 up to the amount of the scholarship. You'll owe taxes on the investment earnings, but you won't have to pay the 10 percent penalty.)

Tuition, required fees, on-campus housing and meal plans all qualify, as do required books, supplies, school-related special services and computers.

If your student lives off campus, you can use 529 funds to cover the cost of rent and utilities - up to the college's housing allowance, said Lee C. McGowan, a financial adviser in Concord, Mass. (To find that amount, check your college's "cost of attendance" website or call the financial aid office.)

Once you add up all the eligible costs, deduct any scholarships, grants and other financial aid to get the amount you'll need from your 529.

If your income makes you eligible for education tax credits, such as the American Opportunity Tax Credit, it's particularly important to plan ahead for spending from a 529. The credit is worth up to $2,500 a year per student, in each of the first four years of college. (Its calculation is a bit complicated: It's based on 100 percent of the first $2,000 in tuition, books and supplies, plus 25 percent of the next $2,000.)

You can't "double dip" tax breaks, however. So if you claim the credit, you should set aside funds from outside your 529 to pay for $4,000 of eligible expenses. Then use 529 funds to pay remaining costs.

"If you're eligible for the tax credit, you have to pay eligible expenses with something other than 529 money," said Ann Garcia, a financial adviser in Portland, Ore.

Financial advisers differ on whether families should withdraw funds themselves and then pay the college, or have the 529 plan pay the college directly.

Melissa Sotudeh, a financial planner near Washington, D.C., said having the college paid directly from the 529 made it clear that the funds were used for educational expenses.

"You want to make sure your paper trail is as clean as possible," she said. "Paying the school directly is just super clean."

Others, however, suggest that families or students should receive the funds first and then pay the school themselves to avoid any potential confusion about how the funds are classified. Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Savingforcollege.com, said in an email that it was possible that some colleges might misinterpret direct payments from a 529 account as "cash support," which could reduce a student's financial aid eligibility.

Whichever option you choose, keep good records in case you are ever audited by the Internal Revenue Service and have to document that the funds were used for eligible expenses. Ms. Sotudeh said she printed out the bill from her child's school and highlighted the costs paid from the 529.

What if you withdraw more money than you need from your 529 plan and you want to put it back? Generally, you'll avoid paying taxes and penalties if you recontribute the money within 60 days. Many families faced this situation this year when some colleges issued refunds for housing and other costs after the coronavirus closed campuses. The I.R.S. granted extra time to reinvest the money, via a temporary extension allowed by the federal pandemic relief program. (Students returning to college this fall mostly didn't need to worry, though, since they could apply the funds to this semester's expenses.)

Here are some questions and answers about paying for college with a 529 account:
My daughter may have to borrow for college. Should she spend all of her 529 money before taking out student loans?
Families often spend down 529 funds first so they can wait as long as possible to take on debt. But it may be better to borrow as you go rather than waiting until the 529 is drained, advisers say.

"I suggest spreading it out over four years," Mr. Kelly said, referring to the 529 balance.

That's because there are limits on the amount of low-interest federal student loans that can be borrowed each year (and in total). Once you have missed the borrowing deadline for a given year, you can't tap those loans retroactively. If it turns out that the remaining amount available to borrow is insufficient, you may need federal Plus loans, which carry a higher interest rate, or private student loans, which lack important borrower protections.

Under a law passed last year, up to $10,000 from a 529 account can be used to repay the beneficiary's student loans. So if you end up with leftover money in a 529, you can use the money toward the student loan balance.
Do I have to spend the money I withdraw from the 529 right away?
Generally, withdrawals from a 529 must be made during the same calendar year that the expenses are paid. Families should be particularly careful about spring tuition bills, advisers say, because academic years span two calendar years. The spring term often begins in January, but colleges may send out the bill in December. If you withdraw the money in December, make sure to pay the bill before Jan. 1. Similarly, if you wait to pay the bill in January, you should also withdraw the money after Jan. 1.

"If the timing is off, you risk owing tax because it's considered a nonqualified withdrawal," according to Fidelity.
Do 529 plans have withdrawal deadlines?
No. You can keep funds in a 529 plan indefinitely. If the account's beneficiary doesn't need all of the money for college - perhaps because of scholarships - the money can be used to pay for graduate school. Or the beneficiary can be changed to a sibling or another family member so the funds can be used to cover their college costs.

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Tips on Spending the Money in College Savings Accounts

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Funds in 529 plans grow tax free and can be withdrawn tax free if they're spent on eligible education expenses. But there is some fine print. You've put aside money for college in a 529 account for years. Now it's time to start withdrawing funds to pay the higher-education bills.

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Do you ever feel uncomfortable to choose different path with others? 😧 SHARE IT in comment below 🙏🏻 #motivational #inspirational #successful #motivationalquotes #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurs #entrepreneurlife #businessman #businessowner #startuplife

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KSK Kumu who have a Master's Degree go through a "vetting" process whereby their education, credentials, professional involvement, experience, courses taught, syllabus, curriculum map, and graded student course work are examined by department chairs at HPU. They are "vetted" to be able to instruct for HPU.

In addition, KSK curriculum is aligned to current HPU course offerings, thereby allowing KSK Kumu to instruct our E Ola! driven curriculum at KSK for KS graduation, and the dual credit AA with HPU.

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KSK Kumu who have a Master's Degree go through a "vetting" process whereby their education, credentials, professional involvement, experience, courses taught, syllabus, curriculum map, and graded student course work are examined by department chairs at HPU. They are "vetted" to be able to instruct for HPU.

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Kamehameha Schools was founded by the will of Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the great-granddaughter of Kamehameha the Great.

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To our families

Kamehameha Schools has announced that all three K-12 campuses, including KS Kapālama, along with all preschools will start the school year in primarily online distance learning through fall break which is scheduled to end on October 11.

During this extended distance learning period, campus will remain open for staff access. Haumāna and 'ohana campus entry, however, will be limited to special appointments pre-approved by your po'o kumu office. All other haumāna and 'ohana access will be restricted until further notice.

We will continue to keep a close eye on the developing situation and will provide updates on any further impacts to our plans. Mahalo for your understanding.

KS Kapālama Roadmap to Reopening website

See what learning will look like in school year 2020-21, the principles that guide our decisions and actions, and the school experience we can expect for our keiki.

The 600-acre hillside campus, on the island of O'ahu, provides an environment conducive to learning. The spacious campus has more than 70 buildings, an Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis courts, and a new athletic complex with a football/soccer field, track and seating for 3,000. This campus offers a boarding program, designed to help students attain high academic performance, positive self-esteem, and personal and community responsibility. The Kapālama campus is currently home to 3,192 students, grades K-12.

Evolving our approach to learning

Modern tools and methods help us continue providing world-class educational experiences, anytime and anywhere. The KS Digital platform is an online hub for learning, whether it's in the classroom for in-person instruction, at home for distance learning or a hybrid of the two.

For everybody:

View alumni news "

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Kamehameha Schools has announced that all three K-12 campuses, including KS Kapālama, along with all preschools will start the school year in primarily online distance learning through fall break which is scheduled to end on October 11. During this extended distance learning period, campus will remain open for staff access.

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Great watch - 18 min.

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Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership -- starting with a golden circle and the question: “Why?” His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Wright brothers…

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As students begin working online at home, creating a learning environment conducive to learning can get (and feel) chaotic. This is especially true if your child is used to the structure of a brick-and-mortar school schedule and is now working in a digital environment at home. As parents and teachers ourselves, we know and can relate. That's why we've put together a list of ten tips to help support your child's learning in a digital environment.

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10 Tips for Parents to Support Kids Learning Online at Home | eDynamic Learning

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As students begin working online at home, creating a learning environment conducive to learning can get (and feel) chaotic. This is especially true if your child is used to the structure of a brick-and-mortar school schedule and is now working in a digital environment at home.

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Want to become a coder but don't know where to start? These are the courses and platforms that can get you on your way.

Udemy classes are rated and reviewed by users, so you can find the most popular one for your needs.

If you use LinkedIn regularly, this is a great option to not only expand your knowledge, but also beef up your LinkedIn profile with a certificate of completion.

Treehouse is designed to help build up your skill set. It differentiates itself from the competition by offering learning tracks and bootcamps.

All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers.If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

As remote work has become both increasingly popular and necessary, it's brought new meaning to who essential workers are and which job skills can survive - meaning who can work remotely and who can't.

Coding is one skill that can easily be done remotely and is often done outside of an office setting. Not to mention, coding is necessary for countless professions and is highly sought after by companies. It is also a skill that can easily be taught online, from the comfort of your own home, and for a pretty reasonable price, depending on where you enroll.

Why learn to code?

If you're new here, coding is used to program websites, apps, and various other technologies that are used every day. Oftentimes, coders (programmers, developers) are in high demand by companies and individuals alike - which equals pretty good job security for people who know their way around coding languages.

If you don't know how to code and are interested in picking up a new skill, coding can easily be taught through online classes. As online courses have become increasingly popular and convenient, they've allowed users to learn from the comfort of their homes and at their own pace - which is especially important if you're already working a full-time job. It's also relatively cheap - cheaper than a college class, that is.

What should I look for in a coding course or platform?

When starting (or continuing) your coding journey, there are a few things you'll want to look for other than price.
1. Does this course or platform offer a certificate of completion?
A certificate of completion shows potential employers that you're not fooling around. You've done the work (or at least made it to the end of the course), and have a certificate to prove it.
2. Does this course offer feedback or answer your specific questions?
Feedback and question-answering are things you'll probably want if you're just getting started, or if that's your learning style. Some course platforms, like Coursera, offer peer feedback from their global community. Others, like some Udemy courses, for example, have instructors who will attentively answer your questions as you move through the course. (You can usually find out if a course has attentive instructors by reading the reviews.)

We've done the work for you and compiled a list of top online courses and platforms that will have you coding in no time. While we've pulled out specific coding courses for each platform (with a focus on beginners), you should definitely explore their offerings, since most of these platforms have many coding courses available, so you can choose the ones that fit your skill level and learning style.

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If you've ever wanted to learn how to code, now is a great time to start

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Want to become a coder but don't know where to start? These are the courses and platforms that can get you on your way. Udemy classes are rated and reviewed by users, so you can find the most popular one for your needs.

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A post shared by Awareness • Mindset • Success (@awareness_of_success)

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There has been much talk about Growth Mindset the past few years. Many teachers recognize that there are a lot of students who exhibit a fixed mindset. I often wonder when we introduce another educational term into the mainstream how many different ways the term can be misinterpreted. Ask someone what they think about the terms growth or fixed mindsets and really listen to what they say. I bet you would be surprised!

When others talk to me about mindsets, I often hear about students who struggle, needing to change their mindset... Makes sense doesn't it. We see a group of students in our school who don't apply themselves, and we wish that they would just realize they could do much better if they just put forth more effort. But is this what the whole growth/fixed mindset conversation is all about?

Those who see growth and fixed mindsets being about effort often think that encouraging their students with phrases or posters is what they need to succeed. When we believe this, we might start to see a neat looking poster or bulletin board like these:

However, a poster alone might send a message to students that THEY are doing something wrong, THEY need to do something different... and that if they only tried harder, changed their words, became better people... that they would do better in math.

Personally, I don't think this is all what the issue is with our students. And I don't believe this is what the research behind mindsets is pointing to either! If we are looking to change our students' mindsets, we need to do two things:

1. Learn what it means to have a growth / fixed mindset. We might be misinterpreting the whole idea here!

2. Change OUR actions to promote growth mindsets. Our students will only improve when WE change!

1. Learning about Growth and Fixed Mindsets

While there are a lot of places you can go to learn more about a growth mindset, I think we need to make sure we are hearing from the experts. Here are a few I think you need to take a look at:

While I don't want to spend much time restating what is already in these articles/videos/books, I do really hope you will check out at least one of the new ones you haven't already seen.

I will give a few key points about the whole mindset movement though:

Students with fixed mindsets believe that they either have or do not have a math brain. They see their intelligence as static or hereditary (a gift or a curse)

Students and a dults across the achievement spectrum can exhibit a growth or fixed mindset (high achieving students are just as likely to have a fixed mindset).

Students with fixed mindsets are likely to avoid challenges and likely give up easily.

It is more common for a student to have a fixed mindset about mathematics than other subjects.

Our actions and words will either promote a fixed or growth mindset in others.

Do these 5 points fit your current understanding of Mindsets? If any of these do not fit your thinking, please make an effort to read/watch some of the articles, videos linked above.

2. Change OUR Actions to Promote Growth Mindsets

I think this is the part of the conversation that is completely missed! We tend to focus on what everyone else needs to do instead of how we need to change.

Think again about the message above. What are the common practices that happen in many math classrooms that help our students believe they are smart at math, or that they are not smart at math?

Practices that promote fixed mindsets:

Providing students with a large number of closed questions

Math fluency is often conducted via timed tests

Evaluating each assignment, especially early in the learning process

Grouping / Sorting students by ability

Providing different activities for different students

Asking struggling students to speak first, then more advanced students next

Competitive mathematics tasks (often based on speed)

Think about how each of these practices helps our students identify with mathematics. Their mathematical identity is based on how WE present their successes. Each of the practices above treats mathematics as a performance subject. Students in classrooms like these are far more likely to believe that they are either a math person or not because the tasks ask them to recognize if they are better or worse than others in the room.

For example, students who are routinely given a page of closed questions to complete come to believe their role is to get them right. Students who get them all right are likely to see that they are naturally good at math, while those who struggle through the questions are likely to see their "ability" in more negatively. There is little room for students to see that they are growing!

On the other hand, teachers who view mathematics as a learning subject are more likely to have practices that allow students learn and grow.

Practices that promote growth mindsets:

Provide students with open questions (open-ended problems with more than 1 possible answer, or open-middle problems with more than 1 potential strategy to achieve the answer)

Math fluency/flexibility is based on reasoning and development of strategies

Assessment of students is non-evaluative and instead focuses on feedback

Grouping of students is flexible in nature

Open problems (low floor, high ceiling problems) provide natural differentiated instruction as they offer challenge for every student

All students are expected to contribute. Students sharing in an important part of the learning, and all students recognize that all members can contribute

Cooperative tasks where students learn WITH and FROM each other

Providing experiences like the items above will more likely allow your students to see that they are capable of growing and learning since the focus is on allowing your students time to develop. These experiences help move the focus away from whether or not students are already good at math, toward a focus on the the learning today. Allowing our students room for growth promotes a growth mindset.

Think about the lists above. There are possibly a few that might challenge your thinking! Many hear some of the messages about the types of practices that promote fixed mindsets and struggle to know what to do instead. Moving toward classrooms that promote growth mindsets is not about lowering the bar, in fact, classrooms that are successfully moving in this direction are expecting much more of their students... and are especially helping our students who begin the year struggling.

If you or your school or your district are interested in taking a focus on growth mindset, I encourage you to not just consider the pedagogy involved, but to actually focus on the practices that will help us to understand the math deeper ourselves!

For example, to focus on growth mindset, we as teachers need to be able to understand the math deeper in order to be able to teach mathematics in way that allows our students to see mathematics as a learning subject. Here are a few things we as teachers, as schools and/or districts that we can focus on to help us make these shifts:

1. Consider focusing on tasks that help us see that we can develop number sense through the use of strategies, visual representations and the big ideas behind the numbers. Number Talks or Strings are wonderful practices that both allow our students to develop appropriate number sense, think flexibly about operations, yet allow for creativity and reasoning to develop. Our learning here needs to include understanding the developmental models, strategies and big ideas appropriate for our students to develop number sense.

2. Consider focusing on opening up problems. Accessing resources like Marian Small's Open Questions for the 3-Part Lesson/Eyes on Math/Good Questions... or Cathy Fosnot's Contexts for Learning units... or other sources that might help us see how we can use open problems as part of a sequence of learning. These, along with structures like the 5 Practices for Orchestrating productive mathematics discussions, can help us recognize how we can learn THROUGH problem solving.

3. Consider focusing on mini-lessons that focus on student reasoning, conceptual understanding, the use of visuals and spatial reasoning. This can include using tasks like Estimation 180, Which One Doesn't Belong, Fraction Talks, Visual Patterns, 101Qs Problems, SolveMe Mobiles... in a way that promotes student thinking, students sharing, and the development of reasoning together. This can also include the development of and use of instructional routines like Notice and Wonder or Contemplate then Calculate. Whichever of these we explore, we need to learn how to give our students the opportunity to think and reason... share with each other... learn FROM and WITH each other. And to do these well, WE need to continue to learn the important mathematics behind the tasks, not just use them because they are fun or neat.

4. Consider a focus on assessment. If we want classrooms that promote a growth mindset, we need to reconsider what information we send our students about what is important. Learning about developmental progressions, how to give feedback effectively, tasks that allow us to make observations, listen to students as they are thinking, have conversations in-the-moment as students are problem solving. When we deepen our understanding of the mathematics our students are learning, we will become better at using assessment effectively. While many believe they are focusing on growth mindset by looking at spreadsheets, this is exactly the opposite of what needs to be focused on.

Whatever your focus, keep in mind the unintended messages we send our students about who is a math student... and continue OUR learning about the mathematics itself so we know how to help our students as they struggle (developmentally appropriate tasks/problems).

Teaching for a growth mindset will require us to make changes in our beliefs, but also in our practices! Let's keep learning my friends!!!

If interested, here are a few more posts that might help us see how to make these ideals a reality:

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So you want your students to have a Growth Mindset?

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There has been much talk about Growth Mindset the past few years. Many teachers recognize that there are a lot of students who exhibit a fixed mindset. I often wonder when we introduce another educational term into the mainstream how many different ways the term can be misinterpreted.

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Not all masks are made equal. Until 2020, if your job or health didn't require it, it's likely that you never thought about wearing a protective face covering. Now, as the airborne coronavirus remains a threat in most of the world, how to wear a mask and which one is best are at the top of many ...

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Does your favorite mask actually work? Researchers now have a way to tell.

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Not all masks are made equal. Until 2020, if your job or health didn't require it, it's likely that you never thought about wearing a protective face covering. Now, as the airborne coronavirus remains a threat in most of the world, how to wear a mask and which one is best are at the top of many ...