Education Planning
We help families balance education savings with other important long-term family priorities.
Building an Education Funding Strategy
Helping a child, grandchild, or family member pursue a better education is one of the most meaningful financial goals many families have. However, we recognize that today's environment has some unique obstacles that can make achieving this goal challenging. Rising tuition costs, competing retirement priorities, and uncertainty about future education paths often leave families wondering how much they should save and where those savings should be invested.
At Praetorian Guard, we help families develop education funding strategies that fit within their broader financial plan. Rather than treating college savings as a separate objective, we evaluate how education funding interacts with retirement planning, investment management, taxes, cash flow, and other long-term family goals.
Our objective is to help you support future educational opportunities without creating unnecessary strain on the rest of your financial life.
The Praetorian Guard Approach
Education planning is about more than choosing an account and making contributions. The most effective strategy depends on your family's priorities, resources, and timeline.
If you find yourself asking any of the following questions, you likely can benefit from a discussion centering around education planning.
- How much should be saved for future education expenses?
- Should college funding take priority over retirement savings?
- How should education savings be invested as enrollment approaches?
- How do multiple children affect the funding strategy?
- What happens if a child receives scholarships or chooses a different educational path?
Our role is to help you make informed decisions within the context of your overall financial plan. We believe education funding should support your family's goals while preserving flexibility for life's inevitable changes.
Education Savings Are Not Just For College
For many families, a 529 plan serves as the foundation of an education funding strategy. These accounts allow investments to grow tax-deferred, and qualified withdrawals for eligible education expenses are generally tax-free.
Every state sponsors its own 529 plan, and some states offer tax benefits for residents who use their plan. Families are not required to use their home state's program, which allows them to evaluate investment options, costs, and available benefits across multiple plans. Praetorian Guard frequently utilizes Utah's my529 plan because of its low costs, broad investment options, and flexibility.
A common misconception is that 529 plans are just for college funding. 529 plans have a multitude of uses:
- College & university expenses
- Graduate & professional education
- Up to $20,000 per year of K-12 educational expenses
- Trade schools & vocational programs
- Apprenticeship-related costs
Selecting the right account is only part of the process. Investment allocation, contribution schedules, beneficiary planning, and coordination with other financial goals all play an important role in a successful education funding strategy.
Why Work With Praetorian Guard?
Many of the families we serve are balancing education funding alongside retirement savings, business ownership, equity compensation, military benefits, or other long-term financial priorities. The same dollars that fund a 529 plan may also be competing with retirement contributions, investment opportunities, or other family goals.
We help bring those decisions together into a coordinated plan.
As fiduciary advisors, our recommendations are designed around your family's circumstances and what you want for your children. We focus on creating practical education funding strategies that align with your broader financial objectives and adapt as your family's needs evolve.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answer depends on your financial resources, family goals, and other planning priorities. Some families want their children to receive a specific dollar amount for college funding and finance the rest, while others strive to fund college in full. There's no right answer. We help our client families evaluate various funding scenarios and determine a savings target that fits comfortably within their overall financial plan.
In many situations, retirement planning should remain the primary objective. One of our favorite sayings is, "People will generally loan you money to go to college, but no one will loan you money to retire." We help families balance both goals and determine an appropriate allocation of savings between competing priorities.
Many families worry about overfunding a 529 plan. We help evaluate flexibility options, including beneficiary changes, graduate education, trade schools, and other planning opportunities that may be available depending on future circumstances. Unused 529 funds may also be eligible to roll over to the beneficiary’s Roth IRA, subject to certain requirements and limits.
Yes. Grandparents often play an important role in education funding. We help coordinate gifting strategies and account structures so contributions support family objectives while remaining consistent with broader estate and wealth transfer plans.
Reach out to learn if we are the right fit for your needs.
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