Should I Prioritize My 529 Plan or Focus on Other Savings Opportunities for My 16-Year-Old's Education?

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If the idea of paying for college is just about as overwhelming as boarding a plane to skydive out of, you're not alone. U.S. News & World Report puts the average cost of tuition and fees at a whopping $43,505 for private colleges.

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For out-of-state students at public colleges, that number is considerably lower at $24,513. And for in-state public college, tuition and fees are $11,011 on average based on data from the most recent academic year.

But even the "cheapest" of these options is one you might need to save diligently for, especially if you have multiple children. And while you might think that it pays to put all of your college savings into a 529 plan, you may want to explore other options, too.

The drawback of only using a 529 plan

Recently, a Reddit (NYSE: RDDT) poster asked if they should be saving all of their money in a 529 plan for their 16-year-old's education, or if they should be branching out. They already have an impressive $70,000 balance in a 529, but they're not sure what other savings vehicles they should focus on in the next two to three years.

What is your target 529 balance?
byu/Urbanttrekker inMiddleClassFinance

Thankfully, the poster is already saving 25% of their income for retirement. They're putting 5% into the 529 and another 10% into what they call "undefined savings." They're set with their emergency fund and have no debts aside from a low-cost mortgage they're eight years from paying off.

There's nothing wrong with the poster continuing to save for college in the next few years. But they may want to look outside of a 529 plan.

Although 529 plans offer the benefit of tax-free gains and withdrawals, they can reduce the amount of financial aid students get. These plans generally won't have an impact on merit-based scholarships, and they tend to have less of an impact on aid if the parent owns the account, not the student. But that's something to keep in mind.

The other issue is that withdrawing 529 funds for non-qualified education expenses generally results in a 10% penalty on the gains portion of those funds, plus taxes on the gains portion of the withdrawal.

Now thanks to the SECURE 2.0 Act, it's possible to roll up to $35,000 of unused 529 plan funds into a Roth IRA without incurring taxes or a penalty. So that is one way to deal with an overage.

Another option is to designate the extra funds for a different beneficiary – if one exists. The Reddit poster above only makes mention of one child. So designating a different beneficiary may not be a viable solution.

Alternatives to consider

It's great that this Reddit poster wants to continue saving for their child's education even after having done such a great job already. But since they already have a fair amount of money in a 529 plan, they may want to branch out and put their remaining college savings elsewhere.

One option to consider is a taxable brokerage account. The money in there won't grow tax-free as is the case with a 529. The benefit, however, is flexibility.

The poster's child may not end up needing more money for college than what's already been saved. Rather than deal with the headache of having to figure out a plan for excess funds, putting the money into a brokerage account makes it available for any purpose at any time without restriction. The poster could let their child use that money to buy a car or fund a move to a new city after college.

Another option is to look at a high-yield savings account. This isn't a great option when you're dealing with a long investment window. But the poster's child is 16, which means college may be just a couple of years away.

If they want a safe, stable home for that money without taking on the risk of stock market fluctuations, a high-yield savings account fits the bill. And thanks to today's interest rates, it's not like a high-yield savings account won't earn any money.

Saving for a child's education is a great way to avoid having them graduate with a pile of debt. It could make sense to use a 529 plan for the tax benefits involved, but that's not the only account you should consider – especially if you're nearing the point where your child is headed to college and you want to minimize some of your risk.

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Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.