Operation Overlord D Day Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Activity Overlord D Day - Essay Example alysed the Allied military making arrangements for Operation Overlord are honored with the endowment of knowing the past, they realize that Operation Overlord was a triumph that added to inevitable Allied triumph. The Second World War was after all the contention wherein Air power went to the front, military and maritime tasks propelled when air predominance was held were undeniably bound to prevail than activities did while a foe power held air prevalence. At the point when a joined military, maritime and air activity was as enormous and as broad as Operation Overlord, its organizers needed to consider any likely dangers to its prosperity and the Air danger could be viewed as one of the most critical single deterrent to progress. It could be contended that Allied over - estimations of the Air danger presented by the Luftwaffe had a genuine impact on the Operation Overlord arranging. The Allies accepted that the Luftwaffe stayed an impressive adversary and thusly a genuine and powerful Air danger to the effective execution of the designs for Operation Overlord. The Luftwaffe in numerical terms despite everything had a large number of operational airplane, regardless of whether before Operation Overlord was propelled, most of those airplanes were utilized upon the Eastern Front and in guarding the Third Reich from the Allied key shelling campaign.1 For the Allied military organizers entrusted with making Operation Overlord a fruitful reality it merited guaranteeing that the Allied Air Forces had enough operational airplane accessible to set up air prevalence over the anticipated landing zones over maintain a strategic distance from a deplorable shock of Operation Overlord. In spite of the fact that the warships that were entrusted with ensuring the troop boats would convey a huge supplement of hostile to airplane weapons they would have thought that it was extremely hard to beat German air strikes against the attack armada without their own airplane giving spread. Other than the arrival create that were expected to ship the Allied soldiers to the sea shores were the pieces of

Newspaper and Internet Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Paper and Internet - Case Study Example The principal paper was distributed in Beijing in 748 (newspaperâ€industry.org, n.d.). The paper announced further that the principal every day paper flowed in 1702 in London and was known as The Daily Courant. It was additionally uncovered that in 1754, the principal business paper The Daily Advertiser was distributed in London. In the U.S. earlyamerica.com, (n.d.) uncovered that their first every day paper Boston News-Letter came unavailable for general use in April 1704. Since its origin, the paper is carefully for news and it was uniquely in 1856 that business notices were found as a beneficial undertaking by paper New York Ledger (Bellis, 2008). The development of the radio in 1920 and TV in 1939 didn't influence the fame of the paper as the wellspring of news and a viable promotions arrangement elective. Williamson (n.d. 23rd standard.) uncovered that â€Å"Most all the significant stores are starting again from scratch and seeing the print publicizing as the best profit fo r investment†. In 1973, the web was found by Vinton Cerf (ideafinder.com, 2007). The web is likewise a supplier of news and thoughts much like the paper. Pundits infer that the web will cause the moderate passing of the paper and the individuals financially subject to it. The end depends on the way that the web gives what the paper can to free. Based from this, one need not spend a dime to purchase a paper only for the news and promotions on the grounds that there is the web, giving them what they need complimentary. This paper 2 means to record and break down the quality and shortcoming of the paper contrasted with web and think of procedures so as to get by with regards to client care activity and greatness. Business Management specialists concur that the conspicuous initial phase so as to come up with methodologies for endurance of a business undertaking is decide the created impression of the clients about the business. The general truth proposes this is of prime significance for the explanation that discernments ought to be all around tended to in the plan of methodologies and activity plans. Consumes (2000), a college educator and a site proprietor said that if there should be an occurrence of a day by day voyager, paper is as yet the decision over the web for the basic explanation that he has to download and print the crossword puzzle so as to work at it while on an open vehicle going to office. He proceeded by saying Admirably, presently you need to print it out, or download it onto a PC for the excursion. You're back to pulling things around once more. (24th standard.). A blogger by the nom de plume Lockergnome (2005) detailed that what he for the most part read from the papers today are the news he read from the web webpage yesterday. The blogger proceeded by saying that if all perusers will at last understand this, clearly they won't accepting paper any longer, burn through their time perusing since what they are perusing is now history. At long last, the recognition being appeared here is with paper, the happenings are not continuously dissimilar to with web. Another blogger by the name of Farsha (2007) feels that web isn't successful as paper in zones where access to the World Wide Web is restricted. Farsha further said that if proceeds with nearness in the brain of the client is required

State and Local Government Corruption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

State and Local Government Corruption - Essay Example A key center included disturbing models where sorted out wrongdoing has benefited from the nearness of metropolitan debasement. What comprises defilement varies relying upon the nation or purview. Certain political subsidizing rehearses that are legitimate in one spot might be unlawful in another (Political Corruption 2005). In certain nations, police and examiners have wide tact over whom to capture and charge and the line among prudence and defilement can be hard to draw, as in racial profiling. In nations with solid intrigue bunch legislative issues, rehearses that could without much of a stretch establish defilement somewhere else are some of the time blessed as authentic gathering inclinations (Political Corruption 2005). Defilement is difficult to limit since it includes privacy and time after time experiences open acknowledgment. Examinations have gotten hard and multifaceted. Agents must vanquish obsolete perspectives amidst numerous honest open authorities and private residents that whistle blowing is pointless or even perilous (Local Government 1992, pg. 7). ... 8). Notwithstanding, State enactment is nothing but bad if government authorities by and by don't bolster it.Corruption is especially boundless in the nearby government development ventures. Just as of late, a significant designing firm that has given $3 million in battle commitments in the course of recent years and New Jersey has concluded it will no longer give to lawmakers (Jackson 2005). The on-line database of the Election Law Enforcement Commission(ELEC) records 1,205 commitments from the firm and its workers, worth almost $3 million, since 1981 (Jackson 2005). The genuine all out is bigger, in light of the fact that ELEC's database does exclude commitments to metropolitan applicants and advisory groups or commitments to government competitors, who have additionally profited by Schoor DePalma's liberality (Jackson 2005). A pursuit of the FEC's Web website, which tracks government battle commitments, turned up at any rate $150,000 in the previous five years from the organizatio n (Jackson 2005). Schoor DePalma's commitments topped in 2003, when the polling form remembered contender for every one of the 120 seats for the New Jersey Legislature (Jackson 2005). Defilement, for example, this ought to be censured. Such defilement disintegrates the institutional limit of government as techniques are overlooked, assets are redirected, and open workplaces are purchased and sold. Simultaneously, debasement sabotages the authenticity of government and such equitable qualities as trust and resistance (Political Corruption 2005). Defilement likewise brings down satisfaction with development, ecological, or different guidelines, diminishes the nature of taxpayer driven organizations and framework, and increments budgetary weights on

Puma for Dongguan Surpassing Co.Ltd - myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Examine about thePuma for Dongguan Surpassing Co.Ltd. Answer: Presentation; explanation of the issue and targets Panther is a German-based worldwide organization managing athletic wear and easygoing footwear. Panther was established in 1948 by Rudolf Dassler (Palepu et al., 2007). Over the most recent thirty years, the creation of sports shoes has encountered enormous changes in numerous angles in America and Europe. One of the significant viewpoints was the expansion in the creation cost (Passerini, 2014). Consequently, numerous organizations should discover approaches to decrease the creation cost. In such manner, organizations moved their manufacturing plants to different nations in Asia, for example, China where both modest work and modest crude materials are accessible. Jaguar, in its intelligence, started to subcontract little organizations, for example, Dongguan Surpassing Shoe Co. Ltd. An examination which was directed by China Labor Watch (CLW) uncovered a staggering report on PUMAs lead at Dongguan Surpassing Shoe Co. Ltd. The organization utilizes 6,000 specialists on a typical season work period and ten thousand laborers during a high season. This report came after PUMA was found to have similar issues at its other provider in Taiway Sports, Inc. It was frustrating to take note of that PUMA took restorative measures at Taiway Sports, Inc. what's more, overlooked its different providers. A portion of the dangerous discoveries at Dongguan Surpassing Shoe Co. Ltd included extreme extra time where laborers had to work more than twelve hours the entire days of the week, poor compensation of sixty-four pennies for each hour, unreasonable fines for refusal to stay at work longer than required, poor quarters condition, unhygienic food, and poor removal instruments where paste and paint are discharged into the sewer. This issue is an impression of the entire essence of PUMAs providers general condition. It is significant that PUMA concentrates its need on moral functionalities. The targets of this paper are to: Set up explanations behind pulverizing moral direct at PUMA. Give ways where work and day to day environments of laborers can be improved. Decide the lawful working hours in China according to global guidelines. Give ways that PUMA can take part in corporate social duty to recover its picture. Build up an adequate program that can have the option to help in adjusting laborers plan. Writing audit According to (D'heur, 2015), in the cultural perspective, the subject of significant worth creation has been a subject of conversation at whatever point an organization is confronted with an embarrassment, for example, poor working conditions. It is incredibly interesting that the response of an organization in, for example, embarrassment is the quick expressions of the companys side of behaviors. This is without taking care of the fundamental issues. Despite most organizations enthusiasm for maintainability, there are generally delayed to follow up on issues guaranteeing that most issues are past their corporate control. In his offer to have duty across flexibly chain PUMAs CEO Jochen Zeitz, presented that idea of item, condition, gracefully chain, and the general public (Jain, 2004). This is the place the organization accepts the accountability for the assortment of crude materials up to when the products arrive at the buyer. As of late, the games product organization PUMA has created maintainability stage named as PUMA vision. This is in the view that the organization will improve at generally speaking operational procedures both remotely and inside by considering the social, financial and ecological conditions. As indicated by (Willard and Hitchcock, 2015), as much as such maintainability measures have cost PUMA to delve somewhere down in into their records, its client base has expanded quickly. Panther made a goals, that in the coming years, half of its global assortment will be created mirroring the worldwide maintainability norms. This infers a large portion of PUMAs item will be delivered utilizing maintainable materials, for example, reused polyesters and furthermore in guaranteeing that its providers utilize supportable items too (OECD, 2001). This dedication was to a great extent invited since it will put more organizations compelled to do likewise. Kuhn, (2011) puts it clear that, before the appearance of sports shoes organizations show up in Asian nations, for example, China, the shoe business was state-possessed organizations which delivered for the nearby market. After China opened up its market in 1984, there was an inundation of shoemaking industry in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Consequently, China is right now the world biggest shoe maker, in this way shoe making worldwide organizations look for association in China for subcontracting (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2005). The way that there are numerous multinationals in China for shoemaking, poor conditions for work are up and coming in light of the fact that, multinationals, for example, PUMA, direct the compensation rates and work conditions which are acknowledged or a subcontractor lose an agreement. Strategy Practically all industrial facilities in China are situated in southern China, where most specialists are from the rustic regions who come to urban zones to search for cash. This infers most specialists are made out of youngsters and ladies matured seventeen to thirty years. These individuals have a low degree of training thus are uninformed of their privileges as laborers. The paper will put meets as one of the techniques for gathering information to get right data. Additionally, the way that the degree of training of the laborers who will be the primary respondents is low, one on one connection will be significant. The meeting will be led among June and July when working low season to discover more respondents. Inquiries to be posed in the meeting will incorporate, the working hours, wellbeing and medical problems and their insight into worker's organizations. To get the substance of the main problems as called attention to by China Labor Watch (CLW), perception will be utilized. One of the territories to be watched will be the quarters to build up the day to day environments. Likewise, the food at the bottle will likewise be seen so as to set up the cleanliness of the food. Since the component of doubt must be available, polls will be utilized, with help. This is on the grounds that as much as their employments are hard, they would prefer not to lose them. Similar inquiries posed on meetings will be applied in the survey in order to gather more information. End As per PUMAs basic beliefs, laborers should be treated with respect and worth. Nonetheless, this isn't reflected with the Chinese specialists. Being such a major worldwide organization, PUMA ought to guarantee that it makes important that privileges of laborers are regarded. Shoe organizations ought to acknowledge their social obligation and guarantee that the economic wellbeing and the ecological moral principles are maintained. Also, the work experts in China ought to be liable for the government assistance of Chinese specialists. Course of events Thing Movement Week 1 Idea paper composing Week 2 Proposition composing Week 3 Information assortment Week 4 First draft of the paper Week 5 Last draft of the paper Week 6 accommodation References Beal, B. (2013).Corporate Social Responsibility: Definition, Core Issues, and Recent Developments. SAGE Publications, p.2. Chinalaborwatch.org. (2017).Pumas Failure in CSR: Suppliers Critical Conditions. [online] Available at: https://www.chinalaborwatch.org/report/21 [Accessed 7 Oct. 2017]. D'heur, M. (2015).Sustainable Value Chain Management: Delivering Sustainability Through the Core Business. Springer, p.95. Jain, R. (2004). Defilement free Sustainable Development: Challenges and Strategies for Good Governance. Mittal Publications, p.257. Kuhn, R. (2011).How China's Leaders Think: The Inside Story of China's Past, Current and Future Leaders. John Wiley Sons. Palepu, K., Bernard, V., Healy, P. what's more, Peek, E. (2007).Business Analysis and Valuation: Text and Cases. Cengage Learning EMEA, p.318. Passerini, K. (2014).Information innovation for private company. [Place of distribution not identified]: Springer, p.98. Supportable Development Critical Issues: Critical Issues. (2001). OECD Publishing, p.120. TNCs and the evacuation of materials and garments portions. (2005). New York: United Nations, p.11. Willard, M. what's more, Hitchcock, D. (2015).The Business Guide to Sustainability: Practical Strategies and Tools for Organizations. Routledge, p.236.a

Literature Adaptations Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Writing Adaptations - Movie Review Example From that point forward, this story is ceaselessly being advised to youngsters and society has seen numerous adjustments including Jordan and Carter's questionable The Company f Wolves. Be it introduced as writing, oral narrating, or cinematography these sources share one topic for all intents and purpose: they tell a wake up call f the admonitions f entering youth. In contrasting the verifiable, sexual, and moral perspectives f Perrault's Little Red Riding Hood, France's The False Grandmother, and Jordan's The Company f Wolves, perusers are left valuing the various methods utilized in conveying the alerts f entering pre-adulthood. (Bordwell 1-4) Oral stories are very not the same as those f regular writing. In France's oral rendition there is brief period spent on concentrating on detail in wording f a prologue to the story and setting. Rather, this oral form rapidly hops to the young lady's experience with the wolf. This happens all inside the primary sentence: Sometime in the distant past a young lady was strolling through the forested areas with a bin f treats for her grandma, when she met a wolf. Since these accounts were told orally, there is doubtlessly no requirement for a critical sum f detail essentially on the grounds that this was not the center f the exhibition. Also, these sorts f stories are not perused however observed and heard by the crowd. What is fundamentally unique about an oral story is that there is an overwhelming dependence on the narrator to convey an enrapturing execution, implying that the activity f the story is uplifted by packing the arrangement f occasions in a set sum f time. Accordingly, bri ef period is spent concentrating on components, for example, a verifiable setting. Perusers are made mindful f the setting in Perrault's artistic form f Little Red Riding Hood when he states: Sometime in the distant past there lived in a specific town a little nation young lady, the prettiest animal who was ever observed. He further uncovers data about the environmental factors f the story as the young lady is conveyed to give her grandma food: Minimal Red Riding Hood set out promptly to go to her grandma, who lived in another town... As she was experiencing the wood, she met a wolf... There is little to be addressed on the grounds that f the sum f detail utilized by Perrault. In stories that are composed or distributed, there is a need to have a specific sum f detail so perusers are not left scrutinizing the story. Composed stories require more detail than oral stories. Perrault has included enough data about the area f the story with the goal that perusers would not be left confounded about specific parts f the plot. (Naremore 5-6) Film is likewise another methods by which folktales can be introduced. The way where this is introduced is far unique in relation to perusing folktale writing or viewing the story be performed with sounds and developments by a narrator. In The Company f Wolves Jordan and Carter consolidate a critical sum f detail in a short sum f time: close shot f the window watching out onto the fantasy nightscape; camera tracks in past the window outline EXT. Backwoods - DAY break up from nightscape to sunlight woodland scene, harvest time hues. Camera tracks in and container option to reveal an inaccessible church tower. Viewers f this film are better ready to get a handle on the setting since they are outwardly shipped to a setting where they can make clear suspicions about the environmental factors. There is a noteworthy amo

Quick Notes About the First Year Application - UGA Undergraduate Admissions

Quick Notes About the First Year Application - UGA Undergraduate Admissions Quick Notes About the First Year Application With the 2014 First Year application opening this past Tuesday, we are receiving many questions from students who have started applying. Here are a few things to keep in mind. When self-reporting your grades on the application, you should report grades as they are listed on your official high school transcript. Remember we are only asking for grades from your high school years. Do not include middle school grades in your application even if they are listed on your transcript. Have a copy of your transcript in front of you when completing the application to help ensure that you dont have errors. But if you realize later that you made errors in reporting grades, dont worry. We require an official high school transcript because we are going to double check your self-reported GPA. Did you forget to include leadership activities, awards and honors, or other resume material? Dont worry. You can email additional information to our processing team at admproc@uga.edu . This wont be reflected on your myStatus, but we will add your email to your file documents. Please know that any changes we make in our system will not change the PDF copy of your application as the PDF is a fixed snapshot of your application when you first submitted it. The University System of Georgia requires that high school students complete 4 units of science by graduation, including 2 units with a laboratory component. This is rarely an issue for our in-state applicants. We are able to be flexible with out-of-state applicants and use your 8th grade science as long as it was a physical science. To learn more about the University System requirements, view their Staying on Course requirements and FAQ. Once you choose Early Action or Regular Decision and submit your application, you are NOT able to change decision plans. Take your time and make sure you choose the decision plan under which you would like to be considered. However, if you want to change from EA to RD consideration, the work-around is to NOT complete your file for now. EA applicants missing any required documents and test scores will automatically be deferred to the RD timeline after EA decisions are released, hopefully in early December. Incomplete EA students will see deferred on their myStatus. At that point you can send all documents, first semester grades, a teacher recommendation, additional SAT/ACT scores, and Part II of the application with the four short essays. The Part II essays must arrive online by January 15; deadline for arrival of all other documents and scores is January 22. The biggest drawback to this work-around is that you will have to ignore a few emails reminding you that your file is, indeed, incomplete. We hope this helps you while youre getting ready to complete the application. Go Dawgs!

529 Double Duty College Plus Grad School

To give your child an edge, graduate school may be called for, but that can more than double your higher education costs. This is where a carefully funded Section 529 Plan comes in. While all but the very wealthy won't be able write a check for college and graduate school, you can use 529-plan money strategically to pay for some of both so that your child won't be overloaded with debt come graduation day. For many students it's largely uncertain they will actually attend graduate school. One day the student will say it's a near certainty but a few months later, they're talking about backpacking through Europe. This leaves you trying to plan for something that may not happen. Here are five steps you can take to assess the likelihood your student will attend graduate school with some ideas on how to decide the best way to allocate your 529 savings between college and the next level. Step 1: Examine the graduate-school plan. First, assess how serious your student is about graduate school. If it's been mentioned more than a couple of times, it's time to discuss the student's intentions and plans. Here are several important questions to ask: What do you plan to do with that degree? How do you think that degree will help you get the job you want? Where do you plan to apply? What will you do if you don't get in? How much will the degree cost? How do you plan to pay for it? If your child is just making conversation, you can encourage some serious thought and some research on their part before you discuss the issue again. Step 2: Look at funding resources. If you establish that your child is serious about graduate school and you are willing to provide some financial support, you should look at your financial resources and theirs and come up with a tentative funding plan. Look at the anticipated costs and expenses and compare that with what you've saved. If you're like most parents, you'll have a shortfall. If so, first examine whether you or your child have other resources to bridge that gap, such as current earnings, scholarships or grants, low-cost loans or work-study jobs. You could decide to dedicate the funds you've saved before your child starts college for the undergraduate education and target anything else you can save between college and graduate school for continuing education. Many parents keep contributing to a 529 plan while their child is in college to reap tax benefits and to continue the discipline of saving for later college years or graduate school. Alternatively, you could decide that a certain portion -- say 75 percent of what you've saved in the 529 plan -- is earmarked for college and the remaining portion for graduate school. Salvatore Cocco, Jr., CLU, a financial adviser with AXA Advisors in Woodbridge, N.J., advises parents to be careful of committing too much money to future graduate school tuition, because your child could change his or her mind. "When you're funding college, for most families, there is a 90 [percent] to 100 percent chance the kids will go to college and that money will get spent," he says. "With grad school -- even law school or medical school -- it's a 50-50 shot at best." On the other hand, it's hard to overfund college, so even if you put extra money into a 529 in anticipation of graduate school and it doesn't happen, there's nothing lost. College is so expensive and 529-plan spending rules are so flexible, says Cocco, you're likely to be allowed to use the funds to pay for anything from tuition, room, board, books, travel expenses to and from college, fees and study abroad. Step 3: Consider your other obligations. Even with graduate school in the picture for one of your kids, you should keep in mind your overall financial obligations to your retirement fund and your family emergency fund as well as helping pay for a higher education for all your children. One strategy Scott Hall, a financial adviser with Market Street Advisors in Wilmington, N.C., uses is to direct more 529 savings to the oldest child's account. "For a family with two kids what we'll have them do is put a higher percentage of the money into the older kid's account, in case they do want to go to grad school," he says. "That way, they have more money there to use. If that child doesn't go to grad school, you can take that money and combine it into the younger child's 529." Step 4. Figuring out the timing. The timing of this issue is an important consideration. It's far easier to plan for graduate school when it's clear your child will be continuing his or her education years in advance rather than waiting until a decision during the senior year of college. "If students are certain they are going to grad school, I advise clients to defer 529 distributions as long as possible," says Robert Standish, vice president of financial planning at BPU Investment Management in Pittsburgh, Pa. Doing that, he says, allows those funds to grow for a longer period of time, leveraging your investment and ultimately providing more funds for graduate school. When you know a year or two before your child starts college -- or even earlier in high school -- that graduate school is a definite possibility, you have more flexibility to plan for it. Depending on the career path your child is looking at, you'll have anywhere from six to 10 years between when you start saving until when you need to spend all the money in the account. This is because your child will have to get through four years of college and a number of years of graduate school -- two in the case of an MBA, three in the case of law school and four in the case of medical school. You can increase your 529 plan contributions, continue contributing while your child is in college and fiddle with your investment mix in an effort to produce higher returns than the 1 to 2 percent that a money market plan provides. If, on the other hand, your budding doctor or lawyer waits until the freshman or sophomore year to decide to attend post-graduate school, you have less time, but more than if the decision is a last-minute one (read "I can't find a job, so I'm going to grad school). You can still put money into a 529 plan knowing you have anywhere from four to seven years to grow that money before you have to spend it all. Even $50 to $100 a month can make an impact. "A lot of our clients contribute in the $50 to $200 range a month and even over just a few years, it can make a difference," says Hall. By saving $100 for five years at an interest rate of 3 percent, you could accumulate $6,522.75. And let's face it: graduate school is so expensive that even if you are only able to pay for your child's books, that is less money that he or she will have to borrow or scrounge up through an outside job or fellowship. Textbooks themselves can easily run more than $1,000 a year, even if you buy used textbooks. Even if this is a last-minute decision, not all is lost. Most graduate school programs run two years or more, so you could save some money the first year or so to spend on the last year or two, or three. Or, you could contribute money to the 529 plan that you plan to spend immediately on grad school tuition, room, fees or board and take it out 10 days later to make use of any tax deduction offered by your state. Step 5: Seeking funding help. As with college, the advertised price for graduate school is frequently less than most students pay. In their search for talented and committed students, most graduate schools are prepared to help financially with assistantships, loans, grants and scholarships. In addition, many employers will help with graduate school costs. "My son got interested in fundraising when he was in college at Penn State and was in charge of a large charity to help kids with cancer," says Cocco. "He ended up getting a job at Columbia University in alumni and donor relations and started in the Masters of Science program there in donor and charitable organizational relations. He's going there for nothing because of his job." Hall, who is attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington's International MBA program, notes that his program helps with housing in the overseas portion of the MBA program. Still, his costs are running about $15,000 for the one-year program, which is on the inexpensive side for a master's in business administration. Posted July 10, 2009 To give your child an edge, graduate school may be called for, but that can more than double your higher education costs. This is where a carefully funded Section 529 Plan comes in. While all but the very wealthy won't be able write a check for college and graduate school, you can use 529-plan money strategically to pay for some of both so that your child won't be overloaded with debt come graduation day. For many students it's largely uncertain they will actually attend graduate school. One day the student will say it's a near certainty but a few months later, they're talking about backpacking through Europe. This leaves you trying to plan for something that may not happen. Here are five steps you can take to assess the likelihood your student will attend graduate school with some ideas on how to decide the best way to allocate your 529 savings between college and the next level. Step 1: Examine the graduate-school plan. First, assess how serious your student is about graduate school. If it's been mentioned more than a couple of times, it's time to discuss the student's intentions and plans. Here are several important questions to ask: What do you plan to do with that degree? How do you think that degree will help you get the job you want? Where do you plan to apply? What will you do if you don't get in? How much will the degree cost? How do you plan to pay for it? If your child is just making conversation, you can encourage some serious thought and some research on their part before you discuss the issue again. Step 2: Look at funding resources. If you establish that your child is serious about graduate school and you are willing to provide some financial support, you should look at your financial resources and theirs and come up with a tentative funding plan. Look at the anticipated costs and expenses and compare that with what you've saved. If you're like most parents, you'll have a shortfall. If so, first examine whether you or your child have other resources to bridge that gap, such as current earnings, scholarships or grants, low-cost loans or work-study jobs. You could decide to dedicate the funds you've saved before your child starts college for the undergraduate education and target anything else you can save between college and graduate school for continuing education. Many parents keep contributing to a 529 plan while their child is in college to reap tax benefits and to continue the discipline of saving for later college years or graduate school. Alternatively, you could decide that a certain portion -- say 75 percent of what you've saved in the 529 plan -- is earmarked for college and the remaining portion for graduate school. Salvatore Cocco, Jr., CLU, a financial adviser with AXA Advisors in Woodbridge, N.J., advises parents to be careful of committing too much money to future graduate school tuition, because your child could change his or her mind. "When you're funding college, for most families, there is a 90 [percent] to 100 percent chance the kids will go to college and that money will get spent," he says. "With grad school -- even law school or medical school -- it's a 50-50 shot at best." On the other hand, it's hard to overfund college, so even if you put extra money into a 529 in anticipation of graduate school and it doesn't happen, there's nothing lost. College is so expensive and 529-plan spending rules are so flexible, says Cocco, you're likely to be allowed to use the funds to pay for anything from tuition, room, board, books, travel expenses to and from college, fees and study abroad. Step 3: Consider your other obligations. Even with graduate school in the picture for one of your kids, you should keep in mind your overall financial obligations to your retirement fund and your family emergency fund as well as helping pay for a higher education for all your children. One strategy Scott Hall, a financial adviser with Market Street Advisors in Wilmington, N.C., uses is to direct more 529 savings to the oldest child's account. "For a family with two kids what we'll have them do is put a higher percentage of the money into the older kid's account, in case they do want to go to grad school," he says. "That way, they have more money there to use. If that child doesn't go to grad school, you can take that money and combine it into the younger child's 529." Step 4. Figuring out the timing. The timing of this issue is an important consideration. It's far easier to plan for graduate school when it's clear your child will be continuing his or her education years in advance rather than waiting until a decision during the senior year of college. "If students are certain they are going to grad school, I advise clients to defer 529 distributions as long as possible," says Robert Standish, vice president of financial planning at BPU Investment Management in Pittsburgh, Pa. Doing that, he says, allows those funds to grow for a longer period of time, leveraging your investment and ultimately providing more funds for graduate school. When you know a year or two before your child starts college -- or even earlier in high school -- that graduate school is a definite possibility, you have more flexibility to plan for it. Depending on the career path your child is looking at, you'll have anywhere from six to 10 years between when you start saving until when you need to spend all the money in the account. This is because your child will have to get through four years of college and a number of years of graduate school -- two in the case of an MBA, three in the case of law school and four in the case of medical school. You can increase your 529 plan contributions, continue contributing while your child is in college and fiddle with your investment mix in an effort to produce higher returns than the 1 to 2 percent that a money market plan provides. If, on the other hand, your budding doctor or lawyer waits until the freshman or sophomore year to decide to attend post-graduate school, you have less time, but more than if the decision is a last-minute one (read "I can't find a job, so I'm going to grad school). You can still put money into a 529 plan knowing you have anywhere from four to seven years to grow that money before you have to spend it all. Even $50 to $100 a month can make an impact. "A lot of our clients contribute in the $50 to $200 range a month and even over just a few years, it can make a difference," says Hall. By saving $100 for five years at an interest rate of 3 percent, you could accumulate $6,522.75. And let's face it: graduate school is so expensive that even if you are only able to pay for your child's books, that is less money that he or she will have to borrow or scrounge up through an outside job or fellowship. Textbooks themselves can easily run more than $1,000 a year, even if you buy used textbooks. Even if this is a last-minute decision, not all is lost. Most graduate school programs run two years or more, so you could save some money the first year or so to spend on the last year or two, or three. Or, you could contribute money to the 529 plan that you plan to spend immediately on grad school tuition, room, fees or board and take it out 10 days later to make use of any tax deduction offered by your state. Step 5: Seeking funding help. As with college, the advertised price for graduate school is frequently less than most students pay. In their search for talented and committed students, most graduate schools are prepared to help financially with assistantships, loans, grants and scholarships. In addition, many employers will help with graduate school costs. "My son got interested in fundraising when he was in college at Penn State and was in charge of a large charity to help kids with cancer," says Cocco. "He ended up getting a job at Columbia University in alumni and donor relations and started in the Masters of Science program there in donor and charitable organizational relations. He's going there for nothing because of his job." Hall, who is attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington's International MBA program, notes that his program helps with housing in the overseas portion of the MBA program. Still, his costs are running about $15,000 for the one-year program, which is on the inexpensive side for a master's in business administration. Posted July 10, 2009 529 Double Duty College Plus Grad School To give your child an edge, graduate school may be called for, but that can more than double your higher education costs. This is where a carefully funded Section 529 Plan comes in. While all but the very wealthy won't be able write a check for college and graduate school, you can use 529-plan money strategically to pay for some of both so that your child won't be overloaded with debt come graduation day. For many students it's largely uncertain they will actually attend graduate school. One day the student will say it's a near certainty but a few months later, they're talking about backpacking through Europe. This leaves you trying to plan for something that may not happen. Here are five steps you can take to assess the likelihood your student will attend graduate school with some ideas on how to decide the best way to allocate your 529 savings between college and the next level. Step 1: Examine the graduate-school plan. First, assess how serious your student is about graduate school. If it's been mentioned more than a couple of times, it's time to discuss the student's intentions and plans. Here are several important questions to ask: What do you plan to do with that degree? How do you think that degree will help you get the job you want? Where do you plan to apply? What will you do if you don't get in? How much will the degree cost? How do you plan to pay for it? If your child is just making conversation, you can encourage some serious thought and some research on their part before you discuss the issue again. Step 2: Look at funding resources. If you establish that your child is serious about graduate school and you are willing to provide some financial support, you should look at your financial resources and theirs and come up with a tentative funding plan. Look at the anticipated costs and expenses and compare that with what you've saved. If you're like most parents, you'll have a shortfall. If so, first examine whether you or your child have other resources to bridge that gap, such as current earnings, scholarships or grants, low-cost loans or work-study jobs. You could decide to dedicate the funds you've saved before your child starts college for the undergraduate education and target anything else you can save between college and graduate school for continuing education. Many parents keep contributing to a 529 plan while their child is in college to reap tax benefits and to continue the discipline of saving for later college years or graduate school. Alternatively, you could decide that a certain portion -- say 75 percent of what you've saved in the 529 plan -- is earmarked for college and the remaining portion for graduate school. Salvatore Cocco, Jr., CLU, a financial adviser with AXA Advisors in Woodbridge, N.J., advises parents to be careful of committing too much money to future graduate school tuition, because your child could change his or her mind. "When you're funding college, for most families, there is a 90 [percent] to 100 percent chance the kids will go to college and that money will get spent," he says. "With grad school -- even law school or medical school -- it's a 50-50 shot at best." On the other hand, it's hard to overfund college, so even if you put extra money into a 529 in anticipation of graduate school and it doesn't happen, there's nothing lost. College is so expensive and 529-plan spending rules are so flexible, says Cocco, you're likely to be allowed to use the funds to pay for anything from tuition, room, board, books, travel expenses to and from college, fees and study abroad. Step 3: Consider your other obligations. Even with graduate school in the picture for one of your kids, you should keep in mind your overall financial obligations to your retirement fund and your family emergency fund as well as helping pay for a higher education for all your children. One strategy Scott Hall, a financial adviser with Market Street Advisors in Wilmington, N.C., uses is to direct more 529 savings to the oldest child's account. "For a family with two kids what we'll have them do is put a higher percentage of the money into the older kid's account, in case they do want to go to grad school," he says. "That way, they have more money there to use. If that child doesn't go to grad school, you can take that money and combine it into the younger child's 529." Step 4. Figuring out the timing. The timing of this issue is an important consideration. It's far easier to plan for graduate school when it's clear your child will be continuing his or her education years in advance rather than waiting until a decision during the senior year of college. "If students are certain they are going to grad school, I advise clients to defer 529 distributions as long as possible," says Robert Standish, vice president of financial planning at BPU Investment Management in Pittsburgh, Pa. Doing that, he says, allows those funds to grow for a longer period of time, leveraging your investment and ultimately providing more funds for graduate school. When you know a year or two before your child starts college -- or even earlier in high school -- that graduate school is a definite possibility, you have more flexibility to plan for it. Depending on the career path your child is looking at, you'll have anywhere from six to 10 years between when you start saving until when you need to spend all the money in the account. This is because your child will have to get through four years of college and a number of years of graduate school -- two in the case of an MBA, three in the case of law school and four in the case of medical school. You can increase your 529 plan contributions, continue contributing while your child is in college and fiddle with your investment mix in an effort to produce higher returns than the 1 to 2 percent that a money market plan provides. If, on the other hand, your budding doctor or lawyer waits until the freshman or sophomore year to decide to attend post-graduate school, you have less time, but more than if the decision is a last-minute one (read "I can't find a job, so I'm going to grad school). You can still put money into a 529 plan knowing you have anywhere from four to seven years to grow that money before you have to spend it all. Even $50 to $100 a month can make an impact. "A lot of our clients contribute in the $50 to $200 range a month and even over just a few years, it can make a difference," says Hall. By saving $100 for five years at an interest rate of 3 percent, you could accumulate $6,522.75. And let's face it: graduate school is so expensive that even if you are only able to pay for your child's books, that is less money that he or she will have to borrow or scrounge up through an outside job or fellowship. Textbooks themselves can easily run more than $1,000 a year, even if you buy used textbooks. Even if this is a last-minute decision, not all is lost. Most graduate school programs run two years or more, so you could save some money the first year or so to spend on the last year or two, or three. Or, you could contribute money to the 529 plan that you plan to spend immediately on grad school tuition, room, fees or board and take it out 10 days later to make use of any tax deduction offered by your state. Step 5: Seeking funding help. As with college, the advertised price for graduate school is frequently less than most students pay. In their search for talented and committed students, most graduate schools are prepared to help financially with assistantships, loans, grants and scholarships. In addition, many employers will help with graduate school costs. "My son got interested in fundraising when he was in college at Penn State and was in charge of a large charity to help kids with cancer," says Cocco. "He ended up getting a job at Columbia University in alumni and donor relations and started in the Masters of Science program there in donor and charitable organizational relations. He's going there for nothing because of his job." Hall, who is attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington's International MBA program, notes that his program helps with housing in the overseas portion of the MBA program. Still, his costs are running about $15,000 for the one-year program, which is on the inexpensive side for a master's in business administration. Posted July 10, 2009 To give your child an edge, graduate school may be called for, but that can more than double your higher education costs. This is where a carefully funded Section 529 Plan comes in. While all but the very wealthy won't be able write a check for college and graduate school, you can use 529-plan money strategically to pay for some of both so that your child won't be overloaded with debt come graduation day. For many students it's largely uncertain they will actually attend graduate school. One day the student will say it's a near certainty but a few months later, they're talking about backpacking through Europe. This leaves you trying to plan for something that may not happen. Here are five steps you can take to assess the likelihood your student will attend graduate school with some ideas on how to decide the best way to allocate your 529 savings between college and the next level. Step 1: Examine the graduate-school plan. First, assess how serious your student is about graduate school. If it's been mentioned more than a couple of times, it's time to discuss the student's intentions and plans. Here are several important questions to ask: What do you plan to do with that degree? How do you think that degree will help you get the job you want? Where do you plan to apply? What will you do if you don't get in? How much will the degree cost? How do you plan to pay for it? If your child is just making conversation, you can encourage some serious thought and some research on their part before you discuss the issue again. Step 2: Look at funding resources. If you establish that your child is serious about graduate school and you are willing to provide some financial support, you should look at your financial resources and theirs and come up with a tentative funding plan. Look at the anticipated costs and expenses and compare that with what you've saved. If you're like most parents, you'll have a shortfall. If so, first examine whether you or your child have other resources to bridge that gap, such as current earnings, scholarships or grants, low-cost loans or work-study jobs. You could decide to dedicate the funds you've saved before your child starts college for the undergraduate education and target anything else you can save between college and graduate school for continuing education. Many parents keep contributing to a 529 plan while their child is in college to reap tax benefits and to continue the discipline of saving for later college years or graduate school. Alternatively, you could decide that a certain portion -- say 75 percent of what you've saved in the 529 plan -- is earmarked for college and the remaining portion for graduate school. Salvatore Cocco, Jr., CLU, a financial adviser with AXA Advisors in Woodbridge, N.J., advises parents to be careful of committing too much money to future graduate school tuition, because your child could change his or her mind. "When you're funding college, for most families, there is a 90 [percent] to 100 percent chance the kids will go to college and that money will get spent," he says. "With grad school -- even law school or medical school -- it's a 50-50 shot at best." On the other hand, it's hard to overfund college, so even if you put extra money into a 529 in anticipation of graduate school and it doesn't happen, there's nothing lost. College is so expensive and 529-plan spending rules are so flexible, says Cocco, you're likely to be allowed to use the funds to pay for anything from tuition, room, board, books, travel expenses to and from college, fees and study abroad. Step 3: Consider your other obligations. Even with graduate school in the picture for one of your kids, you should keep in mind your overall financial obligations to your retirement fund and your family emergency fund as well as helping pay for a higher education for all your children. One strategy Scott Hall, a financial adviser with Market Street Advisors in Wilmington, N.C., uses is to direct more 529 savings to the oldest child's account. "For a family with two kids what we'll have them do is put a higher percentage of the money into the older kid's account, in case they do want to go to grad school," he says. "That way, they have more money there to use. If that child doesn't go to grad school, you can take that money and combine it into the younger child's 529." Step 4. Figuring out the timing. The timing of this issue is an important consideration. It's far easier to plan for graduate school when it's clear your child will be continuing his or her education years in advance rather than waiting until a decision during the senior year of college. "If students are certain they are going to grad school, I advise clients to defer 529 distributions as long as possible," says Robert Standish, vice president of financial planning at BPU Investment Management in Pittsburgh, Pa. Doing that, he says, allows those funds to grow for a longer period of time, leveraging your investment and ultimately providing more funds for graduate school. When you know a year or two before your child starts college -- or even earlier in high school -- that graduate school is a definite possibility, you have more flexibility to plan for it. Depending on the career path your child is looking at, you'll have anywhere from six to 10 years between when you start saving until when you need to spend all the money in the account. This is because your child will have to get through four years of college and a number of years of graduate school -- two in the case of an MBA, three in the case of law school and four in the case of medical school. You can increase your 529 plan contributions, continue contributing while your child is in college and fiddle with your investment mix in an effort to produce higher returns than the 1 to 2 percent that a money market plan provides. If, on the other hand, your budding doctor or lawyer waits until the freshman or sophomore year to decide to attend post-graduate school, you have less time, but more than if the decision is a last-minute one (read "I can't find a job, so I'm going to grad school). You can still put money into a 529 plan knowing you have anywhere from four to seven years to grow that money before you have to spend it all. Even $50 to $100 a month can make an impact. "A lot of our clients contribute in the $50 to $200 range a month and even over just a few years, it can make a difference," says Hall. By saving $100 for five years at an interest rate of 3 percent, you could accumulate $6,522.75. And let's face it: graduate school is so expensive that even if you are only able to pay for your child's books, that is less money that he or she will have to borrow or scrounge up through an outside job or fellowship. Textbooks themselves can easily run more than $1,000 a year, even if you buy used textbooks. Even if this is a last-minute decision, not all is lost. Most graduate school programs run two years or more, so you could save some money the first year or so to spend on the last year or two, or three. Or, you could contribute money to the 529 plan that you plan to spend immediately on grad school tuition, room, fees or board and take it out 10 days later to make use of any tax deduction offered by your state. Step 5: Seeking funding help. As with college, the advertised price for graduate school is frequently less than most students pay. In their search for talented and committed students, most graduate schools are prepared to help financially with assistantships, loans, grants and scholarships. In addition, many employers will help with graduate school costs. "My son got interested in fundraising when he was in college at Penn State and was in charge of a large charity to help kids with cancer," says Cocco. "He ended up getting a job at Columbia University in alumni and donor relations and started in the Masters of Science program there in donor and charitable organizational relations. He's going there for nothing because of his job." Hall, who is attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington's International MBA program, notes that his program helps with housing in the overseas portion of the MBA program. Still, his costs are running about $15,000 for the one-year program, which is on the inexpensive side for a master's in business administration. Posted July 10, 2009 529 Double Duty College Plus Grad School To give your child an edge, graduate school may be called for, but that can more than double your higher education costs. This is where a carefully funded Section 529 Plan comes in. While all but the very wealthy won't be able write a check for college and graduate school, you can use 529-plan money strategically to pay for some of both so that your child won't be overloaded with debt come graduation day. For many students it's largely uncertain they will actually attend graduate school. One day the student will say it's a near certainty but a few months later, they're talking about backpacking through Europe. This leaves you trying to plan for something that may not happen. Here are five steps you can take to assess the likelihood your student will attend graduate school with some ideas on how to decide the best way to allocate your 529 savings between college and the next level. Step 1: Examine the graduate-school plan. First, assess how serious your student is about graduate school. If it's been mentioned more than a couple of times, it's time to discuss the student's intentions and plans. Here are several important questions to ask: What do you plan to do with that degree? How do you think that degree will help you get the job you want? Where do you plan to apply? What will you do if you don't get in? How much will the degree cost? How do you plan to pay for it? If your child is just making conversation, you can encourage some serious thought and some research on their part before you discuss the issue again. Step 2: Look at funding resources. If you establish that your child is serious about graduate school and you are willing to provide some financial support, you should look at your financial resources and theirs and come up with a tentative funding plan. Look at the anticipated costs and expenses and compare that with what you've saved. If you're like most parents, you'll have a shortfall. If so, first examine whether you or your child have other resources to bridge that gap, such as current earnings, scholarships or grants, low-cost loans or work-study jobs. You could decide to dedicate the funds you've saved before your child starts college for the undergraduate education and target anything else you can save between college and graduate school for continuing education. Many parents keep contributing to a 529 plan while their child is in college to reap tax benefits and to continue the discipline of saving for later college years or graduate school. Alternatively, you could decide that a certain portion -- say 75 percent of what you've saved in the 529 plan -- is earmarked for college and the remaining portion for graduate school. Salvatore Cocco, Jr., CLU, a financial adviser with AXA Advisors in Woodbridge, N.J., advises parents to be careful of committing too much money to future graduate school tuition, because your child could change his or her mind. "When you're funding college, for most families, there is a 90 [percent] to 100 percent chance the kids will go to college and that money will get spent," he says. "With grad school -- even law school or medical school -- it's a 50-50 shot at best." On the other hand, it's hard to overfund college, so even if you put extra money into a 529 in anticipation of graduate school and it doesn't happen, there's nothing lost. College is so expensive and 529-plan spending rules are so flexible, says Cocco, you're likely to be allowed to use the funds to pay for anything from tuition, room, board, books, travel expenses to and from college, fees and study abroad. Step 3: Consider your other obligations. Even with graduate school in the picture for one of your kids, you should keep in mind your overall financial obligations to your retirement fund and your family emergency fund as well as helping pay for a higher education for all your children. One strategy Scott Hall, a financial adviser with Market Street Advisors in Wilmington, N.C., uses is to direct more 529 savings to the oldest child's account. "For a family with two kids what we'll have them do is put a higher percentage of the money into the older kid's account, in case they do want to go to grad school," he says. "That way, they have more money there to use. If that child doesn't go to grad school, you can take that money and combine it into the younger child's 529." Step 4. Figuring out the timing. The timing of this issue is an important consideration. It's far easier to plan for graduate school when it's clear your child will be continuing his or her education years in advance rather than waiting until a decision during the senior year of college. "If students are certain they are going to grad school, I advise clients to defer 529 distributions as long as possible," says Robert Standish, vice president of financial planning at BPU Investment Management in Pittsburgh, Pa. Doing that, he says, allows those funds to grow for a longer period of time, leveraging your investment and ultimately providing more funds for graduate school. When you know a year or two before your child starts college -- or even earlier in high school -- that graduate school is a definite possibility, you have more flexibility to plan for it. Depending on the career path your child is looking at, you'll have anywhere from six to 10 years between when you start saving until when you need to spend all the money in the account. This is because your child will have to get through four years of college and a number of years of graduate school -- two in the case of an MBA, three in the case of law school and four in the case of medical school. You can increase your 529 plan contributions, continue contributing while your child is in college and fiddle with your investment mix in an effort to produce higher returns than the 1 to 2 percent that a money market plan provides. If, on the other hand, your budding doctor or lawyer waits until the freshman or sophomore year to decide to attend post-graduate school, you have less time, but more than if the decision is a last-minute one (read "I can't find a job, so I'm going to grad school). You can still put money into a 529 plan knowing you have anywhere from four to seven years to grow that money before you have to spend it all. Even $50 to $100 a month can make an impact. "A lot of our clients contribute in the $50 to $200 range a month and even over just a few years, it can make a difference," says Hall. By saving $100 for five years at an interest rate of 3 percent, you could accumulate $6,522.75. And let's face it: graduate school is so expensive that even if you are only able to pay for your child's books, that is less money that he or she will have to borrow or scrounge up through an outside job or fellowship. Textbooks themselves can easily run more than $1,000 a year, even if you buy used textbooks. Even if this is a last-minute decision, not all is lost. Most graduate school programs run two years or more, so you could save some money the first year or so to spend on the last year or two, or three. Or, you could contribute money to the 529 plan that you plan to spend immediately on grad school tuition, room, fees or board and take it out 10 days later to make use of any tax deduction offered by your state. Step 5: Seeking funding help. As with college, the advertised price for graduate school is frequently less than most students pay. In their search for talented and committed students, most graduate schools are prepared to help financially with assistantships, loans, grants and scholarships. In addition, many employers will help with graduate school costs. "My son got interested in fundraising when he was in college at Penn State and was in charge of a large charity to help kids with cancer," says Cocco. "He ended up getting a job at Columbia University in alumni and donor relations and started in the Masters of Science program there in donor and charitable organizational relations. He's going there for nothing because of his job." Hall, who is attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington's International MBA program, notes that his program helps with housing in the overseas portion of the MBA program. Still, his costs are running about $15,000 for the one-year program, which is on the inexpensive side for a master's in business administration. Posted July 10, 2009 To give your child an edge, graduate school may be called for, but that can more than double your higher education costs. This is where a carefully funded Section 529 Plan comes in. While all but the very wealthy won't be able write a check for college and graduate school, you can use 529-plan money strategically to pay for some of both so that your child won't be overloaded with debt come graduation day. For many students it's largely uncertain they will actually attend graduate school. One day the student will say it's a near certainty but a few months later, they're talking about backpacking through Europe. This leaves you trying to plan for something that may not happen. Here are five steps you can take to assess the likelihood your student will attend graduate school with some ideas on how to decide the best way to allocate your 529 savings between college and the next level. Step 1: Examine the graduate-school plan. First, assess how serious your student is about graduate school. If it's been mentioned more than a couple of times, it's time to discuss the student's intentions and plans. Here are several important questions to ask: What do you plan to do with that degree? How do you think that degree will help you get the job you want? Where do you plan to apply? What will you do if you don't get in? How much will the degree cost? How do you plan to pay for it? If your child is just making conversation, you can encourage some serious thought and some research on their part before you discuss the issue again. Step 2: Look at funding resources. If you establish that your child is serious about graduate school and you are willing to provide some financial support, you should look at your financial resources and theirs and come up with a tentative funding plan. Look at the anticipated costs and expenses and compare that with what you've saved. If you're like most parents, you'll have a shortfall. If so, first examine whether you or your child have other resources to bridge that gap, such as current earnings, scholarships or grants, low-cost loans or work-study jobs. You could decide to dedicate the funds you've saved before your child starts college for the undergraduate education and target anything else you can save between college and graduate school for continuing education. Many parents keep contributing to a 529 plan while their child is in college to reap tax benefits and to continue the discipline of saving for later college years or graduate school. Alternatively, you could decide that a certain portion -- say 75 percent of what you've saved in the 529 plan -- is earmarked for college and the remaining portion for graduate school. Salvatore Cocco, Jr., CLU, a financial adviser with AXA Advisors in Woodbridge, N.J., advises parents to be careful of committing too much money to future graduate school tuition, because your child could change his or her mind. "When you're funding college, for most families, there is a 90 [percent] to 100 percent chance the kids will go to college and that money will get spent," he says. "With grad school -- even law school or medical school -- it's a 50-50 shot at best." On the other hand, it's hard to overfund college, so even if you put extra money into a 529 in anticipation of graduate school and it doesn't happen, there's nothing lost. College is so expensive and 529-plan spending rules are so flexible, says Cocco, you're likely to be allowed to use the funds to pay for anything from tuition, room, board, books, travel expenses to and from college, fees and study abroad. Step 3: Consider your other obligations. Even with graduate school in the picture for one of your kids, you should keep in mind your overall financial obligations to your retirement fund and your family emergency fund as well as helping pay for a higher education for all your children. One strategy Scott Hall, a financial adviser with Market Street Advisors in Wilmington, N.C., uses is to direct more 529 savings to the oldest child's account. "For a family with two kids what we'll have them do is put a higher percentage of the money into the older kid's account, in case they do want to go to grad school," he says. "That way, they have more money there to use. If that child doesn't go to grad school, you can take that money and combine it into the younger child's 529." Step 4. Figuring out the timing. The timing of this issue is an important consideration. It's far easier to plan for graduate school when it's clear your child will be continuing his or her education years in advance rather than waiting until a decision during the senior year of college. "If students are certain they are going to grad school, I advise clients to defer 529 distributions as long as possible," says Robert Standish, vice president of financial planning at BPU Investment Management in Pittsburgh, Pa. Doing that, he says, allows those funds to grow for a longer period of time, leveraging your investment and ultimately providing more funds for graduate school. When you know a year or two before your child starts college -- or even earlier in high school -- that graduate school is a definite possibility, you have more flexibility to plan for it. Depending on the career path your child is looking at, you'll have anywhere from six to 10 years between when you start saving until when you need to spend all the money in the account. This is because your child will have to get through four years of college and a number of years of graduate school -- two in the case of an MBA, three in the case of law school and four in the case of medical school. You can increase your 529 plan contributions, continue contributing while your child is in college and fiddle with your investment mix in an effort to produce higher returns than the 1 to 2 percent that a money market plan provides. If, on the other hand, your budding doctor or lawyer waits until the freshman or sophomore year to decide to attend post-graduate school, you have less time, but more than if the decision is a last-minute one (read "I can't find a job, so I'm going to grad school). You can still put money into a 529 plan knowing you have anywhere from four to seven years to grow that money before you have to spend it all. Even $50 to $100 a month can make an impact. "A lot of our clients contribute in the $50 to $200 range a month and even over just a few years, it can make a difference," says Hall. By saving $100 for five years at an interest rate of 3 percent, you could accumulate $6,522.75. And let's face it: graduate school is so expensive that even if you are only able to pay for your child's books, that is less money that he or she will have to borrow or scrounge up through an outside job or fellowship. Textbooks themselves can easily run more than $1,000 a year, even if you buy used textbooks. Even if this is a last-minute decision, not all is lost. Most graduate school programs run two years or more, so you could save some money the first year or so to spend on the last year or two, or three. Or, you could contribute money to the 529 plan that you plan to spend immediately on grad school tuition, room, fees or board and take it out 10 days later to make use of any tax deduction offered by your state. Step 5: Seeking funding help. As with college, the advertised price for graduate school is frequently less than most students pay. In their search for talented and committed students, most graduate schools are prepared to help financially with assistantships, loans, grants and scholarships. In addition, many employers will help with graduate school costs. "My son got interested in fundraising when he was in college at Penn State and was in charge of a large charity to help kids with cancer," says Cocco. "He ended up getting a job at Columbia University in alumni and donor relations and started in the Masters of Science program there in donor and charitable organizational relations. He's going there for nothing because of his job." Hall, who is attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington's International MBA program, notes that his program helps with housing in the overseas portion of the MBA program. Still, his costs are running about $15,000 for the one-year program, which is on the inexpensive side for a master's in business administration. Posted July 10, 2009