Start Early, Build Your Savings Over Time

Published May 7, 2026

TOPEKA, KS (May 7, 2026) – When a baby comes home from the hospital, college is the last thing on most new parents' minds. But ask any parent of a high school senior, and they'll tell you – those 18 years go by fast.

According to the Quest529 Education Savings Calculator, to reach $50,000 in college savings by the time a child turns 18, a family that starts at birth needs to set aside $125 a month. If they wait until the child is 10, that figure jumps to roughly $365 a month — almost three times as much — for the same result.²

Kansas families are discovering that a Quest529 education savings account may be a valuable tool for planning and saving for future education expenses. Quest529 serves more than 237,000 account owners and families across the country, with approximately $14.7 billion in assets under management.³

Enrolling in the Kansas program just takes a few minutes. Not only does it carry the lowest fees in the country, but it was also built with busy families in mind and includes:

• Compelling tax benefits: Kansas taxpayers are eligible for a state income tax deduction on contributions to the plan, earnings grow tax-deferred and withdrawals for qualified expenses are tax-free.
• Enrollment-year portfolios that automatically shift investments as a child gets closer to college age — no guesswork required.
• READYSAVE^™ 529 mobile app for account access, contributions, and progress tracking from a phone.
• Ugift^® online gifting tool, which lets grandparents, relatives, and friends contribute directly to a child's account. A birthday contribution to a 529 is a gift that can grow as your child grows.
• Flexibility to use funds for community college, trade school, and vocational programs — whatever path a child chooses.

"Every Kansas family deserves the chance to build a strong financial future for their children, and that future can start with early, smart saving," said Kansas State Treasurer Steven Johnson, administrator of the Kansas Quest529 Plan and national chair of the College Savings Plan Network. "With Quest529, we've created one of the most affordable and accessible education savings plans in the country. Time and compounding growth are a family's greatest financial allies."

A Case for Starting Early

When it comes to saving for college, time is your greatest asset. Every dollar you invest in a college savings account earns returns, and those returns get reinvested, allowing your balance to grow on itself. The longer that cycle runs, the more powerful it becomes.

And that growth matters more than ever, because college costs are rising fast. According to the College Board's Trends in College Pricing, tuition and fees at public four-year universities have risen substantially over the past three decades, often with costs growing far faster than inflation. A four-year public university education that costs around $100,000 today could cost significantly more by the time today's newborns enroll. (Source: College Board, Trends in College Pricing, 2025–26)

The good news? Starting early can make a real difference. College financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz puts it plainly: Parents who wait until high school to start saving will need to set aside six times as much per month to reach the same goal as those who start at birth. His recommendation is straightforward — saving roughly $250 a month from day one is enough to cover about a third of the expected cost of an in-state public university. (Source: Mark Kantrowitz, CNBC, "Saving for College: What You Need to Know About a 529 Plan")

It's no wonder that 529 college savings plans have grown in popularity. With costs on the rise and the power of compounding working in your favor, there has never been a better reason to start saving early.

About Quest529

Quest529 is the Kansas 529 postsecondary education savings program, administered by Kansas State Treasurer Steven Johnson. Following a competitive procurement process, TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing, Inc. was selected as program manager, effective March 2, 2026. With average total annual asset-based fees as low as 0.08%, Quest529 is among the most affordable 529 plans in the nation¹, serving more than 237,000 account owners and families across the country. Learn more at Quest529.com.

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Media Contact:

Tom Mentzer
Mentzer PR Group (for Quest529)
tmentzer@mprg.biz
913-626-9066