Ohio 529 plan explorer
2025 Cleveland Guardian winner Maura Johnson, with her family, holds her oversized check from Trisha Good, Ohio 529 executive director

Ohio 529 Announces 2025 Cleveland Guardians Home Run Winner

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The Cleveland Guardians and Ohio 529 CollegeAdvantage teamed up this summer to help Northeast Ohio families hit a home run for their education goals.

One lucky Cleveland Guardians fan received the grand prize of a $10,000 college savings award to add a CollegeAdvantage Direct 529 account. The winner, Maura Johnson, is using savings award among her children’s Ohio 529 accounts.

Maura was joined by her parents, Mike and Kim, and brother, Aiden, on the field for a check presentation at the Sept. 14 win against the Chicago White Sox. Trisha Good, executive director for Ohio 529 CollegeAdvantage, presented Maura with her check. The three runner-up winners Michael Herstek, Stephen Kontur, and Kristin Machuga, also won tickets to game and joined Maura in the suite.

Congratulations to all our winners! Thank you to everyone who participated!

Would you like to win a college savings award for your own Ohio 529 account? Sign up for email newsletter or visit our  blog page for announcements of upcoming giveaways.

Since 1989, Ohio 529 has been the tax-advantaged way to save for your children’s future college or career training costs. With tax-free earnings, tax-free withdrawals for qualified expenses, and a $4,000 state income tax deduction for Ohio residents, Ohio 529 is the smart and simple way to save for your children’s future. Ohio 529 can be used nationwide at any federally accredited programs such as four-year colleges and universities, community colleges, technical, art or music schools, vocational or trade schools, apprenticeships, certificate and credential programs, graduate schools, law schools, and medical schools.

Learn, plan, and start with as little as $25 with Ohio 529 Plan today at CollegeAdvantage.

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529 Short Course: New Parents

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5 things every new parent needs to know about saving for education

  1. Why Ohio 529?
    529s are specifically created for higher education savings. Unlike a traditional banking account, a 529 account benefits from tax-free earnings and tax-free withdrawals. For Ohio residents, there is also a state income tax deduction for those contributions.
  2. It’s simple to start.
    You can open your 529 account online in minutes with as little as $25. With ready-made portfolio options, you don’t have to be a financial expert to feel confident in your savings plan choices.
  3. Set it and forget it with automatic deposits.
    The sooner you start saving, the longer your account benefits from the Ohio 529 tax advantages as well as compound interest. Many new parents take their 529 contributions off their to-do list by setting up small automatic deposits from either their banking accounts or paycheck. Also, with our ReadySave 529 app, it’s also easy to track and adjust your account right on your mobile device.
  4. Save for college, career training, and more.
    Ohio 529 can be used at over 30,000 schools of all kinds, nationwide, including universities; community colleges; trade, technical, and vocational schools; certificate programs; and apprenticeships. Your Ohio 529 account can also pay for K-12 tuition at a public, private, or religious school. And, if it’s not needed for educational expenses, you can now roll over your 529 to a Roth IRA.
  5. Others can help.
    It’s easy for family and friends to contribute to your child’s account and receive tax benefits for themselves. You can share your account’s unique Ugift number with others to contribute online without creating their own 529 accounts. Those who live in Ohio will also receive a state income tax deduction for their contributions. Also, you can sign up to have reminder emails sent to you and loved ones for the big milestones in your child’s life.
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A mother watches her daughter open a gift

Ugift Is Savings Gold

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Hoping to find gold at the end of the rainbow? If you are saving with Ohio 529 CollegeAdvantage, you have the benefit of Ugift with your account, which is savings gold.

Ugift makes it easy for others to give to your Ohio 529 account. With Ugift, you generate a unique code which allows loved ones to contribute to your Ohio 529 savings plan without needing the actual account number. Once they have the Ugift code, your friends and family can visit Ugift529.com to make their online gifts directly to your 529.

When friends and family ask for gift ideas, share that you are saving for your child’s future education with Ohio 529. Then invite them to join in with gift contributions to your Ohio 529 account with Ugift. After all, a gift for your child’s education will truly last a lifetime.

The quickest and easiest way to pass along your child’s Ugift code is with the ReadySave 529 app, which you can access as an Ohio 529 CollegeAdvantage account owner. At the bottom of every page is an Ugift icon. Click on the gift symbol to view your Ugift code which you can send immediately as an invitation via texts, emails, and Facebook/Instagram chats from your phone.

Or log into your account online to view your child’s Ugift code to send to family and friends who would like to give the gift of education.

The Ugift code doesn’t expire. Which means whenever there is an occasion to celebrate­ like baby showers, holidays, birthdays, graduations, and special achievements, your family and friends can give to your Ohio 529 account. And they can choose to contribute as much as they want whenever they want. It can be a one-time gift or recurring gift; all they need is that Ugift code. Your loved ones’ contributions - whether big or small – will add up over the years. Added to the power of compound interest, these gifts will power your 529 savings to cover even more college and career training costs.

An added bonus for gift givers who live in Ohio: They are also eligible to receive a state income tax deduction for their Ohio 529 gift contributions, up to $4,000 per year, per beneficiary.

To learn more about all of the gifting options with Ohio 529 and order cards for special occasions, visit  529 Gift Central.

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  • 1 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Understand the cost of delaying
  • 2 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Compare the two most common ways to save
  • 3 Thumbnail image for READ: The 5 things every new parent needs to know about saving for education
  • 4 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Wondering about flexibility?
  • 5 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Here's help figuring out how much to save.
  • 6 Thumbnail image for READ: Why a Ugift code is savings gold
  • 7 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Concerned about annoying fees?
  • 8 Thumbnail image for WATCH: The simplest, most popular way to invest
  • 9 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Complete portfolios with predefined risk levels