The Best Way to Save for College: A Complete Guide to 529 Plans

This book clarified several doubts, myths and misconceptions about 529 plans. I was concerned that the book only discussed 529 plans (because of the subtitle), but even though 529 plans are the main topic covered, it also talks about other options (UGMA/UTMA accounts, Coverdell ESAs, etc.) compares and contrasts them. The book is clearly written and explains financial and tax details of 529 plans at a level most readers will easily understand. You should buy the latest edition (2007) as it contains the most updated information. For instance it mentions about the pension bill that extended the tax-free account withdrawals for 529s beyond 2010. I was also very happy about the detailed chapter on tax benefits. It mentions several unique features of some plans, for instance the fact that if you are a resident of the state of Pennsylvania, you can now deduct contributions (up to $12,000) to any 529 plan from your state income tax. About a third of the book has an overview of 529 plans offered by each state, while useful, this information is also available in the companion [...], which also happens to be an excellent resource. In my wish list for this book I would include access to the premium content on the companion website.

Has some great ideas for 529 plans. Take home message: it's not hard to get started, and get started NOW if you've not already! I wanted to get a better idea of 529s, as we've had Upromise for quite a while now. Good State-by-State analysis.