I’ve long been a critic of 529 plans. Additional costs and a tendency to take too much risk with money you have allocated to a loved one makes their use much less attractive than many alternatives. Oppenheimer Funds, in an effort to increase sales, is ratcheting up the volatility in their 529 plans. Oppenheimer’s Steve Dombrower recently told Investment News that, “Thousands of advisers who sell these funds aren’t selling our 529s, and we hope they now will. We’re also adding

President Obama’s announced plans to use executive orders to change student loan payback and loan forgiveness continues a trend of increasing government support for college debtors (not savers). It’s important for young professionals that are considering how they will pay for a child’s education in the future to consider this trend, and that it may make sense to maintain flexibility in their plans because of it. When young savers seek financial advice it is often when they be