Treasurer Schmitt Launches ‘Back to School’ Tour to Promote College Savings Plan, Announces Revamped Outreach Effort

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Aug. 28 -- Missouri State Treasurer Eric Schmitt issued the following news release:

State Treasurer Eric Schmitt will hold eight events over the next five days in an effort to increase awareness of Missouri's MOST 529 College Savings Plan. Schmitt's "Back to School" tour, which will include school visits, meetings with business and community leaders and even a Twitter town hall, marks the launch of a revamped outreach effort aimed at driving greater participation in the program.

MOST 529 is a tax-advantaged program that empowers Missouri families to save for a child's higher education. Investments in the plan can be used for expenses like certain room and board costs, tuition, books and fees at most four-year colleges and many two-year institutions and vocational trade schools.

"Unfortunately there are many parents in our state who aren't aware of the benefits of opening a MOST 529 account to save for their child's higher education," Schmitt said. "As a dad, I know firsthand the impact opening a MOST account can have on how our kids see their futures. By revamping our outreach effort for this program we hope to significantly increase parent awareness and expand educational opportunity for Missouri students."

The "Back to School" initiative will be kicked off at 2:00 PM today with a Twitter Town Hall hosted by The Missouri Times. In addition to the tour, Schmitt is rolling out a number of changes to improve public awareness of the plan, including:

* Modernizing program marketing with a renewed focus on digital platforms

* Creating partnerships with school districts to distribute information

* Updating MOST program branding to make it easier to understand and identify

* Working with business leaders to encourage employees to participate in the program

* Coordinating with non-profit groups to spark greater investment

The MOST 529 Plan offers federal and state tax benefits, low costs and flexible ways to contribute. There are currently more than 150,000 active MOST accounts with around $2.8 billion in total assets. To learn more about MOST 529, visit MissouriMost.org or call 888-414-MOST (888-414-6678).