Minnesota College Savings Plan

Glossary

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Family Member
A "member of the family" of a Beneficiary is a person related to that Beneficiary as follows: (i) a son or daughter, or a descendant of either; (ii) a stepson or stepdaughter; (iii) a brother, sister, stepbrother or stepsister; (iv) the father or mother, or an ancestor of either; (v) a stepfather or stepmother; (vi) a son or daughter of a brother or sister; (vii) a brother or sister of the father or mother; (viii) a son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law or sister-in-law; (ix) the spouse of the Beneficiary or of any of the other foregoing individuals; or (x) a first cousin of the Beneficiary. For this purpose, a child includes a legally adopted child and a brother or sister includes a half-brother or half-sister.

Individual Account Application
This is the account application typically used by an individual (parent, grandparent, family member or friend). Download the Individual Account (PDF, 446KB) application.

IRA
Individual Retirement Account. A tax-deferred or tax-free retirement account established by an individual that permits the individual to set aside up to a certain amount per year, with earnings tax-deferred until withdrawals begin at age 59 1/2 or later (or earlier, with a 10% IRS penalty) or, in the case of a Roth IRA, are tax-free on withdrawal.

IRS
The Internal Revenue Service is the nation's tax collection agency and administers the Internal Revenue Code enacted by Congress.

Minor Trust Account Application
This is an account application used by a Custodian. Download the Minor Trust Account Application (PDF, 74KB) application. 

Plan
The plan is the Minnesota College Savings Plan. It is administered by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, and the money is invested by the State Board of Investment of the State of Minnesota. TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing, Inc. (TFI) serves as Program Manager. TFI's affiliate, TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC distributes the Minnesota College Savings Plan.

Program Manager
The Program Manager is the person or entity that the State engages to provide administrative and other services for the Program. The Minnesota College Savings Plan Program Manager is TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing, Inc. (TFI). TFI's affiliate, TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC distributes Minnesota College Savings Plan.

Qualified Higher Education Expenses
Section 529 qualified higher education expenses include tuition, fees, and the cost of books, supplies, and equipment required for the enrollment and attendance of the Beneficiary at an eligible educational institution and, certain room and board expenses. Qualified Higher Education Expenses also include certain additional enrollment and attendance costs of a Beneficiary who is a special needs beneficiary in connection with the Beneficiary's enrollment or attendance at an eligible institution. For this purpose, an eligible educational institution generally includes accredited postsecondary educational institutions offering credit toward a bachelor's degree, an associate's degree, a graduate-level degree or professional degree, or another recognized postsecondary credential.

Rollover
A tax-free reinvestment from one qualified plan to another within a specific time frame, usually 60 days.

You are permitted to transfer funds from another 529 college savings plan to an account in the Minnesota College Savings Plan for the same beneficiary once within a 12-month period without incurring federal income tax. The 529 college savings plan from which you are transferring funds may be subject to differences in features, costs and surrender charges. You should consult with your tax advisor or the other 529 college savings plan.


Glossary terms continue:

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NOT SURE WHERE TO BEGIN?
  1. Use the calculators to see how much college will cost and how much you need to save.
  2. Read the FAQ and the Minnesota College Savings Plan Disclosure Booklet and Participation Agreements (PDF, 773KB), or call us toll-free at
    1-877-338-4646.
  3. Open a Minnesota College Savings Plan account today.

Don't forget you can set up an Automatic Contribution Plan (PDF, 50KB) or use Payroll Deduction (PDF, 46KB) for your contributions (if offered by your employer).

PDF files require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Get it here.

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The tax information contained on the Minnesota College Savings Plan Web site is not intended to be used, and cannot be used by any taxpayer, for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. It was written to support the promotion of the products and services addressed in the Web site. Taxpayers should seek advice based on their own particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor.

Consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing in the Minnesota College Savings Plan. Please call toll-free 1(877) 338-4646 for a Disclosure Booklet containing this information. Read it carefully.

Before investing in a 529 plan, you should consider whether the state you or your designated beneficiary reside in or have taxable income in has a 529 plan that offers favorable state income tax or other benefits that are only available if you invest in that state’s 529 plan.

TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, distributes Minnesota College Savings Plan. The State of Minnesota, its agencies, TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing, Inc., Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America and its affiliates do not insure any account or guarantee its principal or investment return except for TIAA-CREF Life Insurance Company’s guarantee to Minnesota College Savings Plan under the funding agreement for the Guaranteed Option. Account value will fluctuate based upon a number of factors, including general market conditions.

The Minnesota College Savings Plan Web site contains links to other Web sites. Neither Minnesota College Savings Plan nor TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing, Inc. and its affiliates are responsible for the content of those other Web sites. The accuracy of information on those sites cannot be confirmed.

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© 2007 TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing, Inc. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, distributes Minnesota College Savings Plan. 2008 TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing Inc.