Thanks to state-sponsored 529 plans, friends and family can finally contribute to college savings funds without drowning under long forms and boring paperwork.

Two websites are making saving for college almost as easy as using PayPal.

• Upromise allows you to contribute to any of their 529 savings plans.
• FreshmanFund allows you to contribute to any plan, including those hosted elsewhere.

Most states offer their own 529 plans, which act as tax shelters for education money. What reasonable kid would want a video game or a round of pin-the-tail-on-the-bully when they could get the gift of education?!

The Gift of College Savings, Now Made Easy Online [The Washington Post]
RELATED: 529 College Savings Plans By State

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