Celebrating NEST Fest 2011 in Three Nebraska Cities

Balloons, entertainment, and free pizza were among the highlights of NEST Fest 2011 on Saturday, Sept. 24, in Columbus, North Platte, and Scottsbluff. Children and their parents and grandparents took part in the festivities sponsored by First National Bank of Omaha to promote College Savings Month in Nebraska.

Organizers said an estimated 400 to 500 people attended the Columbus festivities and events in the other two cities also were well attended.

More expensive all the time

“For you, parents, the NEST plans help assure that money will be available when you need it to pay for your children’s college expenses. That's important, because, as we all know, a college education is becoming more expensive all the time,” State Treasurer Don Stenberg told the crowd attending the NEST Fest in Columbus. The State Treasurer is trustee of the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST), which offers four convenient savings plans for college.

Treasurer Stenberg pointed out that the national average for tuition and fees at a four-year public college was more than $7,600 in 2010, according to the College Board. At a four-year private college, the average was more than $27,000 a year.

‘Good investment’

“That's a big investment. But it's a good investment,” he said. “College graduates earn almost twice as much as their peers who do not have college educations.” He noted that the median family income in 2009 for those with bachelor’s degrees was almost $100,000, according to the College Board. The median family income for those with high school diplomas was less than half of that.

Also speaking at the Columbus event were Columbus Mayor Mike Moser, who proclaimed September as College Savings Month in Columbus, and Deborah Goodkin, Managing Director, Nebraska College Savings Plans at First National Bank of Omaha. “We are committed to educating the communities of Nebraska about the importance of saving early for a college education in order to ensure the future success of our youth,” Goodkin said.