BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 13, 2024--
This holiday season, why not help your loved ones pay for a college education? For most parents of college-bound children, a contribution to a college savings account is a welcomed gift. MEFA has partnered with Gift of College, a platform that allows friends and family members to contribute to a 529 college savings plan (or ABLE account) or help pay down student loans through gift cards that are made available at CVS stores across the Commonwealth. Gift cards may also be purchased online at giftofcollege.com.
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The new U.Fund Gift of College Card is the perfect gift for children of any age, expectant parents, college graduates, or individuals with an ABLE account, such as the Attainable ® Savings Plan. Available in amounts between $25 and $200 at CVS locations across Massachusetts, the gift card is easily redeemed in a college savings or ABLE account or applied toward a student loan balance.
“Gift cards are a popular choice for consumers and now they can be used to easily contribute money to a loved one’s college savings account. We have heard from parents that a gift card would be appreciated because any help toward paying for costs related to future education expenses is a welcomed one. A MEFA U.Fund Gift of College Card will be a gift appreciated by both students and parents,” said Thomas Graf, Executive Director of MEFA, the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority.
In a recent Fidelity Investments* survey, 74% of parents say they would welcome a contribution to their child’s college savings account; 62% would even prefer it.
In addition to families, the MEFA U.Fund Gift of College Card is also an ideal gift for:
A Case for Making Saving a Good Habit
While gift cards are a way to help family members and friends pay for expenses such as college tuition, fees, housing, food, books, and more, they also help lessen potential college debt. Every dollar saved for college could mean one less dollar borrowed that needs to be repaid with interest.
Families saving with the MEFA U.Fund 529 College Investing Plan or the MEFA U.Plan Prepaid Tuition Program have an added benefit: savings allocated to their accounts by December 31 st may qualify for a 2024 Massachusetts state tax deduction.
Recipients can redeem the Gift of College Card funds into a 529 colleges savings account, a student loan account, or an ABLE account online at giftofcollege.com. Learn more about the U.Fund Gift of College card here.
About the MEFA U.Fund
The MEFA U.Fund 529 College Investing Plan allows families to save for college with tax-free earnings and tax-free withdrawals when used to pay for qualified educational expenses. There is no minimum contribution needed to open an account. The MEFA U.Fund has been available to families for 25 years, and families have saved over 10 billion dollars with the U.Fund. The U.Fund was named one of the top five 529 plans in the country by Morningstar in 2024. It is an affordable, flexible, and powerful way to save for education expenses. Funds from 529 accounts may also be used for K-12 tuition expenses (up to $10,000 per year) and for expenses related to apprenticeship programs. Unused money left in a 529 account may later be rolled over into a Roth IRA. To learn more about the MEFA U.Fund, visit fidelity.com/ufund.
About the MEFA U.Plan
The U.Plan Prepaid Tuition Program allows families to prepay college tuition and mandatory fees at over 70 public and private colleges and universities across Massachusetts while locking in current prices. As one of the most stable and reliable prepaid plans in the nation, the U.Plan has no fees, no Massachusetts state or federal taxes on earnings, and also qualifies Massachusetts residents for the college savings state tax deduction. To learn more about the U.Plan, visit mefa.org/uplan.
About Attainable ®
The Attainable ® Savings Plan provides a means for individuals with disabilities and their families to save in a tax-advantaged account for health and personal care expenses. Eligible individuals can save up to $18,000 a year and still receive disability benefits. Investment earnings and withdrawals are free from federal taxes when used to pay for qualified disability expenses. To learn more about the Attainable® Savings Plan, visit mefa.org/attainable.
MEFA is a state authority, not reliant on state or federal appropriations, established under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 15C. MEFA's mission, since its founding in 1982, has been to help Massachusetts students and families access and afford higher education and reach financial goals through education programs, tax-advantaged savings plans, competitive loans, and expert guidance. All of MEFA's work aligns with the ever-present goal to support the independence, growth, and success of Massachusetts students and families. Visit mefa.org to learn more.
The U.Fund Gift of College Card can be found at CVS stores across the Commonwealth. (Graphic: Business Wire)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is pressing ahead with efforts to unify Middle East nations in support of a peaceful political transition in Syria.
He is meeting on Friday with Turkey's foreign minister after talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to try to bring Turkey into a consensus to prevent Syria from collapsing into wider turmoil. It's Blinken's 12th trip to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in Gaza last year but first since the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The outgoing Biden administration is particularly concerned that a power vacuum in Syria could exacerbate already heightened tensions in the region and create conditions for the Islamic State group to regain territory and influence.
The fighting between Israel and Hamas has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The war in Gaza was sparked by an Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas in southern Israel in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and around 250 others were taken hostage. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Here's the latest:
DAMASCUS — The kingdom of Bahrain sent a message Friday to Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
It said Bahrain is “fully prepared to consult with you continuously and to provide support in regional and international organizations to achieve what is in the interest of the brotherly Syrian people.”
It added, “We look forward to Syria regaining its authentic role in the Arab League.”
Syria was readmitted to the Arab League last year after 12 years of ostracization. It is still unclear how the international community will deal officially with the new interim government in Syria.
JERUSALEM - Israel’s defense minister told troops to prepare to remain through the winter months on the peak of Mount Hermon, Syria’s highest point, located in a swath of southern Syria that Israeli troops moved into after the fall of Damascus to insurgents.
The comments by Defense Minister Israel Katz signaled that the military will extend its occupation of the zone along the border, which Israel says it seized to create a buffer zone.
In a statement Friday, Katz said that holding the peak was of major importance for Israel’s security and that it would be necessary to build facilities there to sustain troops through the winter.
The summit of Mount Hermon, the highest peak on the eastern Mediterranean coast at 2,814 meters (9,232 feet), gives a commanding view over the plains of southern Syria. It also positions Israeli troops about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the center of Damascus. The mount is divided between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Lebanon and Syria. Only the United States recognizes Israel’s control of the Golan Heights.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israeli troops would remain in the zone until another force across the border in Syria could guarantee security. Israeli troops moved into the zone -– set as a demilitarized area inside Syrian territory under truce deals that ended the 1973 Mideast war -- after the regime of Bashar al-Assad fell last weekend.
ANKARA, Turkey -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday there was “broad agreement” between Turkey and the United States on what they would like to see in Syria following the ouster of President Bashar Assad.
“There’s broad agreement on what we would like to see going forward, starting with the interim government in Syria, one that is inclusive and non-sectarian and one that protects the rights of minorities and women” and does not “pose any kind of threat to any of Syria’s neighbors,” Blinken said in joint statements with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
The insurgent groups that toppled Assad in Syria have not made clear their policy or stance on Israel, whose military in recent days has bombed sites all over the country, saying it is trying to prevent weapons from falling into extremist hands.
Blinken also said it was crucial to keep the Islamic State group under control.
“We also discussed the imperative of continuing the efforts to keep ISIS down. Our countries worked very hard and gave a lot over many years to ensure the elimination of the territorial caliphate of ISIS to ensure that that threat doesn’t rear its head again,” Blinken said.
The Turkish foreign minister said the two discussed ways of establishing prosperity in Syria and ending terrorism in the country.
“Our priority is establishing stability in Syria as soon as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and ensuring that IS and the PKK aren’t dominant,” Fidan said, in a reference to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party.
Blinken said: “We’re very focused on Syria, very focused on the opportunity that now is before us and before the Syrian people to move from out from under the shackles of Bashar al-Assad to a different and better future for the Syrian people, one that the Syrian people decide for themselves.”
Blinken and Fidan said they had also discussed a ceasefire for Gaza.
“We’ve seen in the last couple of weeks more encouraging signs that (a ceasefire) is possible,” Blinken said.
Blinken, who is making his 12th trip to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year but first since the weekend ouster of Assad, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Thursday.
The outgoing Biden administration is particularly concerned that a power vacuum in Syria could exacerbate already heightened tensions in the region, which is already wracked by multiple conflicts, and create conditions for the Islamic State group to regain territory and influence.
Later Friday, Blinken is to return to Jordan for meetings on Saturday with Arab foreign ministers and senior officials from the European Union, the Arab League and the United Nations.
ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey has appointed a temporary charge d’affaires to reopen its embassy in Syria, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported.
The Turkish Embassy in Damascus had suspended operations in 2012 due to the escalating security problems during the Syrian civil war and embassy staff and their families were recalled to Turkey.
The Anadolu Agency said late Thursday that Turkey appointed Burhan Koroglu, its ambassador in Mauritania, to the post.
UNITED NATIONS- – Two U.N. aid convoys were violently attacked in Gaza, making it virtually impossible for humanitarian agencies to operate without putting staff and civilians at risk, the U.N. food agency says.
On Wednesday, a 70-truck convoy from Kerem Shalom was waiting for personnel to safeguard the food and other aid destined for central Gaza when there were reported attacks by Israeli forces in the nearby humanitarian zone, the U.N. World Food Program said Thursday.
More than 50 people are now estimated to have died in the attacks, including civilians and local security personnel who had been expected to ensure the convoy’s safety, WFP said.
The Rome-based agency said the convoy was forced to proceed from Kerem Shalom to central Gaza without any security arrangements, using the Philadelphi corridor, an Israeli-controlled route that had been recently approved and successfully utilized twice.
On the way, WFP said, conflict and insecurity led to a loss of communication with the convoy for more than 12 hours. ”Eventually, the trucks were found but all food and aid supplies were looted,” the U.N. agency said.
In a second incident, Israeli soldiers approached a WFP convoy moving out of the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza, fired warning shots, conducted extensive security checks, and temporarily detained drivers and staff, the agency said.
“As the trucks were delayed, four out of the five trucks were lost to violent armed looting,” WFP said.
UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations chief has a message for Israel: Stop the attacks on Syria.
Secretary-General António Guterres is particularly concerned about several hundred Israeli airstrikes on several Syrian locations and stresses “the urgent need to de-escalate violence on all fronts throughout the country," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Thursday.
The Israeli military said Tuesday it carried out more than 350 strikes in Syria over the previous 48 hours, hitting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country to stop them from falling into the hands of extremists.
Israel also acknowledged pushing into a buffer zone inside Syria following last week’s overthrow of President Bashar Assad. The buffer zone was established after Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1973 war.
Dujarric said Guterres condemns all actions violating the 1974 ceasefire agreement between the two countries that remain in force. And the U.N. chief calls on the parties to uphold the agreement and end “all unauthorized presence in the area of separation” and refrain from any action undermining the ceasefire and stability in the Golan Heights, the spokesman said.
A Palestinian child injured in an Israeli strike on a building arrives at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Relatives of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and their supporters protest outside of the U.S. Embassy branch office during a visit by White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to call for an immediate hostage release deal, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
A Palestinian boy pushes a wheelchair carrying jerrycans and plastic bottles with water at a camp for displaced people in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Syrians wait to cross into Syria from Turkey at the Oncupinar border gate, near the town of Kilis, southern Turkey, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
A man rides his motorcycle past shops and stores that, according to locals, have been destroyed for been used or owned by Bashar Assad's supporters, in Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Turkish charity organisation Fetih distributes bread at the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp inn the outskirts of Damascus Thursday Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Israeli soldiers stand next to armoured vehicles before crossing the security fence, moving towards the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Israeli soldiers with the national flag stand on an armoured vehicle after crossing the security fence near the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Morners attend the funeral procession of Syrian activist Mazen al-Hamada in Damascus Thursday Dec. 12, 2024. Al-Hamad's mangled corpse was found wrapped in a bloody sheet in Saydnaya prison. He had fled to Europe but returned to Syria in 2020 and was imprisoned upon arrival. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A Syrian man speaks on his mobile phone as stands on the stairs of a damaged building in the town of Harasta, east of Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Syrians gather in celebration days after the fall of Bashar Assad's government at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
