Families Plan for Future College Savings Needs With Help From TopLine

MAPLE GROVE, MN--(Marketwired - Dec 3, 2013) -  Twin Cities-based TopLine Federal Credit Union led a series of workshops in October at the first-ever Robbinsdale Middle School Parent Summit -- College Now, College Later: It's Never Too Early to Talk About College. More than 150 people attended the summit, sponsored by Robbinsdale Middle School's Parents as Our Partners Program, Robbinsdale School District and a grant from Hennepin Technical College's Gaining Early Awareness & Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). The event gave parents an opportunity to learn from experts about preparatory programs, planning and funding for college. 

The evening's breakout sessions included a panel discussion on high school International Baccalaureate and post-secondary enrollment option programs (PSEO), as well as parent/student conversations about academic success. TopLine Federal Credit Union hosted a workshop on college financial planning, examining key topics including college costs, saving for college, goal setting and budgeting.

"The Robbinsdale Middle School Parent Summit was a fantastic success. Ninety-four percent of our participants said they learned 'a lot' about college payment options, while 100 percent said they enjoyed the overall program," said Mary Vang, Director, GEAR UP. "For parents, it's never too early to plan for a child's college education. And thanks to organizations like TopLine Federal Credit Union, families were able to start thinking now about best options to finance those potentially intimidating college education costs."

"I had the opportunity to sit in on a couple of the TopLine sessions, which provided valuable information to our families about money management, saving, prioritizing, and the wisdom of saving today for college tomorrow," said John Cook, Principal at Robbinsdale Middle School. "TopLine also emphasized that's it's never too early to teach children should how to save, spend and share their money."

"This summit was a great opportunity to share straightforward financial insights about saving and planning with college-bound families," said Vicki Erickson, Assistant Vice President of Marketing, TopLine Federal Credit Union. "The GEAR UP initiative aligns so well with TopLine's own deep commitment to helping families prepare for whatever lies ahead -- and this partnership allows us to share our expertise with a broader audience."

A longstanding supporter of youth financial literacy, TopLine will teach personal money management to Robbinsdale Middle School's eighth grade students during the school year. The credit union also offers a Get Smart with Your Money program for members and non-members, providing three age-specific classes at its Maple Grove location: Building Dreams for ages 5-8; Dollar Power for ages 9-13; and Dollars & Sense for ages 14-18. For more information on the next class sessions, visit www.toplinecu.com.

TopLine Federal Credit Union, a Twin Cities-based credit union, is Minnesota's 13^th largest, with assets of more than $340 million. Established in 1935, the not-for-profit cooperative offers a complete line of financial services, as well as auto and home insurance, from its five locations -- in Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Plymouth and in St. Paul's Como Park -- as well as by phone and online at www.TopLinecu.com. Membership is available to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school or volunteers in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington Counties and their immediate family members.