# Give family a place to back their future for families Open or link your child’s 529 plan, share their gifting page, and give the people who love them an easy way to contribute. Enter your email [Get started](https://app.backer.com/signup?referrer=home) · [sign in](https://app.backer.com/signin) ## Sign up. Share the page. Let family back it. Zoe's page becomes the place where birthdays, milestones, and everyday encouragement can turn into contributions for her future. ### Fund Create a place for Zoe's future. ### Share Send Zoe’s gifting page to family and friends. ### Back They join the team as backers. _The section renders an example gift page for a child named Zoe, cropped from the desktop app: her photo, the title “Zoe’s 529”, the link backer.com/zoes-529, the note “We’re saving for Zoe’s future – thank you for being part of it. Every gift, big or small, goes straight into her education savings.” from Jordan & Sallie, and the line “12 people back Zoe”._ ## The smart way to save for education You want the best future for your child, but there’s so much to figure out along the way. We’ve taken the guesswork out of saving for education, so you can take at least one thing off your list. ### The right 529 plan for you 529s are confusing, with over 100 different ones in the U.S. We connect to most of them and will help you open a great one. _The card shows a searchable plan picker listing 68 529 plans by state, from Alaska T. Rowe Price 529 to Wisconsin Edvest 529._ ### Super simple saving Paperless setup. Automated contributions. Projected savings. Everything you need to manage your 529 account, all from your phone. _The card shows the in-app "Add funds" screen: preset amounts from $10 to $50 or a custom amount, a frequency and a schedule, and an illustrative projection that $100 per month could grow to $30,802 by 2038._ ### Gifts that make a difference Every 529 gets a custom link that’s easy to share, so family and friends can contribute. Think birthdays, holidays... Wednesdays. ### Save money for college tax-free It's like a retirement account for your child, so you can grow your savings tax-free. If you've been wondering how you'll be able to afford college, a 529 plan is the answer. _The card charts an illustrative comparison from birth to age 18: $40,400 in a 529 plan against $22,600 kept in a saving account._ Investments in 529 plans are subject to risk, including possible loss of principal. The growth shown is hypothetical – see our [disclosures](/legal/#disclosures). ## Big love from Backer families Surprise: it’s not just parents who love saving together. > It is hard to save but I believe in asking for help, so I asked friends and family to help and we are doing it as a team. Let’s give our kids the freedom to decide what they wanna do. @thecarlinfamily on TikTok This current client received a cash fee of less than $500 for this testimonial, which provides a financial incentive to recommend Backer and creates a conflict of interest. > We really needed to start saving for our baby. I love that family members can make contributions. Instead of giving the baby gifts or monetary gifts they can just make a contribution towards their college fund. It makes me feel comfortable knowing we are saving for his future. @andrea_mrllo on TikTok This current client received a cash fee of less than $500 for this testimonial, which provides a financial incentive to recommend Backer and creates a conflict of interest. ## Questions? We’ve got answers. faq [More questions? Visit our help center](https://help.backer.com/en/) ### Why should I use Backer? Backer is the easiest way to save for college with help from family and friends. We’ll help you invest your savings with a tax-free 529 Savings Plan, which is like a retirement account for your child’s education and career. It’s a government-sponsored account and is the smartest way to avoid future student debt. With Backer, it’s simple to involve family and friends in the process. These “backers” can quickly and easily contribute to your child’s 529 and stay involved as your child gets closer to college. Our most active customers save significantly more by building a team of backers for their kids. ### How does Backer help me save more for college? Studies have shown that simply having a college fund can dramatically improve educational outcomes. Backer amplifies this effect by having your family and friends chip in, and then investing all of the savings tax-free. We’ve also noticed parents on our platform contribute more themselves when they have a team of friends and relatives along for the ride. Just like it’s helpful to have a gym buddy or study buddy, having a team of backers for your kids is super motivating and helps you make much faster progress toward your savings goals. ### Who can join the fund as a backer? Anyone you invite by sharing your unique gifting page link can join as a backer and contribute gifts. We see lots of grandparents, uncles/aunts, and even family friends or the child’s mentors at school and through other activities. ### What is Backer like for the backers I invite? With limited access to your child’s page, backers can see that they’re part of a team, but you choose how much of the page’s activity you want to be visible. We send reminders to your backers around the holidays and when your kid’s birthday is coming up. We make it easy to link a bank account via online banking, or they can use a credit or debit card or digital wallet like Apple Pay or Google Pay – so gifting is a breeze. Contributors pay just $1.99 per gift in addition to any card processing fees, if applicable. ### How much does it cost? We’ve got a plan for every family – with simple, transparent pricing, no matter how much you save. Check out all the details about Backer membership on our [pricing page](/pricing/). ### Why should I use a 529 plan to save? A 529 plan is a government-sponsored program to help families build their savings early so they can more easily afford future education- and career-related expenses (e.g., K-12 tuition, college, vocational and trade schooling, and apprenticeship programs). It lets your money grow tax-free and be withdrawn tax-free as long as it’s used for qualified expenses. It’s like a retirement account, but for education, and has been around for over 25 years. ### How do you safeguard my personal information? We use the strongest available browser encryption, secure servers monitored 24/7/365, and industry-leading identity verification services to safeguard your personal information. We also have clear privacy procedures in place to govern our own use of your information. To learn more, please see our [Privacy Notice](/legal/#privacy). ### Who are the people behind Backer? We’re a diverse team with decades of experience in financial services and the tech industry. Learn more [here](/about/). ### What if I decide Backer is not for me? We’ll be sad to lose you, but you’ll be able to keep the 529 plan we helped you open or we’ll help you roll it over to another provider. If you leave Backer, you will lose the ability to access and manage your 529 plan via our website and mobile apps, as well as the gifting page where your backers can help you save, your Backer contribution and gifting history, and all of our other features. We’ll welcome any feedback you have for how we can improve and will always welcome you back if you change your mind. ## We back what matters most One home for the whole village behind a kid – parents, grandparents, godparents, friends. [Get started](https://app.backer.com) --- _Site-wide footer copy and disclosure, shown on every page:_ The connected information, discovery, and infrastructure company for family investing. Backer is the tradename of Principly, Inc., an SEC-registered investment adviser. Our internet-based investment advisory services are designed to assist clients in saving for education and are not intended to provide comprehensive tax advice or financial planning. Our services are available to U.S. residents only. This website shall not be considered a solicitation or offering for any service or product to any person in any jurisdiction where such solicitation or offer would be unlawful. Investing in securities involves risks, and investing in 529 plans in particular involves certain tax considerations and related risks. Any investments you make in a 529 plan through Backer may lose value. Historical returns, expected returns, and probability projections are provided for informational and illustrative purposes, and may not reflect actual future performance. Our savings calculator is a hypothetical tool provided for illustrative purposes only and is based on important assumptions [described here](/legal/#disclosures). SavingForCollege.com and TrumpAccounts.com are independent publishing properties of Saving for College, LLC and do not provide investment advice. © 2026 Principly, Inc.