STEP 2: Open/ Connect Your Personal Career and College Savings Account

Once you activate and view your child’s Future Fund account, it is time to take the next step.

The Future Fund is an opportunity for the community to give toward your student. If you’d like to contribute personally, once you have activated your Future Fund account, connect it to a new or existing personal college and career savings account (TNStars or Pinnacle option) through the Future Fund Portal to earn an additional $25 for your child’s Future Fund.

Why Should I Open a Separate Account?

Chattanooga Future Fund owns your child’s Future Fund account and will deposit money into your student’s Future Fund account on behalf of our organization and other community partners. To begin giving personally toward your child’s future and to receive additional rewards from the Future Fund, open a separate, family-owned personal college and career savings account for the benefit of your child. This ensures that you can keep track of money given by our community and money given personally. While the accounts will remain separate, you will be able to see the total savings altogether in the Future Fund Portal.

What Options Are There for College and Career Savings Accounts?

You are able to connect one of two types of college and career savings accounts to your child’s Future Fund account. When you complete this step, you will receive the $25 reward in your child’s Future Fund account.

OPTION 1: TNStars College Savings 529 Account: This is a type of investment account is created specifically to help families save for college and career training. Managed by the Tennessee Department of Treasury, TNStars can help your savings grow over time. Families that choose to enroll in TNStars will need to provide names, address, birth date, and Social Security numbers for both the guardian and student. Additionally, families choosing TNStars may also qualify for significant additional matching funds through the Tennessee Investments Preparing Scholars (TIPS) program. Learn more about TNStars and TIPS here.

OPTION 2: Pinnacle College and Career Savings Account: This savings account that will earn interest over time. It is held at Pinnacle Bank, an insured financial institution and partner with Chattanooga Future Fund. In order to sign up, families will need to provide the school Student Number, home zip code, and birthdate of the guardian and student. This account does not require a Social Security Number.

You can open either of these accounts when you log into the Future Fund Portal you set up in STEP 1.

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