Parents want to give their children best education they can afford. The more a child is educated, the better he/she can be in life. Education is important to build a successful life. Post secondary education makes the child knowledgeable to make right decision in life. A well educated child will become a good citizen and contribute to the development of the country. Today, employers in every field want to hire person with specialized knowledge and skills to do the job. So, the post secondary education has become an essential requirement for a decent well paying job.
The cost of higher education in Canada is very costly. People with modest income find it difficult to afford the expenses. The parents' concern to get their children educated is answered by the Registered Education Savings Fund. The RESP plan is a special type of saving plan that encourages parents to save for the higher education of their children. This plan is sanctioned by the Federal government and the money earned on the investment is not taxed until it is withdrawn from the plan.
Basics:
RESP plan can be opened by anyone. It can be the parents, grandparents, blood relatives or friends. Person who starts the plan is called the subscriber. The person who gets money from the plan is called the beneficiary. In some RESP plan, the subscriber and the beneficiary can be the same person.
Contributions:
RESP contributions cannot be deducted from the income tax. The subscriber can make a lifetime contribution of $50,000 per beneficiary. Any contributions above this amount are taxable. RESP plan generally remains active for 36 years and the subscriber can choose to contribute for as long as he wants. There is no fixed rule in the plan that specifies the subscriber to pay certain amount of money every year.
The beneficiary also gets financial aids from the government sponsored grants liked the Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG), Canada Learning Bond (CLB) and grants offered by the provincial governments of Alberta and Quebec.
EAP:
The funds in the plan keep growing steadily with the contributions made by the subscriber, the money earned by the investments and the financial aids received from the government sponsored grants. The payment made to the beneficiary is called the Education Assistance Payouts (EAP). When the beneficiary is enrolled in a qualified course or a specialized course, he/she becomes eligible to withdraw the money from the plan. The EAP is taxed in the hands of the student who pays little or no tax because of no or low income.
If the beneficiary fails to go for the higher education, the subscriber can withdraw the money which is then taxed or the plan can be transferred to another beneficiary who wishes to pursue higher education.
The provider:
The Heritage Education Funds have been selling RESP plans since 1965. With solid knowledge base of the markets and over 50 years of experience, they are the best service providers in the country. They have been successfully helping families build the future of their children. They have spent $900 million as EAP to 400,000 beneficiaries, who have reached their goals in life. The Heritage RESP plans are committed to help parents achieve their dreams and build the future of their children.