What other type of program allows you to invest over $100,000 in a professionally-managed tax-deferred account for each child without regard to age or income level? Where else does your state offer significant benefits for investing, including tax deductions, income exemption, and even scholarship money. What other mechanism allows wealthier parents or grandparents to immediately reduce their taxable estates by hundreds of thousands of dollars without gift tax, and without giving up control of the assets?

The answer is that no other IRS-approved program provides the combination of benefits that a Section 529 state-sponsored college savings plan does. Investing for future college expenses will never be the same again. And forget what you may have heard about these plans. You are not limited to the plan in your own state, and you do not have to send your child to an in-state college. You can even set up an account for yourself!

In THE BEST WAY TO SAVE FOR COLLEGE: A Comprehensive Guide to State-Sponsored College Savings Plans and Prepaid Tuition Contracts, Joseph F. Hurley CPA describes how 529 Plans work: the tax rules, planning strategies, impact on college financial aid. He compares them to other alternatives such as the Education IRA, savings bonds, and mutual funds. And he describes the best and worst features of each state's plan, along with an exclusive "5-Cap Rating". The various state plans are not created equal. Learn which ones to use and which ones to stay away from.

You've heard about them. Now it's time to learn about them. Whether you are a professional planner, a college financial aid officer, or a careful investor, you need to have all the facts. [Note: This book appears to be the FIRST comprehensive book describing 529 Plans, and 529 Plans are bound to become extremely popular, as evidenced by articles over the past six months in SmartMoney, TIME, Newsweek, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Wall Street Journal, and others.]

I haven't met the author (Joseph Hurley). But when I e-mailed a question to him at the address published in the book, I received a thorough and helpful answer later the same day. That's great service from the author of an exceptionally valuable guide.